2026 Critical Care Congress Skip to main content
2026 Critical Care Congress Main banner
Final Program


Advance Program
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Session Icons
Thought Leader Session
Thought Leader Session
Guidelines Session
Guidelines Session
Aging Adult Track
Aging Adult Track
Additional Registration Fee
Additional Registration Fee

Research Snapshot Theater: Research, Pediatric II

Barriers and Facilitators to Pediatric Acute Critical Illness Research in Resource-Limited Settings

Sunday, March 22, 2026
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Central Time
Location: Connections Central - RST 18

  • Eliana Lopez-Baron, N/A (she/her/hers)

    Antioquia, COL

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose.

  • Paula Caporal, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)

    Johns Hopkins University - Bloomberg School of Public Health, District of Columbia

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose.

  • Teresa B. Kortz, MD (she/her/hers)

    University of California San Francicso, California

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • CO

    Catalina Ortuzar-Lyon, N/A

    N/A
    Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University,, Maryland

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • BO

    Benjamin Oelkers, n/a

    N/A
    Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Tennessee

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • HR

    Hannah Rees, N/A

    Pediatric Critical Care.
    Division of Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, California

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • AK

    Amegan-Aho Kokou Hefoume, N/A

    N/A
    Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • SA

    Sheila Agyeiwaa Owusu, N/A

    N/A
    Department of Pediatrics and Child Health University for Development Studies, Ghana

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • AQ

    Alejandra Quesada-Stoner, N/A

    N/A
    Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Tennessee

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • AA

    Asya Agulnik, MD, MPH

    Associate Member
    Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital

    Disclosure information not submitted.

Introduction: According to the multinational point prevalence study Global PARITY, 13.1% of children in resource-limited settings (RLS) have pediatric acute critical illness (PACI) with a 6.3% related mortality rate.Global research is essential for improving healthcare outcomes. Despite extensive recruitment efforts for Global PARITY, only half of the interested sites participated, underscoring the persistent challenges to research participation in RLS. While prior research has revealed systemic barriers to research participation, other challenges and facilitators are unknown. We aimed to investigate barriers and facilitators for global research participation within RLS.


Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) domains to assess the characteristics of the research participation process. Principal investigators were intentionally recruited based on their initial interest and participation in Global PARITY; interviews were performed virtually in English and Spanish via Zoom, video recorded, transcribed, and translated into English as needed. A codebook was created deductively utilizing the CFIR domains enhanced by inductive themes. Using thematic content analysis, barriers and facilitators were identified.


Results: We performed 24 semi-structured interviews: 14 from participant sites, 7 from non-participating sites, and 3 from sites that received institutional review board (IRB) approval but did not participate.Identified facilitators for participation included the researcher’s motivation to engage in international research and enhance research skills, the urgency to evaluate the impact of PACI in RLS and the robust organization of the primary study. Identified barriers were the administrative process for obtaining local research approvals and the multi-step IRB process, the absence of protected time for research, and the challenge of balancing clinical and personal responsibilities with data collection.


Conclusions: PACI is prevalent in resource-limited settings. This study emphasizes how participation in international research is hampered by administrative obstacles and a lack of protected time. Integrating RLS and researchers into international studies is crucial for enhancing global initiatives aimed at improving outcomes in global PACI.