Research Overview

Dr. Burns’ research focuses on innovations in postgraduate medical education. Recognizing the power of the internet to transform global training in pediatric intensive care—and health care more generally—Dr. Burns conceived OPENPediatrics, an award winning cloud-based platform for delivering instruction and fostering communication among geographically dispersed healthcare professionals. OPENPediatrics is a peer-reviewed, open-access, multilingual knowledge exchange application currently in use by physicians and nurses in every country and territory worldwide and over 2,500 hospitals around the globe. Additionally, Dr. Burns was the founding director of the Boston Children’s Hospital Simulator Program, the first in-hospital, dedicated pediatric critical care simulator suite in the United States.

For more info: http://openpediatrics.org

 

Research Background

Dr. Jeffrey Burns is the Chief of Critical Care and Chair of the ICU Governance Committee at Boston Children's Hospital where he directs 30 faculty and 16 fellows caring for 3,000 critically ill children each year at three pediatric intensive care units, as well as leading a large critical care research and education program. He is also the Executive Chair of International Health Services at Boston Children’s Hospital and Professor of Anaesthesia and Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Burns earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from the Harvard University. He completed his residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care at Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston. He is board certified in both Pediatrics and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine by the American Board of Pediatrics, where he was also the Chair of the Subboard in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine from 2017-2019.

