To support patient partners and their families, Sepsis Canada offered a one-time grant of up to $25,000 to eligible members of the Sepsis Canada Patient Advisory Council. This competition provided patient partners the opportunity to work with Sepsis Canada researchers to apply leading-edge science to advance a research project.  

A case study characterizing the impacts of engaging with patient advisory councils on long-term recovery for sepsis survivors and their families.  

The grant, led by two patient partners, Kristine Russell and Marie-Maxime Bergeron, will explore the impact of patient engagement through a case study of the Sepsis Canada Patient Advisory Council and the University of British Columbia Action on Sepsis Patient Advisory Council. 

Principal Investigator and lead patient partner on the grant, Kristine Russell, says that the idea for this project came primarily from her own experiences she has had as a patient and family advisor with Sepsis Canada, Action on Sepsis, and Alberta Health Services.   

“What we do know is that patients, caregivers, and family members of individuals hospitalized for critical illness including sepsis, can also experience ongoing psychological and emotional distress, including post-traumatic stress disorder. What we don’t know is the impact engaging in patient advisory councils has on the long-term recovery on those individuals.” 

Patient-partner led research to inform research priorities. 

“We regularly convene patient advisory councils in health research and this project provides an important opportunity to better understand this process and its potential impact. Findings from this work could inform how we integrate patient knowledge and perspectives into sepsis research in Canada”, says Dr. Marianne Vidler, Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UBC. 

“By involving patient partners in your work, their lived experiences will help you understand the experiences of patient advisors and identify the impact of patient advisors on setting sepsis research priorities and outcomes.” Dr. Stirling Bryan, Chief Scientific Officer of Michael Smith Health Research BC, supported the project on behalf of BCSPOR. 

“Ultimately, what we learn from this study will help us create new resources that can be used to facilitate sustainable, authentic, and equitable partnerships for patient-oriented research,” says Kristine. 

The project is set to begin on April 1st, 2023, with an expected duration of 18 months to complete. 

Pushing the needle forward on patient partner engagement 

For the first time, a grant was initiated for members of our patient advisory council to identify and study questions that are important to them and supported by investigators in the network. “This is one of the many examples of how Sepsis Canada is pushing the needle forward on patient partner engagement in sepsis research”, says Dr. Alison Fox-Robichaud, Scientific Director of Sepsis Canada.  

The results of this study will be shared at the Sepsis Canada Scientific Meeting and widely distributed. 

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 Contact: 

Fatima Sheikh 

Communications Assistant, Sepsis Canada

sheikf9@mcmaster.ca