O.11. Round Table: Research in primary and prehospital emergency care: essential over incidental
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Background Primary and prehospital emergency care serve critical roles as first and often only points-of-contact for patients. Their services cover the majority of the population before patients’ pathways disperse throughout the healthcare system or, potentially, conclude in situ. However, setting-based research funding and opportunities in the prehospital context remain disproportionately low compared to the high volume of patients and complexity of their presentations. Further, scientific output from research conducted within primary and prehospital emergency care remains notably underrepresented in publication databases relative to other clinical disciplines. Still, both primary and prehospital emergency care require context-specific evidence: knowledge translation from dissimilar settings cannot sustainably meet these systems’ demands nor the healthcare worker’s needs for evidence-based guidance. Beyond needing its own evidence base, the prehospital setting also serves as a foundational reference for the broader healthcare system. Lastly, the scarcity of research opportunities in the primary and prehospital emergency settings impedes the potential for academisation and further career development among interested healthcare workers. These factors contribute to an incidental yet systematic marginalization of primary and prehospital emergency care as research settings despite them serving as linchpins in the healthcare system. Aim This round table will make a case for the need to establish sustainable, coproductive structural opportunities for research in primary and prehospital emergency care that encompass the complexity of the settings in its different European contexts and considers the capacity-building needs of and for the workforce. Structure This workshop is structured in two segments. First, a short introduction to the session’s theme by the Chair will set the scene for the pitch presentations by the four panelists, where each will highlight a different facet of the topic. These will begin with an overview of the challenges and opportunities of primary and prehospital emergency care as research settings. The following presentation will provide insights into how promoting research may ease staff retention by facilitating academisation opportunities for healthcare workers in primary and prehospital emergency care, where academic pathways are rather unexplored and often unavailable. The next pitch will show how research in real-world care settings can build trust, improve satisfaction, and make health systems more efficient by generating practical, usable evidence. The first segment will be rounded up with a pitch on the critical role of learning health systems in acute care research. The second segment will consist of a moderated panel discussion, where the audience will also be able to share comments and questions to the panelists directly or using an interactive engagement tool. Key messages • Primary and emergency care demand setting-based research and evidence with an active coproductive approach including all stakeholders. • Proactive and future-proof health workforce retention and development require funding formalized protected research time and academic career paths within primary and emergency care. Speakers/Panellists Ana Zhelyazkova Institut für Notfallmedizin und Medizinmanagement, LMU Klinikum, Munich, Germany Lorena Dini Charité Univesitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany Tomas Zapata WHO/Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark Erica Richardson European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, London, UK Lotte Ramerman Nivel, Utrecht, Netherlands
Authors: Ana Zhelyazkova, Marius Ungureanu
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,181
OpenAlex ID: W7223700584