Grant: Foundation Grant

Worldwide, trauma represents an enormous burden with more than 1.4 million deaths in road traffic accidents alone. Most trauma deaths are associated with brain injuries that cause severe permanent impairments and generate significant costs associated with health care resource utilization. Unfortunately, evidence-based recommendations for the early assessment of neurological prognosis and for the optimal management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury patients are scarce. We thus face important knowledge gaps in the management of a health condition associated with major burden making it a clear priority for stakeholders, knowledge users (KUs) and the society. My research career focuses on filling these gaps. The overarching aim of my research program is to improve bedside practices and outcomes in critically ill patients with TBI by favouring evidence-based informed patient-centred decision-making. Using a multi-method and multi-steps approach, this program will i) improve prognostic evaluation and level of care decisions in critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury, ii) optimize the management of critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury by conducting patient-oriented research on current interventions aiming at improving brain oxygenation delivery, iii) improve bedside decision-making according to evidence-based patient-centred outcomes in the care of critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury. Overall, this program will lead to practice changes at the bedside for the care of critically ill patients with TBI.