Research Officer

**Job Summary**

A research organization, the Collaborative for Emergency Care in Africa (CEC Africa), has an exciting opportunity for a suitable, qualified, and skilled individual to work as a_**Research Officer **_in Worcester Hospital.

CEC Africa is a non-profit organization whose mission is to conduct novel emergency care and trauma outcomes research to inform current clinical guidelines, health policies, and pre-hospital trauma care practices both domestically and internationally. CEC Africa is dedicated to fostering research collaborations to promote and secure high-quality emergency care for all. This research organization collaborates with local and international partners to complete projects, including the C3 Global Trauma Network, the University of Colorado, Stellenbosch University, Western Cape Department of Health Emergency Medical Service, and the University of Cape Town.

The _**Research**_ _**Officer**_ will work as a key member of a multi-disciplinary research team and be mainly responsible for screening patient folders for eligibility, tracking patients through the health system, and reviewing, interpreting, and entering synthesized clinical data from hospital records for a trauma research study. Research projects are supported by multiple academic and non-academic agencies.

The current opening is for a position in the Cape Winelands at Worcester Hospital. Although CEC Africa is based in Cape Town, the research locations, staff, and data collection sites exist in diverse locations across the Western Cape. The entire research team collects study data at multiple collaborating sites in the Western Cape Province, including Western Cape Government Emergency Medical Services (EMS), at least 4 hospitals (Tygerberg Hospital, Khayelitsha Hospital, Worcester Hospital and Ceres Hospital), 2 Community Health Centre Emergency Units (Site B and Delft), and 2 Forensic and Pathology Services Labs (at Tygerberg and Worcester). The broader research team is both local (in the Western Cape) and international (in Colorado, USA).

The _**Research Officer **_position is heavily computer-based but will predominantly require in-person work at select health facilities in the Cape Winelands. The position may be assigned to a and/or several based on project needs and timelines.

**Duties at facilities**

(i) Locate, review, interpret, and capture clinical information from relevant hospital units by:

- Being present in various hospital units (e.g., emergency, ward, ICU)
- Reviewing logbooks, clinical, and administrative records of patients
- Tracking patients as they traverse the health system, including follow-up visits
- Communicating daily with research team (e.g., data coordinator, other research staff)
- Interacting briefly with relevant clinical staff and units e.g. EC/ICU/ward/etc. to clarify relevant information

(ii) Patient enrollment: Identify, consent and enroll eligible patients for specific sub-studies
- Possible weekend coverage (e.g., 2 weekend days per month at research facilities)
- Possible weekend coverage (e.g., 1 weekday shift per week from 3pm-11pm at research facilities)
- Interacting with patients and their families to recruit and consent patients for participation in various studies.
- Performing interviews and functional assessments on patients (in person in the hospitals; and also telephonically for longitudinal follow up) based on study needs.
- Maintaining accurate paper and electronic records of pertinent information
- Performing timely and accurate review and abstraction of data into study database

(iii) Assist other CECA staff members and the study team by:

- Ensuring efficient review of clinical records, especially challenging or complex trauma cases
- Assisting the team to better understand the clinical care delivered, with a focus on challenging or complex trauma cases
- Assisting the team to accurately interpret and synthesize large volumes of clinical data, especially in complex trauma cases
- Temporarily assisting with data collection and study activities at other sites (in case of team-member’s illness, holiday, or other absence; or when cases accumulate)

**Administrative tasks**:
(iv) Communicate closely with research team, hospital staff, and relevant stakeholders.

(v) Organize and participate in meetings involving study team, hospital staff, and/or relevant stakeholders

(vi) Participate in research-related quality assurance and improvement activities

(vii) Write brief reports about site activities to research team and relevant stakeholders

(viii) Participate in the presentation of findings to relevant hospital staff and stakeholders (upon specific request by study investigators and site leads)

(ix) To complete miscellaneous administrative and training activities (e.g., completing research ethics courses, completion of AIS training, mastery of the data dictionary, compiling of scientific reports etc.) necessary to conduct all activities i-vii listed above.

**Ment