CIHR Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI)

[ Press Release 2011-23 ]

CIHR's Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI) program supports teams of researchers and decision makers interested in 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 users of research, findings are more likely to be used by the decision-maker partner. Therefore, the PHSI program requires meaningful collaboration between researchers and decision makers likely to be able to make use of the results of the research.

The PHSI program is intended 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 is a description of the project funded at the University of New Brunswick

An Interprofessional Approach to Improving the Health of Obese Adults in New Brunswick
READING, Stacey A (University of New Brunswick); MIEDEMA, Baukje; TRAMONTE, Lucia; TYMOWSKI, Gabriela I; VEINOTTE-MARTIN, Ann

This intervention study is a joint venture between a provincial health authority, university researchers and community groups in New Brunswick aimed at creating a physician referral destination program for obese patients seeking to improve their health through behavioural change, nutritional education and physical activity. The proposed intervention utilizes an interdisciplinary team of family physicians, registered dietitians (RD), certified exercise physiologist (CEP) and psychologists to deliver a community-based lifestyle modification program that is reliant on minimal infrastructure. A novel aspect of this work is our examination of community size and its impact on the process, viability and efficacy of an adult obesity intervention. New Brunswick, like many regions of the world, has few large urban areas and many small rural communities. Some successful obesity intervention programs have been developed in large urban centres but these programs rely on resources, facilities and infrastructure that is unavailable in small rural communities. The minimalist program we developed can be administered in any community with access to a community centre or gymnasium and thus has the potential to have a large impact on the management of this disease. This research team will examine the process, viability and efficacy of the proposed adult obesity intervention. The research team and principle decision maker have collaborated previously to pilot the intervention program for overweight adults. They will continue to work together to create a program research centre at the University of New Brunswick and to create a business plan for establishing the program in provincial communities should it prove feasible. The work is important for all provincial and national health care bodies to consider when developing economically viable strategies to address rising obesity rate and its complications in their populace.

Funding: CIHR contribution: $309,361; Partner contribution: $77,365 – for a total of $386,726 over three years.

Partner: New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (Fredericton)