Collaboration in pre-hospital care research: the pan asian resuscitation outcomes study

Abstract

The Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study (PAROS) Clinical Research Network is a unique, low-cost, self-funded model of a collaborative research network in the Asia-Pacific region formed in 2010. Currently, research into pre-hospital and emergency care in the Asia-Pacific region is largely inadequate and poorly coordinated owing to the marked variations in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems and outcomes reporting. With conditions such as Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) being one of the leading causes of death worldwide, the dearth in the understanding of trends and research in pre-hospital and emergency care underscores the urgent need for more collaborative research in this area. By creating a platform to connect serious researchers, PAROS Clinical Research Network fosters an environment conducive for intellectual exchanges and for research ideas to be shared and implemented. This article describes the enablers pertaining to governance, frameworks and people in the formation and development of the PAROS Clinical Research Network. The Network has concentrated on building a supportive environment through having proper governance structure, efforts to harmonize the data dictionary for the registry, supportive frameworks that promote ethical and proper collection and use of data, and efforts in seeking opportunities to educate and equip its members with relevant knowledge and research capabilities. These descriptions are presented to provide a research framework for others in the field and to increase international collaboration for research in pre-hospital and emergency care.