Respiratory research networks in Europe and beyond: aims, achievements and aspirations for the 21st century
Ignacio Martin-Loeches,
Fernando Zampieri,
Pedro Povoa,
Otavio Ranzani,
Lieuwe D. Bos,
Stefano Aliberti,
Antoni Torres
Affiliations
Ignacio Martin-Loeches
Dept of Clinical Medicine, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Multidisciplinary Intensive Care Research Organization (MICRO), Wellcome Trust, HRB Clinical Research, St James’s University Hospital Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Fernando Zampieri
Research Institute, HCor-Hospital do Coração, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Pedro Povoa
Polyvalent Intensive Care Unit, Hospital de São Francisco Xavier, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental, Lisbon, Portugal
Otavio Ranzani
Dept of Pulmonology, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERES, Barcelona, Spain
Lieuwe D. Bos
Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Stefano Aliberti
Dept of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Cardio-thoracic unit and Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
Antoni Torres
Dept of Pulmonology, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERES, Barcelona, Spain
Healthcare-associated infection, such as intensive care unit (ICU)-related respiratory infections, remain the most frequently encountered morbidity of ICU admission, prolonging hospital stay and increasing mortality rates. The epidemiology of ICU-related respiratory infections, particularly nonventilated ICU-associated pneumonia and ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis, appears to be quite different among different countries. European countries have different prevalence, patterns and mechanism of resistance, as well as different treatments chosen by different attending physicians. The classical clinical research process in respiratory infections consists of the following loop: 1) identification of knowledge gaps; 2) systematic review and search for adequate answers; 3) generation of study hypotheses; 4) design of study protocols; 5) collection clinical data; 6) analysis and interpretation of the results; and 7) implementation of the results in clinical practice.
