Evaluative Clinical Sciences

Administrative Manager: Meredith Malloy
Phone: 416-480-6100 ext. 62895
Email: meredith.malloy@sunnybrook.ca

Education:

• MD, State University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1998

Appointments and Affiliations:

• Associate scientist, Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Trauma, Emergency & Critical Care Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Intensivist, critical care medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Assistant professor, department of medicine, University of Toronto

Research Foci:

• Communication: handovers
• Communication: interdisciplinary rounds
• Implementation science
• Quality metrics

Research Summary:

The focus of Dr. Amaral's research is on improving quality of care for critically ill patients. Dr. Amaral works within two streams to improve quality: communication, to prevent errors and improve efficiency; and quality assurance, which involves measuring quality and developing novel models for implementing evidence-based medicine.

His work in communication focuses on transitions of care, a necessary, but fragile link in the heath care system, and on teamwork during interdisciplinary rounds.

His work in implementation science involves a novel collaboration across Ontario for large-scale quality improvement in a partnership of community and academic intensive care units.

Selected Publications:

See current publications list at PubMed.

1. Amaral AC, Fowler RA, Pinto R, Rubenfeld GD, Ellis P, Bookatz B, Marshall JC, Martinka G, Keenan S, Laporta D, Roberts D, Kumar A; Cooperative Antimicrobial Therapy of Septic Shock Database Research Group. Patient and organizational factors associated with delays in antimicrobial therapy for septic shock. Crit Care Med. 2016 Dec;44(12):2145–53.
2. Amaral AC, McDonald A, Coburn NG, Xiong W, Shojania KG, Fowler RA, Chapman M, Adhikari NK. Expanding the scope of critical care rapid response teams: a feasible approach to identify adverse events. A prospective observational cohort. BMJ Qual Saf. Epub 2015 Jun 8. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003833.
3. Kajdacsy-Balla Amaral AC, Barros BS, Barros CC, Innes C, Pinto R, Rubenfeld GD. Nighttime cross-coverage is associated with decreased intensive care unit mortality. A single-center study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2014 Jun 1;189(11):1395–1401.
4. Amaral AC, Holder MW. Timing of antimicrobial therapy after identification of ventilator-associated condition is not associated with mortality in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia: a cohort study. PLoS One. 2014 May 19;9(5):e97575.
5. Amaral ACKB, Jeffs A, Kure L. Effects of increasing compliance with minimal sedation on length of mechanical ventilation. Crit Care. 2012 May 8;16(3):R78.