The Northern Ireland Clinical Research Network (NICRN) critical care group undertakes research into critical illness. It is through research that we are able to improve the care that we give our sickest patients, those requiring treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU).
Taking part in research is good for our current patients (who benefit from new treatments), for future patients (as our treatments improve) and for health professionals in the front line, who are continually challenged to deliver cutting edge treatments.
The NICRN critical care group aims to:
- Deliver clinical trials across Northern Ireland to the highest standards of quality and safety;
- Improve access for critically ill patients in NI to new cutting-edge treatments; and
- To encourage and facilitate patients, families, and clinicians to take part in research into critical illness.
We undertake a range of research, including observational studies, qualitative research, biomarker discovery, through to phase 1, 2 and 3 randomised trials, and have strong links with the Critical Care and Respiratory research group at Queen’s University Belfast.
Areas of interest include:
- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS),
- Sepsis
- Cardiac arrest
- Delirium
- Stem cells
- Acute kidney injury and head injury
Dr Jon Silversides – BHSCT /QUB
Critical Care Clinical Lead
Jon is a Clinical Senior Lecturer in Critical Care at Queen’s University Belfast, and a Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia in the Belfast trust. He developed an interest in clinical research while undertaking a fellowship in critical care medicine at the University of Toronto in 2011, and completed a part-time PhD at QUB between 2015 and 2019.
Jon’s research is driven by clinical challenges in the ICU and the operating theatre, and includes clinical trials and experimental medicine approaches. His research interests include the management of fluid therapy in sepsis and other critical illnesses, and prevention of post-operative pulmonary complications.
Jon has a passion for embedding clinical research into everyday clinical practice and has co-led the NICRN critical care group since 2019,
Contact email: jon.silversides@belfasttrust.hscni.net