Education

Medical School

Tufts University School of Medicine
Boston MA

Internship

Boston Children's Hospital
Boston MA

Residency

Boston Children's Hospital
Boston MA

Fellowship

Pediatric Critical Care Boston Children's Hospital
Boston MA

Publications

  1. Mechanical Ventilation for Children Approaching End of Life: A PHIS Study, 2010-2019. Hosp Pediatr. 2024 Dec 01; 14(12):1035-1043. View Abstract
  2. Risk factors for central line-associated bloodstream infection in the pediatric intensive care setting despite standard prevention measures. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Oct 10; 1-9. View Abstract
  3. Twenty-Five Years of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine : An Evolving Journey With the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2024 Nov 01; 25(11):981-984. View Abstract
  4. Differentiation of Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Postacute Sequelae by Standard Clinical Laboratory Measurements in the RECOVER Cohort. Ann Intern Med. 2024 Sep; 177(9):1209-1221. View Abstract
  5. Comparing the Quality of Domain-Specific Versus General Language Models for Artificial Intelligence-Generated Differential Diagnoses in PICU Patients. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2024 Jun 01; 25(6):e273-e282. View Abstract
  6. Dynamic Prediction of Mortality Using Longitudinally Measured Pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Scores: A Joint Modeling Approach. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2024 May 01; 25(5):443-451. View Abstract
  7. Trends in Disease Severity Among Critically Ill Children With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study in the United States. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2023 01 01; 24(1):25-33. View Abstract
  8. Factors Associated With Mechanical Ventilation Duration in Pediatric Burn Patients in a Regional Burn Center in the United States. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2022 11 01; 23(11):e536-e540. View Abstract
  9. Epidemiology of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children: A Step Closer to Understanding Who, Where, and When. JAMA Pediatr. 2021 08 01; 175(8):783-785. View Abstract
  10. Why Is Antibiotic Treatment Rarely Performed in COVID-19-Positive Children Admitted in Pediatric Intensive Care Units?-Reply. JAMA Pediatr. 2021 04 01; 175(4):432. View Abstract
  11. Complexities of the COVID-19 vaccine and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Pediatr Investig. 2020 Dec; 4(4):299-300. View Abstract
  12. Pediatric Resident Engagement With an Online Critical Care Curriculum During the Intensive Care Rotation. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2020 11; 21(11):986-991. View Abstract
  13. Characteristics and Outcomes of Children With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection Admitted to US and Canadian Pediatric Intensive Care Units. JAMA Pediatr. 2020 Sep 01; 174(9):868-873. View Abstract
  14. Toward a Better Understanding of Burnout Syndrome: Lump less, Split More. Crit Care Med. 2020 06; 48(6):930-931. View Abstract
  15. Is It Time to Move Beyond Observational Studies of the Epidemiology and Mode of PICU Deaths? Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2020 05; 21(5):505-506. View Abstract
  16. Clinical Documentation for Intensivists: The Impact of Diagnosis Documentation. Crit Care Med. 2020 04; 48(4):579-587. View Abstract
  17. Online Learning and Residents' Acquisition of Mechanical Ventilation Knowledge: Sequencing Matters. Crit Care Med. 2020 01; 48(1):e1-e8. View Abstract
  18. Clinical Documentation for Intensivists: The Impact of Diagnosis Documentation. Crit Care Med. 2019 Dec 23. View Abstract
  19. Optimal Informed Consent for the Critically Ill Patient-Difficult to Define, but We Know It When We See It. Crit Care Med. 2019 10; 47(10):1455-1457. View Abstract
  20. Growth and Changing Characteristics of Pediatric Intensive Care 2001-2016. Crit Care Med. 2019 08; 47(8):1135-1142. View Abstract
  21. Epidemiology of childhood death in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units. Intensive Care Med. 2019 09; 45(9):1262-1271. View Abstract
  22. Quality improvement in pediatric intensive care: A systematic review of the literature. Pediatr Investig. 2019 Jun; 3(2):110-116. View Abstract
  23. Frameworks for quality improvement in pediatric intensive care: A concise review. Pediatr Investig. 2019 Jun; 3(2):117-121. View Abstract
  24. Misinformed Consent: Are We Falling Short in Teaching Trainees Shared Decision-Making? Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2019 06; 20(6):580-581. View Abstract
  25. Is "See One, Do One, Teach One" Still Relevant in the 21st Century? Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2018 07; 19(7):678-679. View Abstract
  26. The Top Ten Websites in Critical Care Medicine Education Today. J Intensive Care Med. 2019 Jan; 34(1):3-16. View Abstract
