The Royal Children's Hospital

The Paediatric Emergency Medicine Centre of Research Excellence (PEM CRE) brings together leading researchers and clinicians in Australia and New Zealand, to provide leadership and infrastructure for multicentre research and collaboration.

The Paediatric Emergency Medicine Centre of Research Excellence (PEM CRE) brings together leading researchers and clinicians in Australia and New Zealand, to provide leadership and infrastructure for multicentre research and collaboration.

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The multicentre projects undertaken by the PEM CRE are implemented via the Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT) network. There are currently over 100 members from over 50 sites involved in PREDICT who undertake multicentre paediatric emergency research projects throughout Australia and New Zealand. 

Children visit Emergency Departments (EDs) for acute medical care on average of once every year per child, for the duration of their childhood. This represents a large interaction with our health system and an important opportunity to address paediatric health issues. Emergency Department presentations are often critical, with the risk of death or substantial disability if the children are not managed appropriately.

Providing evidence-based care for emergency management is essential and research is directed to address areas where there is a lack of evidence, incomplete translation of existing evidence to practice, and limited policy development and dissemination.

Research undertaken by the PEM CRE focuses on:

  • High-volume conditions that are of daily importance, including head injuries and cervical spine injuries.
  • Infrequent but life-threatening conditions in which optimum care is yet to be established (convulsive status epilepticus and severe asthma.
  • Defining the most suitable methodology for disseminating and implementing practice change in Australasian Emergency Departments (EDs).

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