ACEM Clinical Trials Network

Our Clinical Trials Network (CTN) was formed on 1 January 2018, with the primary objective of facilitating and promoting investigator-initiated, collaborative, multicentre clinical research in emergency medicine (EM) throughout Australia and New Zealand. The CTN has been operating as a clinical trials group (CTG) for some years, before transitioning into a formal Network. A more detailed definition of a clinical trials network can be found on the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance website.
 
The CTN is a Section of the College. It has a documented executive and management structure, and formal policies and procedures for approving and conducting clinical trials, as well as reporting and disseminating results. A FACEM Executive steers the Network, with administrative support provided by ACEM.
 
Aims
 
Through collaboration, and the power of a shared track record, the CTN will unite EM researchers in further raising the profile of ED-based research, increasing the share of competitive funding that it attracts and, most importantly, improving outcomes for our patients by answering those research questions that are most relevant to the quality of their care. The track record developed with each project, will be able to be used by all future endorsed projects.
 
The Network aims to bring together Australasian researchers with an interest in clinical research to facilitate conducting high quality, multicentre trials. We will be answering research questions that are important to our patients; which are competitive in funding applications.
 
In time, as EM research in Australia and New Zealand becomes better recognised and more competitive, we aim to pursue collaboration with international emergency medicine research networks.
 
Benefits

For Emergency Medicine (EM):

• A structure to conduct, report and record significant research activity.
• Capacity to support clinical researchers in EM.
• Through collaboration, capacity to involve a greater number and geographical spread of emergency departments in research.
• As front-line clinicians are directly involved in the research, improved translation of research results into clinical practice.
• Ability to expand expertise in the EM research sphere, establishing us as a truly academic profession.
• Ability to access funding streams earmarked for expansion of clinical trials infrastructure.
• Through membership of the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA), a ‘seat at the table’ to ensure that EM is well represented and has the opportunity to influence advocacy for the public good trials and registries sector.

For individual members:

•  A formal structure to initiate and expand research collaborations, and to engage in networking activities.
• Supported infrastructure to sustain multicentre research collaborations.
• Capacity to undertake larger, more complex clinical trials (with the ability to answer clinical questions that require the recruitment of tens of thousands of patients).
• A shared research record that allows researchers to benefit from other researchers’ success:
  • Improved track record (using the Network track record rather than an individual researcher track record).
  • Improved capacity to publish in high impact journals.
  • Improved opportunities for early career researchers who are yet to build a track record.
• Formal mentoring opportunities for early career researchers, and access to EM research expertise.
• Active promotion of the activities and achievements of your research through ACTA publications and news listings.

Please read the information below and then complete the 5-minute membership form. 

Membership Form – Join for Free! 
 
Who can be a member?
 
The CTN has an open, broad-based membership of FACEMs, trainees, other clinical and allied health professionals (for example, paramedics, nurses, pharmacists, and public health physicians) and non-clinical staff. There is a requirement that members are involved with or interested in EM research. Full membership, which is available to FACEMs, enables individuals to nominate for a position on the Executive.
 
What is expected of members?
 
Members must be willing to: 

• receive updates from the Network
• be notified of requests from researchers who might be interested in collaborating
• consider which endorsed multi-centre clinical trials might be appropriate for your site.

Contingent on explicit consent being received from individuals, information regarding specific research interests and expertise may be shared as required amongst the membership.
 
For example, a researcher may seek to collaborate with a toxicology researcher, a regional ED in Victoria, an epidemiologist or a hospital that has a high caseload of geriatric presentations. If consent is received there is no obligation on members to collaborate when requested, only to be open to an approach.
 
How will my details be used?
 
Your contact and other details will be obtained only for the specified purpose of receiving information and requests that are explicitly associated with the activities of the CTN. Details shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose.

The Network has a small Executive to steer the group and report into the College governance structures. The chief role of the Executive is to provide critical review of research proposals and, endorse projects that meet relevant guidelines. To learn more about the role of the Executive read the Terms of Reference.
 
