Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research

Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research
Name	Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research
Established	2011
Founder	Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Country	Canada
Discipline	Public health

Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research is a national initiative launched to reorient Canadian Institutes of Health Research priorities toward research that meaningfully involves patients, caregivers, and communities. The strategy seeks to align stakeholders across Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Montréal, Calgary and other regional centres with funders such as Canadian Institutes of Health Research, policy-makers including entities in Parliament of Canada, and academic institutions like University of Toronto, McGill University, and University of British Columbia.

Background and Origins

The strategy emerged amid international movements exemplified by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute in the United States, the National Institute for Health and Care Research in United Kingdom, and reforms influenced by reports from World Health Organization and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Early advocacy involved patient organizations such as Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and consumer groups linked with Alzheimer Society of Canada and Arthritis Society (Canada), alongside academic leaders from McMaster University, Queen's University, and University of Ottawa. Federal deliberations referenced white papers from Health Canada and consultations with provincial ministries in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta and stakeholders in Nunavut and Yukon.

Objectives and Guiding Principles

Primary objectives prioritized engage patients as partners, enhance health outcomes, accelerate knowledge translation, and optimize return on investment for funders like Canada Foundation for Innovation and philanthropic bodies including Gairdner Foundation. Guiding principles echo commitments to inclusivity drawn from charters such as Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, ethical frameworks from Tri-Council Policy Statement, and standards promoted by CIHR Institute of Gender and Health and Institute of Population and Public Health. Emphasis on equity invoked alliances with Indigenous Services Canada and Indigenous organizations like Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and Métis National Council.

Governance and Funding Mechanisms

Governance combined advisory structures with patient representation, mirroring models at National Institutes of Health and institutional review procedures at Research Ethics Boards across universities such as Dalhousie University and University of Alberta. Funding streams coordinated through competitions administered by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and partnerships with provincial agencies including Ontario Ministry of Health and foundations like Wellcome Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for complementary grants. Performance oversight drew on reporting practices from Privy Council Office and audit mechanisms similar to those used by Office of the Auditor General of Canada.

Programs and Initiatives

Major programs included capacity-building awards, patient engagement training modeled after curricula at Johns Hopkins University, infrastructure funding comparable to Canada Foundation for Innovation programs, and collaboratives like networks akin to SPOR SUPPORT Units across provinces. Initiatives partnered with clinical trial platforms at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and data initiatives resonant with projects at Toronto General Hospital and repositories similar to Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Knowledge translation efforts involved journals such as Canadian Medical Association Journal, collaborations with Canadian Institute for Health Information, and symposia held with organizations like Canadian Association of Health Services and Policy Research.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluations assessed uptake in scholarly output at institutions including Université de Montréal and University of Calgary, changes in clinical practice at hospitals such as Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and St. Michael's Hospital, and patient-reported outcomes collected in consortia with groups like Canadian Patient Safety Institute. Metrics drew on methods used by Cochrane Collaboration and indicators from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development health statistics, and results fed into policy discussions in Parliament of Canada and health ministries in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.

Criticisms and Challenges

Critiques referenced tensions between academic priorities at universities like University of Waterloo and community expectations voiced by Canadian Mental Health Association, concerns about sustainability similar to debates at Cancer Research UK, and debates over data governance echoing controversies involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica in public discourse. Challenges included uneven provincial implementation across regions such as Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, capacity disparities in rural health centres like those serving First Nations communities, and debates over measurement that invoked methodological disputes familiar from Randomized controlled trial literature and systematic review practices at Campbell Collaboration.

Category:Health policy in Canada