Céline Gélinas
Associate Professor
Research Interests
My research program aims to improve pain assessment and management of vulnerable patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), especially those who are unable to self-report, and includes the following objectives:
1. Develop and/or validate assessment tools and physiologic measures for the evaluation of pain in ICU patients of all ages.
2. Develop optimal strategies for the implementation of a systemic pain assessment approach integrating the use of self-report and a behavioural pain tool (i.e. the Critical-Care Pain Observational Tool or CPOT) in the ICU.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of this approach on collaborative practices for ICU pain management and on patient outcomes over both the short and long term.
Current research projects in my lab include:
- Develop/adapt and validate the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool for use with brain-injured patients in the ICU (CPOT-Neuro)
- Develop, implement, and evaluate the feasibility and acceptablity of a supportive program to enhance end-of-life/palliative care in the ICU
Dr. Céline Gélinas completed a Doctorate in Nursing and Measurement (2004) at Université Laval in Quebec City, and a Post-Doctoral Training (2006) in Nursing at McGill University. Dr. Gélinas is a Nurse Scientist at the Centre for Nursing Research and Project Director at the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital, and Associate Researcher at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). She is co-leader of a research team on the evaluation of nursing interventions at the Réseau de recherche en interventions en sciences infirmières du Québec (RRISIQ). Her past experience as a nurse in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) has inspired her to develop research in critical care and pain. She has developed and validated pain assessment tools (e.g. Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool [CPOT], Faces Pain Thermometer) which are being used for clinical or research purposes in North America or being translated into foreign languages. Her research program aims to evaluate the impact of the implementation of the CPOT in nursing practice and clinical outcomes, to test innovative physiologic measures (e.g. Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, Bispectral Index) for the detection of pain, and to develop nursing intervention protocols for pain management in the ICU. Dr. Gélinas has published research articles and book chapters in pain and critical care, and has made many presentations locally, nationally (e.g. Canadian Pain Society, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses) and internationally (e.g. World Pain Congress of the International Association for the Study of Pain). She was awarded the Prix Florence – Relève of the OIIQ in 2004.
