Ontario has both a health system and a research system that are increasingly aiming to support rapid learning and improvement. Yet, Ontario's health system still faces complex challenges, such as reducing emergency-room wait times, ending hallway medicine, improving support for people with mental health ...
Optimizing clinical practice based on data, evidence and
guidelines is a challenge faced in every health system
around the world. The way the challenge manifests
itself at the level of the patient has been remarkably
consistent over time: tough decisions made at the
intersection of clinical expertise, pa...
This evidence brief and the stakeholder dialogue it was
prepared to inform were designed to guide the actions of
those involved in strengthening public and patient
engagement in HTA in Ontario. In this section of the
brief, we propose key definitions to ensure a common
conceptual understanding. We also h...
This evidence brief mobilizes both global and local
research evidence about a problem, three elements of a
comprehensive approach for addressing the problem,
and key implementation considerations. Whenever
possible, the evidence brief summarizes research
evidence drawn from systematic reviews of the rese...
There is a general lack of attention given to ‘what to do next’ to advance
knowledge brokering in many European countries’ health systems. Four sets
of interrelated issues can contribute to this problem within any given country’s
health system....
Managing multiple medical conditions is part of the daily
life of a growing number of Ontarians. As Fortin et al.
observed, “patients with multiple conditions are the rule
rather than the exception in primary care.”(2)
Multimorbidity (living with three or more medical
conditions) has attracted signif...
Policy-makers, stakeholders and knowledge brokers (including researchers) all
have a great deal they can learn from one another. Policy-makers need access
to good-quality health systems information that they can apply to a local issue.
Stakeholders may seek to influence health policy as well as make deci...
While there is a considerable body of health systems information being
generated, it is often not being used as a key input in the policy-making
process. The BRIDGE systematic review highlights several examples of health
systems information: not being used at all, being only partially used, being
used to...
Over the past three decades, Canada has made
substantial progress in reducing the national rate of
avoidable mortality (deaths that could potentially have
been avoided through disease prevention or
healthcare services). In fact, the national avoidable
mortality rate has decreased by half – from 373 per...
Improving end-of-life communication, decision-making
and care has been identified as a pressing health issue in
Ontario (and in Canada more generally), as evidenced
by recent research,(1;2) public opinion polls,(3) expert
panels and commissions,(4-6) and a high-profile legal
case,(7) which have revealed ...
