Building capacity in critical care research coordination in Saudi Arabia: The role of the Saudi critical care trials group

Abstract

Critical care research is growing around the world including Saudi Arabia. The objective of this review is to discuss the building capacity in critical care research coordination in Saudi Arabia as a part of the research strategy of the Saudi Critical Care Trials Group (SCCTG). The SCCTG was developed to promote high impact critical care research in Saudi Arabia and to facilitate collaboration in national and international clinical research. Well-organized coordination between all parties is necessary by the presence of qualified clinical research coordinator (CRC). Critical care has unique features that make clinical research conduct more complex and demanding. It is a high-risk area with increased potentiality of error or adverse events occurrence. Critical care providers such as critical care nurses, critical care pharmacists, respiratory therapists, critical care physiotherapists, or intensive care unit physicians with added skills may be appropriate candidates to handle CRC roles in critical care setting. These skills include but not limited to data collection, obtaining consent, patient assessment, patient screening for the study eligibility, data entry, ethics submissions, providing teaching regarding the study protocol and research topics to clinical staff, attending to regulatory requirements, and designing data collection tools. The SCCTG shall focus on training the clinical research coordination skills through providing specialized courses and workshops that enable different hospitals to conduct and participate in clinical research. It will also help developing network group to connect critical care CRCs in Saudi Arabia and worldwide.