Research on Patient-Oriented Scaling Up (RePOS)

Research on Patient-Oriented Scaling Up (RePOS)

To build patient-oriented research capacity in the science and practice of scaling up in health and social services, by ensuring that patients, the public, and other stakeholders are meaningful and equitably engaged.

Despite major public investment and a favourable climate for creating health improvement projects in Canada, few initiatives, that are successful on a local scale, are scaled up to reach more people. In fact a former health minister described Canada as “a country of perpetual pilot projects”. Scaling-up is a process that aims to increase the number of users of a successful health initiative so as to benefit more health services users. By including patients in designing, planning and carrying out new health initiatives, researchers make sure that their projects meet patients’ needs and reflect their priorities. Research shows that patient involvement also improves health outcomes, reduces costs, and results in a better healthcare experience. However, efforts to scale up these initiatives rarely include patients or the public, either in their design, planning or execution. Those who carry out scaling up should involve patients and indeed all stakeholders (including policy makers, clinicians, and researchers) to make sure their results are relevant in the real world, and especially for those whom they are meant tobenefit—the patient. Often, scaling up is top-down process initiated by governments, and the perspective of the patient is forgotten. 

In this study, we aim to produce information and guidance on how to engage patients and other stakeholders in scaling up. We will start by finding out what guidance already exist for this purpose, by searching the scientific literature (including unpublished works). Then we will ask a diverse group of people around the world, including patients, to come to a consensus on which are the best guidance we found for engaging patients and other stakeholders in scaling-up initiatives. This diverse group will evolve into an international stakeholders network for carrying out and advising others on future patient-oriented research and practice in scaling up.

Ali Ben Charif, Université Laval, Canada
Ron Beleno, Patient partner, Age-Well NCE, Canada
France Légaré, Université Laval, Canada

Sabrina Guay-Bélanger, VITAM - Centre de recherche en santé durable, Canada
Karine Plourde, VITAM - Centre de recherche en santé durable, Canada

Martin Beaumont, Réseau universitaire intégré en santé de l’Université Laval, Canada
Arlene Bierman, Agency for Health care Research & Quality, United States of America
Johanne Blais, Hospital Saint-François d’Assise, Canada
Carol Fancott, Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, Canada
Friedemann Geiger, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Amédé Gogovor, Université Laval, Canada
Kathy Kastner, Patient partner, Bestending, Canada
Robert McLean, International Development Research Centre, Canada
Andrew Milat, University of Sydney, Australia
Jean-Sébastien Paquette, Université Laval, Canada
François Rivest, Health Canada, Canada
Sharon Straus, University of Toronto, Canada
Guy Thibodeau, CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, Canada
Luke Wolfenden, University of Newcastle, Australia
Hervé Tchala Vignon Zomahoun, Quebec SPOR-SUPPORT Unit, Canada

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

2020-2022