To celebrate International Clinical Trials Day on May 20, we recognize the work of our clinicians leading clinical trial studies at Grand River Hospital (GRH). A clinical trial is a type of research study that helps to discover new ways to diagnose, treat, manage or prevent a disease. Through the hospital’s Office of Research and Innovation, GRH clinicians are currently participating in over 20 clinical trials in our clinical programs, helping GRH to advance exceptional care.
GRH’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is leading the way for community hospital research as one of the first in Canada to participate in an international multi-hospital research study.
Since April 2017, our ICU has been participating in an international multi-centre randomized control trial, known as PROSPECT: PRObiotics to prevent Severe Pneumonia and Endotracheal Colonization Trial. Studies have shown that probiotics, which are commercially available live bacteria thought to have health benefits when ingested, may prevent 25% of all pneumonias, 18% of all other infections, and 65% of serious bowel infections for patients on a breathing machine (called a ventilator).
Led at GRH by medical director for the ICU, Dr. Paul Hosek, the PROSPECT study wants to answer the question: can probiotics be an easy-to-use, readily available, affordable approach to help critically ill patients around the world?
In the year since the ICU joined the trial, GRH has enrolled 35 of the over 1700 patients worldwide who have participated in the trial to date. The inclusion of patients in a large community hospital like GRH adds significant value to this study. Historically, community hospitals have been underrepresented in studies like this which make the study results difficult to apply to different patient populations.
GRH currently participates in research with no dedicated research staff in the ICU. That means our ICU staff have chosen to participate in the PROSPECT study in addition to their day-to-day responsibilities because we see this as important work to improve the care we provide to patients.
“Conducting this study is a team effort,” says Michelle White, program director for ICU. “We have five team members who have various roles in the study from enrolling patients, to administering the probiotic or placebo, to documenting findings. Our nurse practitioner, Rebecca Jesso, has been involved since the beginning, and Dr. Hosek comes in on his off days to work on the study.”
Dr. Hosek’s passion for research extends beyond the PROSPECT study. He hopes participating in this research trial will open the door for more research opportunities within the ICU and build the reputation of GRH as a community hospital that can contribute alongside larger research institutions.
“We are conducting meaningful research with this study,” Dr. Hosek says. “Through our participation, we are helping answer questions that have been waiting a long time to be answered. I’d like to see us create more opportunities to participate in clinical trials and these opportunities often come when we prove to bigger hospitals we can do the work. With the PROSPECT study we are proving not only can we keep up, we can lead the way.”
The Office of Research and Innovation at GRH works with all clinicians at the hospital to connect them to research opportunities like the PROSPECT study. If you are interested in learning more about the work we do, please visit www.grhosp.on.ca/research