Driving Change in Pediatric Intensive Care Through Collaboration and Technology
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Innovation Accelerator is a dedicated research and development hub focused on advancing technology-based approaches to prevent and manage critical illness in children. A multidisciplinary team comprised of pediatric intensivists, general pediatricians, nurses, researchers, statisticians, human factors experts, digital medical engineers, and former patients work collaboratively to achieve these goals.
Our Objectives
- To strengthen the PICU Chain of Survival locally at Cincinnati Children's through simulation, innovation, and research to make our PICU the safest ICU in the world
- To create an internationally recognized innovation hub that utilizes novel approaches to improve outcomes by a focus on both the prevention and management of critical illness
- To broadly disseminate knowledge gained and establish best practices to improve the care of children everywhere
Our Research Focus Areas
- Preventing critical illness through vaccine promotion and firearm safety initiatives
- Reducing in-hospital cardiac arrest rates and hospital acquired infections
- Minimizing diagnostic errors and optimizing clinical care through novel training methods, standardized protocols, and strong patient-family engagement
A Team Transforming Critical Care
Maya Dewan, MD, MPH leads research and innovation efforts, while Matthew Zackoff, MD, MEd, oversees simulation and education. An Epic senior analyst and a master’s level data analyst assist in the spread of electronic medical record (EMR) based interventions while a full-time clinical simulation specialist supports the Accelerators academic and educational missions.
Funding comes from a combination of internal and external sources, including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and National Institutes of Health.