  27. Reading the Smoke Signals: What Is the Meaning of Burnout Among Pediatric Critical Care Physicians? Crit Care Med. 2018 01; 46(1):168-170. View Abstract
  28. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Training: 2004-2016. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2018 01; 19(1):17-22. View Abstract
  29. The birth of a new pediatric medical journal: Pediatric Investigation. Pediatr Investig. 2017 Dec; 1(1):1-2. View Abstract
  30. Better Late Than Never? Deferred Consent for Minimal Risk Research in the ICU. Crit Care Med. 2017 09; 45(9):1571-1572. View Abstract
  31. Caring for Long Length of Stay Patients in the Neonatal ICU and PICU: How Do We Ensure Coherent Decisions When the Physicians Are Continuously Rotating? Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2017 09; 18(9):907-908. View Abstract
  32. Building a Global, Online Community of Practice: The OPENPediatrics World Shared Practices Video Series. Acad Med. 2017 05; 92(5):676-679. View Abstract
  33. Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapy at Home: Broadening the View of End-of-Life Care in the PICU…Even in Children's Homes. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2017 01; 18(1):92-93. View Abstract
  34. Test-Enhanced E-Learning Strategies in Postgraduate Medical Education: A Randomized Cohort Study. J Med Internet Res. 2016 11 21; 18(11):e299. View Abstract
  35. The DNR Order after 40 Years. N Engl J Med. 2016 Aug 11; 375(6):504-6. View Abstract
  36. Measuring and Improving, Not Just Describing-The Next Imperative for End-of-Life Care. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2016 Feb; 17(2):167-8. View Abstract
  37. Bereaved Parents' Decisions About Organ Donation: Known Knowns and Known Unknowns. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2015 Nov; 16(9):879-80. View Abstract
  38. Tools for revealing uncomfortable truths? Measuring child-centred health-related quality of life after paediatric intensive care. Intensive Care Med. 2015 Jul; 41(7):1330-2. View Abstract
  39. Seeking consent from those who cannot answer: new light on emergency research conducted under the exception from informed consent. Crit Care Med. 2015 Mar; 43(3):710-1. View Abstract
  40. If nothing goes wrong, is everything all right? Why we should be wary of zero numerators. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2015 Feb; 16(2):198-9. View Abstract
  41. Epidemiology of death in the PICU at five U.S. teaching hospitals*. Crit Care Med. 2014 Sep; 42(9):2101-8. View Abstract
  42. Transforming critical care education and career development for the 21st century-time to move beyond the walls*. Crit Care Med. 2014 Apr; 42(4):1017-8. View Abstract
  43. The development of an internet-based knowledge exchange platform for pediatric critical care clinicians worldwide*. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2014 Mar; 15(3):197-205. View Abstract
  44. Who should get pediatric intensive care when not all can? A call for international guidelines on allocation of pediatric intensive care resources*. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2014 Jan; 15(1):82-3. View Abstract
  45. Examining knowledge, attitudes, and behavior-the unique function of survey research in illuminating ethical concerns in the practice of intensive care. Crit Care Med. 2013 Jul; 41(7):1819-20. View Abstract
  46. Critical care in the age of the duty hour regulations: circadian-based scheduling, standardized handoffs, and the flipped classroom?. Crit Care Med. 2012 Dec; 40(12):3305-6. View Abstract
  47. Teaching trainees to perform procedures on critically ill children: ethical concerns and emerging solutions. Virtual Mentor. 2012 Oct 01; 14(10):771-7. View Abstract
  48. Head computed tomography scanning during pediatric neurocritical care: diagnostic yield and the utility of portable studies. Neurocrit Care. 2012 Apr; 16(2):251-7. View Abstract
  49. Research agendas: when the roadmap lacks a compass, we are all lost. Crit Care Med. 2012 Jan; 40(1):345-6. View Abstract
  50. Internet-based learning and applications for critical care medicine. J Intensive Care Med. 2012 Sep-Oct; 27(5):322-32. View Abstract
  51. Gender assignment for newborns with 46XY cloacal exstrophy: a 6-year followup survey of pediatric urologists. J Urol. 2011 Oct; 186(4 Suppl):1642-8. View Abstract
  52. Ethical concerns in the management of pain in the neonate. Paediatr Anaesth. 2009 Oct; 19(10):953-7. View Abstract
  53. Successful and safe delivery of anesthesia and perioperative care for children with complex special health care needs. J Clin Anesth. 2009 May; 21(3):165-72. View Abstract
  54. Simulation at the point of care: reduced-cost, in situ training via a mobile cart. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2009 Mar; 10(2):176-81. View Abstract
  55. Futility: the limits of mediation. Chest. 2008 Oct; 134(4):888-889. View Abstract
  56. Futility: a concept in evolution. Chest. 2007 Dec; 132(6):1987-93. View Abstract
