Get Real Fast: Research Team Helps Saskatchewan Transform Its Health Care System

Who: Dr. Allan Best, University of British Columbia

Issue: Recognizing that their high-cost system was not delivering high-value services, the Government of Saskatchewan began transforming health care in 2010. To guide them, decision makers sought information on how other jurisdictions had worked to transform their health care systems.

Project: Through CIHR's Expedited Knowledge Synthesis Program, Dr. Best and a team of colleagues conducted a "rapid realist review" synthesizing the most relevant publications that examined the health reform experiences of centres and systems including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Research Evidence: Six months after the project launch, researchers delivered a report that presented five key "evidence statements" for implementing a "large system transformation" and a set of specific recommendations for government action.

Evidence in Action: While a Saskatchewan Ministry of Health official cautions that the province is still in the early stages of reconfiguring the system, "we're seeing pockets of improvement that are exciting" and some significant progress has been made, with wait times for elective surgery continuing to decrease.

Sources: Saul, Jessie, et al. "A time-responsive tool for informing policy making: the rise of rapid realist review," Implementation Science (in press). Best, Allan, et al. "Large-System Transformation in Health Care: A Realist Review," The Milbank Quarterly 90, 3, (2012): 421–456.