Edwards Team

Children with medical complexity are a heterogeneous, vulnerable group who disproportionately require pediatric critical care services, not uncommonly with lengthy ICU stays and repeated admissions. While the future of pediatric ICUs is intertwined with this growing population, the study and care of children with medical complexity when they have critical illness is underdeveloped. For this reason, we focus on how critical illness impacts these children, how these children impact critical care services, and improving their patient- and family-centered outcomes. We strive to accomplish this using quantitative and qualitative health services and clinical research methods on topics that straddle critical care, chronic care, palliative care, and ethics. Among other topics, we have worked or are working on projects that 1) address decision-making around long-term ventilation for children with chronic respiratory failure and life-limiting illnesses and 2) continuity strategies for long-stay pediatric ICU patients.

To learn more about our projects and find our work products (eg, our Long-Term Ventilation Information and Decision Support Booklet), go to our Select Research Projects page.