Research capacity and limitations in Canadian paediatric emergency departments: An observational study on biomarker discovery.

Background: Paediatric research is essential to acquire effective diagnoses and treatment for children, but it has historically been under-prioritized. The PRIMED study aimed to characterize the bio-profiles of children with appendicitis and investigate their use as a clinical prediction tool. We evaluated the clinical research capacity of several Canadian paediatric emergency departments (EDs) and described both the challenges experienced in the implementation of the PRIMED study and the strategies which were used to improve local research capacity.