Bio

Bio

Dr. Sheila Sprague is a clinical researcher with expertise in the design and conduct of large randomized controlled trials, observational studies, systematic reviews, and scoping reviews.  She obtained a Doctorate Degree in Medical Science from the University of Amsterdam and a Master of Science Degree in Health Research Methodology from McMaster University.  She became a Faculty Member with the Department of Surgery in 2014 and an Associate Faculty Member in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact in 2017. In addition to her faculty appointments, Dr. Sprague serves as the Research Director at the Centre for Evidence-Based Orthopaedics at McMaster University.  Her research interests include optimizing the fracture clinic to assist women experiencing intimate partner violence and improving outcomes in fracture patients.  Dr. Sprague is an expert in clinical trial implementation. She is a co-principal investigator for the PREP-Program, which includes two multi-centre cluster crossover trials that will determine the most effective pre-operative skin preparation solution in fracture patients. Together with her colleagues, Dr. Sprague has secured over $21 million in funding for these research initiatives since obtaining her faculty appointment.  Throughout her career, Dr. Sprague has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, 14 book chapters, and 150 conference abstracts and posters.  These include publications in top medical journals such as the Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, and British Medical Journal. 

Featured Publications

• PRAISE Investigators, Sprague S, Bhandari M, Della Rocca GJ, Goslings JC, Poolman RW, Madden K, Simunovic N, Dosanjh S, Schemisch EH. Prevalence of Abuse and Intimate partner violence Surgical Evaluation (PRAISE) in orthopaedic fracture clinics: A multi-national prevalence study. The Lancet. 2013;382(9895):866-876.
• Sprague S, Scott T, Garibaldi A, Bzovsky S, Slobogean S, McKay P, Spurr H, Arseneau E, Memon M, Bhandari M, Swaminathan A. A Scoping Review of Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Programs within Health Care Settings. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2017;8(1):1314159.
• Sprague S, Slobogean GP, Spurr H, McKay P, Scott T, Arseneau E, Memon M, Bhandari M, Swaminathan A. A Scoping Review of Intimate Partner Violence Screening Programs for Health Care Professionals. PLoS One. 2016;11(12):e0168502.
• Sprague S, McKay P, Scott T, Madden K, Tikasz D, Slobogean GP, Bhandari M.Outcome Measures for Evaluating Intimate Partner Violence Programs Within Clinical Settings: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2017 Dec;18(5):508-522.
• EDUCATE Investigators. Novel educational program improves readiness to manage intimate partner violence within the fracture clinic: a pretest-posttest study. CMAJ Open. 2018 Dec; 6(4), E628-E636.
• EDUCATE Investigators. Assessing readiness to manage intimate partner violence 12 months after completion of an educational program in fracture clinics: a pretest–posttest study. CMAJ Open. 2020 Nov;8(4), E731-E736.
• FAITH Investigators, Bhandari M, Devereaux PJ, Guyatt G, Thabane L, Walter S, Heetveld MJ, Jeray KJ, Liew S, Schemitsch EH, Tornetta III P, Della Rocca GJ, Buckley RE, McCormack R, Oliver TM, Segers MJM, Rangan A, Richardson M, Sprague S, Scott T, Agel J, Garibaldi A, Zhou Q, Heels-Ansdell D, Viveiros H, Zielinski SM, Van Lieshout EMM, Johal H, Hanusch BC, Swiontkowski M. A Trial of Fracture Fixation in the Operative Management of Hip Fractures. Lancet. 2017;389(10078):1519-1527.
• FLOW Investigators, Bhandari M, Jeray KJ, Petrisor BA, Devereaux PJ, Heels-Ansdell D, Schemitsch EH, Anglen J, Della Rocca GJ, Jones C, Kreder H, Liew S, McKay P, Papp S, Sancheti P, Sprague S, Stone TB, Sun X, Tanner SL, Tornetta P 3rd, Tufescu T, Walter S, Guyatt GH. A Trial of Wound Irrigation in the Initial Management of Open Fracture Wounds. New England Journal of Medicine. 2015;373(27):2629-41.
• HEALTH Investigators, Bhandari M, Einhorn TA, Guyatt G, Schemitsch EH, Zura RD, Sprague S, Frihagen F, Guerra-Farfán E, Kleinlugtenbelt YV, Poolman RW, Rangan A, Bzovsky S, Heels-Ansdell D, Thabane L, Walter SD, Devereaux PJ. Total Hip Arthroplasty or Hemiarthroplasty for Hip Fracture. New England Journal of Medicine. 2019 Sep 26. 381:2199-2208.
• Slobogean GP, Sprague S, Wells J, Bhandari M, PREP-IT Investigators. Effectiveness of Iodophor vs Chlorhexidine Solutions for Surgical Site Infections and Unplanned Reoperations for Patients Who Underwent Fracture Repair: The PREP-IT Master Protocol. JAMA Network Open. 2020;3(4):e202215.
• Sprague S, Bzovsky S, Scott T, Thabane L, Heels-Ansdell D, O’Toole RV, Howe A, O’Hara N, Gaski GE, Hill LC, Brown KM, Viskontas D, Zomar M, Della Rocca GJ, Bhandari M. Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip Fractures (FAITH-2): The Clinical Outcomes of a Multi-Centre 2x2 Factorial Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial in Young Femoral Neck Fracture Patients. Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma. 2020 Oct;34(10):524-532.