Under its Terms of Reference the Executive comprises 4-6 FACEM members and 1 ex-officio member nominated by the Research Committee. The following FACEMs have been appointed to serve as the inaugural Executive until 31 December 2020:

• Dr Gina Watkins (Chair)
• Dr Jonathan Knott (Deputy Chair)
• Professor Daniel Fatovich
• Dr Katie Walker
• Dr Ian Ferguson
• Dr Ogilvie Thom
• Vacant (ex-officio, Scientific Committee)

The Executive will be joined in their meetings by observers from:
 
New Zealand Emergency Medicine Network      

Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaboration (PREDICT)

Why should we apply?

Endorsement by the CTN has a number of benefits for individual researchers and emergency medicine in general. On request, endorsed projects can access mentoring and expert advice through all development stages of the study. The collective CTN track record, and expert advice, will support the submission of successful funding applications. Further benefits are listed in ‘Aims and Benefits’ above.

How do we apply?

Research projects considered for endorsement by the CTN must be clinical in nature (not necessarily a clinical trial) and primarily related to an aspect of emergency medicine. In order to apply please:

1. Read the Policy for Endorsement of Studies by the CTN.

The Policy contains a number of requirements that must be met or agreed to within the application, including:

• a demonstration that adequate funding is available to successfully complete the project (the CTN is not a funding body)
• a commitment to provide the CTN with periodic updates on the project
• an understanding that the CTN will be a co-author for all presentations and publications of the work, and that all manuscripts will be submitted for approval to the CTN for review prior to publication.

2. Complete the Online Application for Endorsement Form

The online form below will prompt you to provide the information mandated by the Policy. Once the form has been submitted it will be processed in a timely manner and the primary liaison will be notified of the outcome.

The College’s Clinical Trials Network (CTN) was formed on 1 January 2018. The CTN had been operating as a clinical trials group (CTG) for some years, before transitioning into a formal Network. The ACEM CTN is responsible for all endorsements issued after 1 January 2018. 

Title	Principal Investigator	Publications	Trial Register Link	Endorsed
Management of patients with mild head injury in Australian Emergency Departments: The Neurotrauma Evidence Translation (NET) Trial	Prof Russell Gruen	Trials 2014 15:281 [Link]	ACTRN12612001286831	15-Apr-13
A randomised controlled trial of conservative versus interventional treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax	Prof Simon Brown	BMJ Open 2016 6:e011826 [Link]	ACTRN12611000184976	15-Apr-13
Meta-analysis of Three, International, Multicentre, RCTs Comparing Protocolised With Usual Resuscitation in Patients Presenting to the ED With Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock	Prof Kathy Rowan	N Engl J Med. 2017 376(23):2223-2234 [Link]	NCT02030158	17-Dec-13
Restricted Fluid Resuscitation in Sepsis-associate Hypotension (REFRESH) Trial	Dr Stephen Macdonald	Trials 2017 18(1):3 [Link] Intensive Care Med 2018 44:2070-78 [Link]	ACTRN12616000006448	26-Oct-15
Western Australian Illicit Substance Evaluation	Dr David McCutcheon		ACTRN12617000012370	01-Feb-17
Plasma-Lyte 148® versUs Saline Study (PLUS)	Prof Simon Finfer	Crit Care Resusc. 2017 19(3):239-246 [Link]	NCT02721654	01-Feb-17
FentAnyl or placebo with Ketamine and rocuronium for rapid sequence inTubation in the emergency department, a multicentre randomised controlled trial: the FAKT study	Dr Ian Ferguson		ACTRN12616001570471	15-May-17
Identifying patients at risk of post-concussion syndrome after mild traumatic brain injury	Prof Daniel Fatovich		Not yet registered	23-Jun-17
Australasian Resuscitation In Sepsis Evaluation: FLUid or Vasopressors In Emergency Department Sepsis (ARISE FLUIDS)*	Dr Stephen Macdonald		Not yet registered	23-Feb-18
Multi-centre Observational Descriptive Study of Current Practice: the Australasian Resuscitation In Sepsis Evaluation: FLUid or Vasopressors In Emergency Department Sepsis (ARISE FLUIDS Observational Study)	Dr Stephen Macdonald		Not yet registered	07-Jun-18

Authored by ACEM Clinical Trials Group / Network

Taylor DMcD, Fatovich D, Finucci D, Furyk J, Hughes J, Jin S-W, Keijzers G, MacDonald S, Mitenko H, Richardson J, Ting J, Thom O, Ugoni A, Ward M et al. Best-practice Pain Management in the ED: a multi-centre, cluster-randomised, controlled, clinical intervention trial. Emerg Med Australas 2015; 27: 549-557. [Login required]

