This special edition issue for the African Journal of Emergency Medicine was commissioned by the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM). Within this issue are 14 articles with a focus on conducting research in resource limited settings. The project is a joint effort between the Core Curriculum and Education Committee, and the Research Committee of IFEM.
As global emergency care needs increase and the practice of emergency medicine expands across the world, it is necessary to increase evidence-based medicine for clinical and systems improvements in resource limited settings. Emergency clinicians are well suited to identify, define and address unanswered research questions using both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research. The Global Emergency Medicine Literature Review (GEMLR), published annually, is a resource providing the breadth and depth of research relevant to global emergency care practice. As the need for emergency care systems in low- and middle-income countries increases, it is imperative to address key knowledge gaps in emergency medicine practiced in resource limited settings.
There are many online resources, documents and communities outlining how to conduct research. An emerging array of free online open access medical education (FOAMed) resources also provide opportunities to observe evidence-based medicine topics in written, audio or video format.
The goal for this project was to create a series of documents that focused on the practical aspects of research and could direct readers to pertinent resources that already exist. These articles contain the efforts of authors from varied backgrounds, practice settings and geographical areas from across the world; many of whom are currently or have previously practiced in resource limited settings. This research primer utilises a standardised format that was developed for each chapter to ensure consistency across topics. Chapter topics were chosen by the IFEM Research and Core Curriculum, and Education Committees.
Authors were chosen based upon expertise for their selected topics. All the authors shared a dedicated interest in creating a document that reflected global emergency medicine research which could be instituted universally regardless of resources available or practice setting. Each chapter was reviewed internally by the editorial board, the IFEM Research Committee, the Core Curriculum and Education Committee then subsequently underwent peer review though the African Journal of Emergency Medicine.
Peer review was conducted through equitable proportions of both high-income country, and low- and middle-income country emergency care researchers. We are indebted to our peer reviewers for helping to shape this project. Free access to these documents is a priority and they are available to anyone interested in research on the Pubmed Central, African Journal of Emergency Medicine and IFEM websites.
I am humbled to have led this project and am grateful for the dedication of all authors and their commitment to completing this project during a challenging pandemic. We hope these manuscripts will help inspire readers interested in conducting research in resource limited settings to take on the challenge, and that this will serve as a guide to assist in their journey.