BC Environmental and Occupational Health Research Network

The Mythbusters Award provides an opportunity to write for publication an issue of Mythbusters – a series of reader-friendly research summaries addressing some of today’s major debates in Canadian health services management and policy.

A gap exists in Canada between current primary healthcare system performance and what is potentially achievable according to current evidence and the performance of primary healthcare systems in other countries.[ii,iii,iv] In many jurisdictions, accreditation processes and the use of quality improvement methods in primary healthcare have helped address the gap between current and potential performance. In 2010, the Quality Improvement and Innovation Partnership commissioned an overview of systematic reviews of the effectiveness of quality improvement processes in primary healthcare.[v] Twelve systematic reviews were identified, most of which included studies situated in primary healthcare settings. However, none of these reviews focused on primary healthcare quality improvement interventions or synthesized the results of primary healthcare-based studies.
The objectives of this project are to:
• Identify, assess and synthesize published evidence on the effectiveness of quality improvement processes in primary healthcare
• Describe the nature and extent of primary healthcare accreditation processes in Canada and internationally
• Identify, assess and synthesize evidence from the public and grey literature on the effectiveness of primary healthcare accreditation processes.

The overall purpose of the PEP initiative is to promote and support intervention projects that engage patients in the design, delivery and evaluation of health services that lead to high-quality, patient-centred care. The PEP initiative supports one of CHSRF’s three strategic priorities—engaging and supporting citizens.
CHSRF will provide two-year funding for intervention projects. Up to $100,000 per project is available for a total CHSRF investment of $650,000. Participating teams are required to secure matching co-sponsorship support at a 1:1 level (cash and/or in-kind).

The Mythbusters Award provides students with the opportunity to write for publication an issue of Mythbusters – a series of reader-friendly research summaries addressing some of today’s major debates in Canadian health services management and policy.
The winner will receive
• an award of $1,500
• the opportunity to work with CHSRF staff to prepare his or her Mythbusters topic for publication
• travel, accommodations and registration to the 2011 Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR) annual conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia (May 9 to 12, 2011) to receive the award.

The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) invite proposals from teams with diverse and complementary relevant skill sets to undertake an analysis of the impact of the Effective Governance for Quality and Patient Safety program. The analysis will be done through gathering information on the outcomes of the program and from similar initiatives (both Canadian and International); conducting a literature review; determining lessons learned; and documenting promising practices arising.

CHSRF recognizes the importance of including patients in discussing issues and sharing in decision-making. Research shows that patient-centred care, with its focus on patient preference and experience, is a key component of quality. The purpose of the Patient Engagement Projects (PEP) initiative is to support activities that engage patients in the design, delivery and evaluation of health services that ultimately improve the quality of care.
CHSRF is funding up to six Patient Engagement Projects (as much as $100,000 each for a maximum total of $600,000). Project teams must be led by a decision-maker and must complete their work within two years.

The Health Services Research Advancement Award (HSRA Award) recognizes any individual, team or organization that has contributed significantly to the advancement of health services research in Canada.

This new award recognizes a health services leader who has successfully implemented evidence-informed innovations in care and service delivery.

The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation is pleased to offer the 2009 Mythbusters Award. The award is designed to provide students with the opportunity to prepare a user-friendly summary of the research evidence behind some of today’s major debates in Canadian health services management and policy. The Mythbusters series was launched in 2000 in recognition of the large number of myths – widely held but false beliefs – in Canada’s healthcare systems that could be countered with research evidence. Issues in the series are designed to communicate actionable messages to policy makers, managers and others in a conversational, easy-to-read way.
Students who are currently enrolled in a program of study at a Canadian university are eligible to apply for this award.

The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF, or the Foundation) is pleased to invite letters of intent from interprofessional teams of researchers and decision makers to the first competition for funding under the Foundation’s new Linking Evidence to Action on Decisions (LEAD) initiative. LEAD grants are designed to support healthcare organizations in the implementation of existing research evidence in order to improve healthcare services, and to generate new knowledge about the implementation of evidence-informed management and policy decisions.

The Foundation exists to support evidence-informed decision-making and change in the
healthcare system. This competition is designed to maximize the impact of health services research on decision-making within the Canadian healthcare system.
The focus of this competition is on programs that include but go beyond research to support longer-term, in-depth work in each of the two selected priority theme areas.