CIHR Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI)

[ Press Release 2011-22 ]

CIHR's Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI) program supports teams of researchers and decision makers conducting applied and policy-relevant health systems and services research that responds to the needs of health care decision makers and strengthens the Canadian health system.

Applied health services (including public health), health systems and policy research have played an important role in discussions, debate and decision-making in health and health care in Canada for decades, and will continue to do so in the current evidence-informed environment. While decision-making in health care and public health organizations is a complex process, research evidence has an important role to play. When the research process is guided by the information needs of end-users, findings are more likely to be mobilized by the decision-maker or partner. Therefore, the PHSI program requires meaningful collaboration between researchers and decision makers likely to make use of the results of the research.

The PHSI program aims to:

  1. Support research that reflects the emerging health needs of Canadians and the evolution of the health system and supports health policy decision-making;
  2. Support research relevant to decision makers by producing results that can be applied to multiple regions and/or settings;
  3. Foster collaboration with the provinces and with individuals and organizations in or outside of Canada that have an interest in health or health research and engage a variety of partners, "in or outside Canada, with complementary research interests";
  4. Promote the involvement and recognition of, and respect for, health researchers from an array of health disciplines; and,
  5. Enable the dissemination of knowledge and application of health research to improve the health of Canadians and strengthen the Canadian health care system (including the public health system).

This program will fund 25 projects across six provinces for a total of $10.2 million.

Below are the three Alberta projects with PHSI funding:

  1. The Implementation and Evaluation of an Alberta Childhood Asthma Clinical Pathway

    JOHNSON, David W (University of Calgary); BEFUS, A. D; CAVE, Andrew J; COWIE, Robert L; CURRIE, Gillian R; GRIMSHAW, Jeremy M; HARTLING, Lisa A; LOCKYER, Jocelyn; MAJAESIC, Carina M; NETTEL-AGUIRRE, Alberto; PUSIC, Martin V; SCOTT, Shannon D; SHARPE, Heather M; SPIER, Sheldon; STANG, Antonia S

    This research team aims to better manage chronic and acute childhood asthma by developing a provincial clinical pathway that will help guide clinicians. The team will assess potential barriers to facilitate an implementation strategy and use 'local champions' to implement the provincial pathway. They will evaluate whether the asthma pathway increases the proportion of children treated in emergency departments and primary care clinics with evidenced-based therapies, or whether it reduces emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and total health system expenditures per child with asthma. The team will also conduct focus groups of health care workers from a representative sample to elicit a better understanding of why implementation was more successful in some sites than others, and create a continuous quality improvement cycle that will extend indefinitely after the life of this project.

    Funding: CIHR contribution: $350,000; AIHS contribution: $149,980 – for a total of $499,980 over three years.

  2. The Impact of Primary Care Networks on the Care and Outcome of Patients with Diabetes

    MANNS, Braden J (University of Calgary); HEMMELGARN, Brenda R; TONELLI, Marcello; CLEMENT, Fiona Mary; JOHNSON, Jeffrey A; LAUPACIS, Andreas; MCBRIEN, Kerry

    Diabetes affects 5 -10% of Canadians and predisposes them to other illnesses including kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke. To help physicians manage chronic diseases like diabetes, in 2005, Alberta Health & Wellness established Primary Care Networks (PCNs). A PCN is a group of local family physicians whose aim is to improve quality of care and access to care, particularly for patients with chronic diseases like diabetes. In PCNs, physicians work closely with allied health care workers (nurses, dieticians, pharmacists) to improve patient care using additional non-fee-for-service resources. This research team will measure the impact of PCNs on the care and outcomes of people with diabetes to help inform a decision on expanding or refining their model of care. They will examine details of hospitalizations for people with diabetes, frequency of blood sugar testing and target ranges, prescribed medications, the frequency of physician visits and health care costs, and will also determine whether there are differences in the types of people with diabetes who are cared for within or outside of PCNs.

    Funding: CIHR contribution: $256,225; AIHS contribution: $143,113 – for a total of $399,338 over two years.

  3. Developing a Patient and Family-Centered Approach for Measuring the Quality of Trauma Care

    STELFOX, Henry T (University of Calgary); STRAUS, Sharon E;EVANS, David C; GAGLIARDI, Anna R; HAMEED, Syed M; HUDAK, Pamela L; NATHENS, Avery B; PARRILLA LOPEZ, Maria Jose; QUAN, Hude

    Each year, injuries affect 700 million people worldwide including 2 million Canadians. In Canada, injuries are the leading cause of death among those under the age of 45 years and account for more premature deaths than heart disease, lung disease or HIV infection. This research team will measure and improve the quality of trauma care delivered in Canada by developing the first set of patient and family-centered measures of trauma care. First, the team will run focus groups to learn from patients and families what aspects of trauma care are most important to them and what they consider to be "high quality trauma care." Second, researchers will present the lessons learned from the focus groups to a panel of trauma care experts to develop a quality measurement tool. Finally, the research team will pilot test a tool and use it to map the quality of trauma care across Canada to identify opportunities to improve the way trauma services are delivered. The team's goal is to ensure that all injured Canadians receive high quality patient and family-centered care.

    Funding: CIHR contribution: $345,372; AIHS contribution: $157,200 – for a total of $502,572 over three years.