Grant: Planning Grants - Priority Announcement: Circulatory and Respiratory Health

Sudden cardiac arrest is a common but potentially reversible cause of death. Understanding factors that contribute to improved survival from cardiac arrest can lead to a revised research agenda and more effective knowledge translation (KT). Multicentre KT projects have attempted to focus on various links in the 'chain of survival' beyond the actual cardiac arrest event however; knowledge gaps remain and represent an important area of inquiry. This project intends to explore the creation of a community-based resuscitation research collaborative that lengthens the chain of survival beyond the scope traditionally considered, incorporating broad stakeholder representation to establish research priorities and leverage regional health care and academic strengths. The Collaborative will also explore factors earlier in the chain of survival, such as primary prevention incorporating public health strategies. Key is the inclusion of patient and family member representation during the formation and lifespan of the collaborative. With a strong tie to KT science, the proposed collaborative will attempt to directly improve outcomes from cardiac arrest in the Ontario Durham Region, and share lessons learned with other jurisdictions in Canada. This grant proposal aims to secure funding to support a one-day meeting in early Fall 2013 to establish the resuscitation collaborative network, linking researchers, knowledge users and community stakeholders. Funding will support meeting activities and environmental scans. At the meeting experts with demonstrated success in establishing resuscitation collaborative networks will be asked to share best practices and contribute to the network development plan. The meeting is intended to be a working, constructive experience that will generate collaborative groups, identify research/KT issues, prioritize potential projects, identify gaps/resources, and lead to relevant and impactful work to improved patient outcomes.