Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux

Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux
Name	Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux
Native name	Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux
Formation	2011
Type	Crown agency
Headquarters	Quebec City, Quebec
Region served	Quebec
Leader title	President and Chief Executive Officer
Parent organization	Gouvernement du Québec

Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux is a Quebec crown agency created to advise on clinical practice, health technology assessment, and best practices for health and social services, operating within the provincial policy framework of Quebec. The institute produces guidance aimed at improving care quality across institutions such as Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, McGill University Health Centre and regional health networks like Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Montréal. It engages with provincial actors including Ministry of Health and Social Services (Quebec), Assemblée nationale du Québec committees, and professional orders such as the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec.

History

The institute was established in 2011 following debates in the Assemblée nationale du Québec and policy initiatives by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (Quebec) to centralize evidence synthesis after reports from bodies like the Commission d'étude sur les services de santé et les services sociaux and inquiries into institutions such as Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont. Its creation paralleled international developments exemplified by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, and Institut national de santé publique du Québec. Early governance drew on expertise from academic centres including Université Laval, Université de Montréal, and McGill University, and from professional associations such as the Collège des médecins du Québec and the Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec. The institute's mandate and statutory footing evolved through provincial orders and directives influenced by reports from commissions like the Commission Charbonneau in adjacent public policy contexts.

Mandate and Governance

Statutorily accountable to the Ministry of Health and Social Services (Quebec), the institute operates under a board appointed by the Government of Quebec and interacts with oversight mechanisms in the Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor and the Assemblée nationale du Québec health committees. Its mandate encompasses clinical practice guidelines, health technology assessment, program evaluation, and accreditation support across networks including Réseau de la santé et des services sociaux entities such as the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale and the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de la Montérégie-Centre. Governance integrates representatives from universities like Université du Québec à Montréal, professional orders like the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec, and patient advocacy groups modeled on organizations such as Coalition Priorité Cancer au Québec. Executive leadership has included figures with backgrounds linked to Institut national de santé publique du Québec and Canadian bodies like Health Canada.

Programs and Activities

Programs include the development of clinical practice guidelines used by institutions including Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal and Hôpital Notre-Dame de Montréal, health technology assessments informing procurement at centres like Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, and support for quality-improvement initiatives adopted by networks such as CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal. Activities extend to training and capacity building with academic partners such as École nationale d'administration publique and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, dissemination through platforms used by organizations like Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec, and collaboration on clinical pathways for populations served by agencies like Centre de réadaptation en dépendance de Montréal. The institute issues recommendations affecting services across settings from long-term care homes like those overseen by Fédération des établissements de soins de longue durée to community organizations such as Regroupement des aidants naturels du Québec.

Research and Knowledge Translation

The institute conducts systematic reviews and health technology assessments drawing on methodologies used by Cochrane Collaboration, Campbell Collaboration, and Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. It partners with research units at CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Institut de recherche en santé publique de l'Université de Montréal, and Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval to produce evidence syntheses, economic evaluations, and implementation studies. Knowledge translation activities include clinical summaries for clinicians associated with Association des médecins d'urgence du Québec, policy briefs for legislators in the Assemblée nationale du Québec, and patient-facing materials co-developed with advocacy groups such as Association québécoise des retraité(e)s des secteurs public et parapublic. Collaborative networks mirror international linkages with bodies such as National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Funding and Partnerships

Core funding is provided through allocations from the Government of Quebec and program-specific grants negotiated with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (Quebec), complemented by commissioned assessments from institutions including CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale and philanthropic partnerships similar to initiatives of the Fondation CHU Sainte-Justine. Research partnerships involve universities like Université Laval and McGill University, and technical collaborations with organizations such as Institut national de santé publique du Québec and industry stakeholders represented by trade groups akin to the Association canadienne des pharmaciens d'hôpitaux. Funding and contractual arrangements are subject to procurement rules overseen by the Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor and public accountability through the Auditor General of Quebec.

Impact and Criticism

The institute has influenced practice in hospitals such as Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal and regional agencies like CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal by issuing guidelines that shaped clinical pathways, procurement, and care standards; its health technology assessments have informed adoption decisions for technologies used at centres like McGill University Health Centre. Criticism has arisen from professional associations including Association des médecins psychiatres du Québec and municipal stakeholders when recommendations intersect with resource allocation in regions like Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, and from research groups debating methodological choices similar to controversies involving Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. Debates in the Assemblée nationale du Québec and commentary from health policy researchers at Université de Montréal have focused on transparency, stakeholder representation, and implementation feasibility. Overall, the institute remains a central actor in Quebec's health and social services landscape, interacting with academic centres, professional orders, and public agencies to shape evidence-informed policy and practice.

Category:Health organizations based in Quebec