Facilitator Rachel Crane De Divitiis gets the conversation going at the Building Capacity for Research in Community Hospitals (RICH-Canada) meeting, which saw health researchers from across Canada gather to discuss creating a standardized approach to reporting research activity in Canadian community hospitals.
Canadian leaders in health research gathered in Niagara Wednesday to determine how best to track research done in community hospitals in an effort to get results – and advancements in care – to patients more quickly.
The Niagara Health Knowledge Institute (NHKI) organized and hosted the one-day meeting, Building Capacity for Research in Community Hospitals (RICH-Canada), at Niagara College’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The event aimed to develop a standardized approach to reporting research activity in Canadian community hospitals.
“This isn’t just a research meeting. It’s a powerful step toward better care for everyone,” says Dr. Jennifer Tsang, NHKI Executive Director and Chief Scientist. “NHKI is proud to welcome the national research community and work toward a future where access to research is not defined by geography. It’s something this community should be proud of — because the work happening here will directly improve patient care."
Currently, no uniform criteria exist for research reporting in Canada, even as more health researchers outside large academic hospitals engage in clinical trials and quality improvement projects to expand patient access to novel treatments and care.
A consensus on tracking research and measuring program success will help integrate research findings into healthcare delivery more quickly and equitably than the current fragmented system, ensuring patients everywhere receive the highest quality care, Dr. Tsang says.
Health researchers share ideas at the Building Capacity for Research in Community Hospitals (RICH-Canada) national meeting.
More than 50 top minds from eight provinces attended the meeting to collaborate and determine what research infrastructure and productivity indicators should be tracked and how to do it. Historically, health research has been measured by funding received and spent, or the number of publications sharing research outcomes. However, this isn’t suitable for community hospitals, which typically lack an organizational mandate for research. It also doesn’t provide an accurate picture of the impact of research on patients and whether research is advancing care and health outcomes.
“NHKI is leading the way in how research is conducted outside of major academic centres, and that’s incredibly important,” says Harpreet Bassi, Executive Vice-President, Strategy and Communications; Executive Lead, Research and Niagara Health Knowledge Institute; and Interim Executive Vice-President, Capital Planning and Redevelopment. “Most people in this country receive care in community hospitals, not teaching hospitals, and for too long, research and clinical trials have been out of reach in those settings. What we’re doing here is finding ways to change that and, ultimately, change people’s health and well-being.”
Next steps following Wednesday’s meeting include co-developing a list of criteria and implementation strategies to track research infrastructure and productivity. These findings will be shared at health system conferences and submitted for journal publication. Additionally, a survey will be conducted to finalize the consensus, and long-term partnerships will be established to strengthen research capacity in Canadian hospitals.
