Abstract
Recruitment in emergency care clinical trials is frequently undermined by the fast pace of acute care settings, limited provider availability, and the logistical challenges of staffing multiple hospitals. Traditional models relying solely on professional research coordinators are often not cost-effective and difficult to sustain across decentralized sites. The Emergency Medicine Collegiate Program for Research (EM-CPR) offers a novel solution by engaging college students as trained research associates to serve as on-site connectors, screening patients and linking those eligible with remote study coordinators. This model has shown feasibility at Los Angeles General Medical Center and now requires formal evaluation for trial acceleration and development for dissemination.
This Translational Science Pilot will expand EM-CPR through three aims. Aim 1 will estimate the program’s impact on trial capacity by conducting a quasi-randomized evaluation of EM-CPR-assisted screening versus staff-only screening across up to three acute care clinical trials. Primary outcomes include screening yield and enrollment, with secondary outcomes assessing quality (errors, dropouts, deviations). Aim 2 will advance workforce pipeline development through a locally adapted web-based Learning Management System (LMS) hosted on the SC CTSI Learning Network. The LMS will streamline onboarding, training, and monitoring of EMCPR Associates (EM-CPRAs). We will evaluate completion rates, retention, knowledge, confidence in conducting research activities, and intentions to pursue research careers. Aim 3 will develop a dissemination toolkit using the EPIS (Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment) framework. The toolkit will include partnership frameworks, role descriptions, onboarding checklists, and a yearlong LMS-based curriculum.
By improving trial efficiency, strengthening training pathways, and creating a replicable implementation toolkit, this pilot will address persistent barriers to decentralized emergency care research. EM-CPR has the potential to expand clinical trial capacity nationally while simultaneously building a pipeline of future translational science professionals.