Powered by Purpose: Conducting Research Trials in ICU

In recognition of Clinical Trials Day 2025, Kate and Ben are joined by Amber Poulter, a Research Clinical Nurse Consultant, for an insightful conversation about the complexities of conducting research in the intensive care environment.

Together, they explore what makes ICU research so challenging and essential. The discussion covers how consent is managed when patients are unconscious or critically unwell, whether patients can be enrolled in trials without their prior consent, and the ethical frameworks that underpin these decisions. They also examine the practical barriers that can make research difficult in ICU, as well as the enablers that support successful trial conduct.

This episode shines a light on the purpose-driven people making ICU research possible, and why it matters for patients, families, and the future of intensive care.

• Clinical Trials Day 2025 - At the forefront of every therapeutic breakthrough, you’ll find clinical research professionals who are driven by a powerful purpose: advancing treatments that transform patients' lives. ​Clinical researchers move innovative therapies from scientific discovery to the developments of tomorrow. With every data point collected, every protocol created, and every patient served, their contributions have the potential to improve health outcomes and benefit generations to come. ​ These professionals are powered by a commitment to drive clinical research forward. ​They are powered by knowing that the work they do matters. ​They are powered by the common purpose of advancing human health. ​ And, together, their purpose is realized—study by study, patient by patient—in communities around the world. ​ For Clinical Trials Day 2025, ACRP honors the power and purpose of all clinical research professionals.