Two teams of health care researchers in London are among 14 across the country getting to share in $12-million from the federal government to help patients receive a smoother transition in care.
London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos announced the funding on behalf of Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos while at Western University’s Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine on Monday.
“People living in Canada routinely experience transitions in care as they navigate the health system,” said Fragiskatos. “The important research that will be done here in London and at institutions across the country will help develop meaningful approaches to make these transitions easier for patients and caregivers.”
One of the two teams from Western and Lawson Health Research Institute will focus on improving primary care for people with diabetes, who have other health conditions that make getting effective care challenging. The other team will be working to ensure seamless lifelong care for adults with childhood-onset disabilities such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida.
A transition of care occurs when a patient requires a new health care provider often due to aging, a change in health status, or a change in location. According to the federal government, it is during these transitions that patients are most at risk of receiving incomplete, delayed, or poor quality of care. This can lead to negative health effects. Those with complex medical conditions, Indigenous Peoples, and new immigrants to Canada are most at risk.
“As an emergency physician and a scientist, I have witnessed firsthand the importance of efficient, effective, and coordinated care transitions. Unfortunately, not all transitions have the outcomes that patients and their families expect or deserve,” said Dr. Brian Rowe, co-lead of the transitions in care initiative and scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health.
Funding for the 14 research teams selected is being put forward by the CIHR, in partnership with the Azrieli Foundation, Mitacs, and the Rossy Foundation.
“For the past six years, CIHR Institutes and generous partners have collaborated on much-needed research to improve transitions in care. These grants represent another opportunity to generate and translate new evidence and increase capacity using an equity and Indigenous health lens,” said Rowe.
Other teams receiving funding include researchers at Queen’s University and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. They are working to help post-secondary school students maintain their mental health and wellness through digital mental health care resources and navigation services. Another team at CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal will use the money for digital technologies to support the health of seniors moving from hospital to home care, particularly those living in remote areas.