Taylor DMcD, Cohen DR, Epstein J, Freeman P, Gosbell AD, Judkins S, Mowatt EJ, O'Reilly GM1, Vinen J. Development of a productive research culture in emergency medicine: Report of the outcomes of a research forum. Emerg Med Australas. 2016; 28(1): 113-8. [Free full text]

Keijzers G, Thom O, Taylor DMcD, Knott JC for the ACEM Clinical Trials Group. Clinical Research Priorities in Emergency Medicine. Emerg Med Australas 2014; 26: 19-27. [Login required]

Thom O, Keijzers G, Davies S, Taylor DMcD, Knott J, Middleton P. Clinical Research Priorities in Emergency Medicine: Results of a Consensus Meeting and Development of a Weighting Method for Assessment of Clinical Research Priorities. Emerg Med Australas 2014; 26, 28–33. [Login required]

Thom ON, Keijzers G, Taylor DMcD, Fatovich DM, Finucci DP, Furyk J, Jin S, Macdonald SPJ, Mitenko HMA, Richardson JB, Ting JYS, Gibbs CR, Chalkley DR. The TARGET Pain Study – Lessons from a painful marathon. Emerg Med Australas. 2016; 28(5): 603-6. [Login required]

Furyk J, Lawton L, Ting J, Taylor DMcD for the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine Clinical Trials Group. Perspective: Informed consent in emergency care research: An oxymoron? Emerg Med Australas 2017; 29 (1):110-112. [Login required]

Developing an EM Research Agenda/Culture

Taylor DMcD, Cohen DR, Epstein J, Freeman P, Gosbell AD, Judkins S, Mowatt EJ, O'Reilly GM1, Vinen J. Development of a productive research culture in emergency medicine: Report of the outcomes of a research forum. Emerg Med Australas. 2016; 28(1): 113-8. [Free full text]

Keijzers G, Thom O, Taylor DMcD, Knott JC for the ACEM Clinical Trials Group. Clinical Research Priorities in Emergency Medicine. Emerg Med Australas 2014; 26: 19-27. [Login required]

Thom O, Keijzers G, Davies S, Taylor DMcD, Knott J, Middleton P. Clinical Research Priorities in Emergency Medicine: Results of a Consensus Meeting and Development of a Weighting Method for Assessment of Clinical Research Priorities. Emerg Med Australas 2014; 26, 28–33. [Login required] 

Deane HC, Wilson CL, Babl FE, Dalziel SR, Cheek JA, Craig SS, Oakley E, Borland M, Cheng NG, Zhang M, Cotterell E, Schuster T, Krieser D, on behalf of the PREDICT Research Network. PREDICT Prioritisation Study: establishing the research priorities of paediatric emergency medicine physicians in Australia and New Zealand. Emerg Med J. 2018; 35(1): 39-45. [Login required]

Smith J, Keating L, Flowerdew L, O'Brien R, McIntyre S, Morley R, Carley S, on Behalf of the JLA EM PSP Steering Group. An Emergency Medicine Research Priority Setting Partnership to establish the top 10 research priorities in emergency medicine. Emerg Med J. 2017; 34(7): 454-456. [Free full text UK Research]

McLay SV, McCutcheon D, Arendts G, Macdonald S, Fatovich DM. Patient perspectives on priorities for Emergency Medicine research (The PERSPEX Study). Emerg Med Australas 2018; 30:228-235. [Log-in Required]

Value of Clinical Trials Networks

Australian Clinical Trials Alliance and Quantium Health Outcomes on behalf of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Economic evaluation of investigator-initiated clinical trials conducted by networks: final report. Melbourne (2017). [Free full text]

Australian Clinical Trials Alliance for the National Health and Medical Research Council. Report on the Activities and Achievements of Clinical Trials Networks in Australia 2004-2014. Melbourne (2015). [Free full text]

Babl F, Borland M, Ngo P, Acworth J, Krieser D, Pandit S, Pitt WR, Cotterell E, Jamison S. Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT): First steps towards the development of an Australian and New Zealand research network. Emerg Med Australas. 2006; 18(2): 143-7. [Login required]

New Zealand Emergency Medicine Network. The New Zealand Emergency Medicine Network: a collaboration for acute care research in New Zealand. Emerg Med Australas. 2015, 27(2):169-72. [Free full text] 

The bodies listed below are key contributors to the development of clinical trials networks in the acute sector in Australia and New Zealand.

