Department of Critical Care

Academic Support

Research

Growing our research efforts

Department of Critical Care faculty members are active researchers making significant contributions to the latest in evidence-based critical care. Dr. Edmund Tan, Dr. Kristina Krmpotic, Dr. Robert Green, Dr. Osama Loubani, and Dr. Jennifer Foster lead the majority of the research initatives within our department, serving as principal investigators for many studies, however, many of our faculty have research projects currently underway.

Areas of study include:

  • critical care pharmacology
  • resuscitation and severe sepsis
  • acute lung injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
  • rates of, barriers to and facilitating factors for mobilization
  • influenza
  • post-intubation outcomes

 

RESEARCH FEATURE:

Promoting Resiliency in ICU Healthcare Professionals

Dr. Jennifer Hancock's medical passion has led her to surveying the current intensive care environment for signs of burnout, and examining the affect that plays on the healthcare team. In 2019 a focus group was established, and building from the initial 2018 critical care burnout survey, the focus group worked to:

  1. Identify and describe factors, both personal and organizational, that contribute to burnout and moral distress in the healthcare team at the NSHA – Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre (QEII HSC) Intensive Care Unit
  2. Explore current coping strategies and recommendations identified by participants to help build resiliency in the QEII HSC ICU.
  3. Provide recommendations for implementing strategies to build resilience within the ICU team.

The results confirmed that working in the intensive care unit takes a toll on the physical and mental health of healthcare providers, impacts the relationships with friends and families, as well as the relationships with the patients that they care for. Intervention recommendations have been made by the committee for all of the three major themes. The final report with executive summary can be accessed from the following link:

Promoting Resiliency in ICU Healthcare Professionals at the QEII