Pandemic Preparedness Engaging Primary Care and Emergency Departments (PREPARED) is a multi-faceted initiative to help Canada prepare for future pandemics, by enhancing surveillance, improving care, creating a system to link patients to clinical trials, and to support the manufacturing of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.

Acute respiratory infections contribute significantly to the global disease burden, ranking as the third leading cause of mortality worldwide. Over two-thirds of all antibiotic prescriptions are for acute respiratory infections, despite the majority of these infections being viral in origin and therefore not requiring antibiotics. Patients infected with existing and novel pathogens are most likely to present first to primary care clinics and emergency departments, but access to the latest multi-pathogen point-of-care tests is limited. The ability to promptly diagnose and enroll patients into clinical trials for acute infections could substantially expedite research processes, lead to quicker validation of therapeutic strategies, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

The purpose of this study is to:

1. Enhance surveillance and bolster Canada’s ability to detect future pandemics
2. Establish a system for referring eligible patients with acute infections to ongoing related clinical trials
3. Provide rapid evidence to inform clinical and health system management and public health leaders, decision-makers, and planners within Canada and internationally