  57. Toward interventions to improve end-of-life care in the pediatric intensive care unit. Crit Care Med. 2006 Nov; 34(11 Suppl):S373-9. View Abstract
  58. Pediatric cardiac critical care patients should be cared for by intensivists. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006 Jul 04; 48(1):221-2; author reply 222-3. View Abstract
  59. Intensivist-led team approach to critical care of children with heart disease. Pediatrics. 2006 May; 117(5):1854-6; author reply 1856-7. View Abstract
  60. Ask the ethicist. Does anyone actually invoke their hospital futility policy? Adv Neonatal Care. 2006 Apr; 6(2):66-7. View Abstract
  61. Sex assignment for newborns with ambiguous genitalia and exposure to fetal testosterone: attitudes and practices of pediatric urologists. J Pediatr. 2006 Apr; 148(4):445-9. View Abstract
  62. Improving the quality of end-of-life care in the pediatric intensive care unit: parents' priorities and recommendations. Pediatrics. 2006 Mar; 117(3):649-57. View Abstract
  63. Toward a new paradigm in hospital-based pediatric education: the development of an onsite simulator program. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2005 Nov; 6(6):635-41. View Abstract
  64. Is there any consensus about end-of-life care in pediatrics? Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005 Sep; 159(9):889-91. View Abstract
  65. Prenatal consultation practices at the border of viability: a regional survey. Pediatrics. 2005 Aug; 116(2):407-13. View Abstract
  66. Do-not-resuscitate orders in the surgical setting. Lancet. 2005 Feb 26-Mar 4; 365(9461):733-5. View Abstract
  67. Does anyone actually invoke their hospital futility policy? Med Ethics (Burlingt Mass). 2005; 12(3):3. View Abstract
  68. Delivery room decision-making at the threshold of viability. J Pediatr. 2004 Oct; 145(4):492-8. View Abstract
  69. End-of-life care in the pediatric intensive care unit: research review and recommendations. Crit Care Clin. 2004 Jul; 20(3):467-85, x. View Abstract
  70. Congenital neurodevelopmental diagnoses and an intensive care unit: defining a population. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2004 Jul; 5(4):321-8. View Abstract
  71. Decision making and satisfaction with care in the pediatric intensive care unit: findings from a controlled clinical trial. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2004 Jan; 5(1):40-7. View Abstract
  72. Nature of conflict in the care of pediatric intensive care patients with prolonged stay. Pediatrics. 2003 Sep; 112(3 Pt 1):553-8. View Abstract
  73. Results of a clinical trial on care improvement for the critically ill. Crit Care Med. 2003 Aug; 31(8):2107-17. View Abstract
  74. Conflict in the care of patients with prolonged stay in the ICU: types, sources, and predictors. Intensive Care Med. 2003 Sep; 29(9):1489-97. View Abstract
  75. Do-not-resuscitate order after 25 years. Crit Care Med. 2003 May; 31(5):1543-50. View Abstract
  76. Septic shock in the pediatric patient: Pathogenesis and novel treatments. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2003 Apr; 19(2):112-5. View Abstract
  77. Research in children. Crit Care Med. 2003 Mar; 31(3 Suppl):S131-6. View Abstract
  78. Guidelines for perioperative do-not-resuscitate policies. J Clin Anesth. 2002 Sep; 14(6):467-73. View Abstract
  79. Excellence in end-of-life care: a goal for intensivists. Intensive Care Med. 2002 Sep; 28(9):1197-9. View Abstract
  80. Respiratory support in spinal muscular atrophy type I: a survey of physician practices and attitudes. Pediatrics. 2002 Aug; 110(2 Pt 1):e24. View Abstract
  81. Parental perspectives on end-of-life care in the pediatric intensive care unit. Crit Care Med. 2002 Jan; 30(1):226-31. View Abstract
  82. Recommendations for end-of-life care in the intensive care unit: The Ethics Committee of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Crit Care Med. 2001 Dec; 29(12):2332-48. View Abstract
  83. End-of-life care in the pediatric intensive care unit: attitudes and practices of pediatric critical care physicians and nurses. Crit Care Med. 2001 Mar; 29(3):658-64. View Abstract
  84. End-of-life care in the pediatric intensive care unit after the forgoing of life-sustaining treatment. Crit Care Med. 2000 Aug; 28(8):3060-6. View Abstract
  85. Pharmacologic paralysis and withdrawal of mechanical ventilation at the end of life. N Engl J Med. 2000 Feb 17; 342(7):508-11. View Abstract
  86. From case to policy: institutional ethics at a children's hospital. J Clin Ethics. 2000; 11(2):175-81. View Abstract
  87. DNR in the OR: a goal-directed approach. Anesthesiology. 1999 Jan; 90(1):289-95. View Abstract
  88. Ethical controversies in pediatric critical care. New Horiz. 1997 Feb; 5(1):72-84. View Abstract
  89. Using newly deceased patients to teach resuscitation procedures. N Engl J Med. 1994 Dec 15; 331(24):1652-5. View Abstract
  90. To breathe or not to breathe. J Clin Ethics. 1994; 5(1):39-41. View Abstract

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