“For example, consider a patient in uncompensated shock for which it’s unclear whether that shock is hemorrhagic, infectious, or has another etiology,” Dr. Lewis said. “In general, the NIH’s structure hasn’t allowed research into the evaluation and treatment of such patients because it doesn’t naturally fall into any specific institute or center within the NIH.

“One of the important things coming out of our meeting with the NIH was an acknowledgment that research into the evaluation and treatment of patients with undifferentiated signs and symptoms is a high priority and will lead to improved emergency care,” Dr. Lewis continued. “Now we must wait for the outcome of an ongoing internal NIH process through which they’re working to identify the best administrative structure for supporting emergency care research.”

According to Dr. Cairns, there are several actions that ACEP members can take to further the field of emergency medicine research in the meantime.

“Now that it’s obvious that we have the attention of the NIH leadership and that the NIH is making significant investments in emergency care research and emergency medicine physician investigators, we need to get word out to the leaderships of residency programs and academic departments of emergency medicine to fill the pipeline,” Dr. Cairns said. “Our field attracts extremely talented, productive, and accomplished students and residents, and we need to help funnel them toward research training.”

In addition, according to Dr. Cairns, emergency physicians need to recognize that an NIH investment in emergency care research means that emergency physicians “have a responsibility” to start identifying and addressing the key problems and challenges facing the field, including time-sensitive care and patients with life-threatening conditions, as well as efforts to optimize efficiency and resource utilization in the emergency care system.

“Finally, we should recognize all those who supported these efforts,” Dr. Cairns said. “To have the NIH take this on as a major initiative required not just input from ACEP, SAEM, and other key emergency medicine groups, but also internal support from NIH staff and scientists who understand the value of emergency care and were willing to champion the effort. The NIH is one of the world’s largest research organizations with over $30 billion a year in annual funding, so for emergency medicine to have a major initiative within the NIH is a remarkable accomplishment for our field."