Emergency Medicine Networks (and Support Bodies)

Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA)

ACTA's mission is to promote effective and cost‐effective healthcare in Australia through investigator‐initiated clinical trials and clinical quality registries that generate evidence to support decisions made by health practitioners, policy‐makers, and consumers. The development of ACTA is supported by more than 50 individual clinical trials networks, clinical trial coordinating centres and clinical quality registries. [Visit website]

Centre for Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine (CCREM)

The Centre for Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine (Twitter @CCREM2) is a unique unit established at Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia that brings together clinical staff working in the Emergency Department (ED) and laboratory scientists using immunological and molecular biological techniques. CCREM investigates a number of conditions within the spectrum of disease treated by EDs. [Visit website]

College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA)

The Research Committee of CENA encourages emergency nurses to undertake quality research that contributes to the evidence base for emergency nursing and improvements in patient care and emergency systems. The Committee welcome enquiries from emergency nurses who are looking for advice developing research, research collaborations or research by higher degrees. [Visit website]

Emergency Medicine Foundation Research Support Network (EMF RSN)

In 2015, EMF launched a Research Support Network (RSN) for emergency medicine research in Queensland public hospitals. This Network is a strategic initiative to support and foster research by emergency medicine clinicians and staff. Through this network, EMF is providing on the ground Research Development Managers who facilitate research projects, multi-disciplinary collaborations and the translation of new knowledge into better clinical practice. [Visit website]

Joseph Epstein Centre for Emergency Medicine Research (JECEMR)

The Joseph Epstein Centre for Emergency Medicine Research is located at Sunshine Hospital in St Albans, Melbourne, Australia and works closely with the Departments of Emergency Medicine of Western Health as well as national and international collaborators. [Visit website]

New Zealand Emergency Medicine Network (NZEMN) 

The NZEMN is based on a voluntary collaboration of committed people and local champions with national representation, working together in good faith to answer questions that would not be possible otherwise. While such an egalitarian structure is perhaps less stable than a central coordinating centre run by permanent staff, it is more flexible financially and more nimble from a research content perspective. [Visit website]

Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT)

The PREDICT (Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative) network has established a profile as successful paediatric emergency researchers since 2004 and now provides a research platform for achieving multi-centre acute care paediatric research in Australia and New Zealand. As knowledge leaders, PREDICT is also ideally positioned to ensure rapid and successful translation of research outcomes into widespread practice. [Visit website]

Queensland Emergency Research Collaborative (QERC)

QERC is an independent network for Queensland emergency medicine researchers, meeting on a bi-monthly basis to discuss research opportunities. QERC aims to improve the quality and impact of emergency health research activities by supporting multi-centre research and facilitating collaboration between institutions, health care providers, researchers and industry partners involved in the delivery of and advancement to emergency health care. [Visit website]

Networks in Related Disciplines

Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Clinical Trials Network (ANZCA CTN)

The ANZCA Clinical Trials Network is a large collaboration of trial investigators and coordinators across dozens of centres in Australia, New Zealand and throughout the world. ANZCA Clinical Trials Network trials are investigator-led and therefore regarded as public good trials, where they seek the definitive answers for the best practice that is relevant to practitioners, patients and policy makers. [Visit website]

Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group (ANZICS CTG)

The ANZICS Clinical Trials Group (CTG) was established in 1994 by a small group of Intensivists committed to seeing better clinical research and greater quality evidence in intensive care medicine. Today, it is one of the world’s largest and most successful critical care research networks, incorporating 70 Adult and Paediatric Intensive Care Units and more than 650 Clinicians and Researchers. The CTG is a highly skilled and collegial community that is dedicated to generating new evidence to guide treatment and improve outcomes for people who are admitted to intensive care.​​ [Visit website]

National Translational Research Collaborative (NTRC)

The National Translational Research Collaborative (NTRC) is a virtual hub connecting Australia’s clinical pharmacy researchers and organisations to build research capacity and hospital partnerships, strengthen research proposals and impact and leverage funding opportunities. [Visit website]

Contact the CTN Administrator