ARTIC Funding is Back
The Adopting Research to Improve Care (ARTIC) program is on the lookout for the next project to scale and spread across the province.
We are so pleased to announce the return of the search for the next great project proposal to fund through the Adopting Research to Improve Care (ARTIC) program.
Last year, we were thrilled to announce our partnership with the Council of Academic Hospitals (CAHO) to broaden the scope of its successful ARTIC program. Together we worked to take its innovative research projects and extend them from the academic hospital setting into health care organizations across the province. In an earlier blog, I wrote about ARTIC’s ability to fast-track new research into practice, often reducing the time it takes to apply it within a real-world setting by up to 15 years.
As part of our partnership, we issued the first call for project proposals in support of the theme of integration. We asked for projects that presented an intervention that addresses coordination, continuity and access to health care services. The response was astounding, and I’m proud to say two exciting projects selected for funding are showing great promise in sites across Ontario.
Now we are casting a wider net and including new areas of focus for the next round of project proposals.
In our newest call for proposals (due October 5), we are looking for projects that support the following three themes:
- Palliative and End-of-Life Care
Proposals should advance some of the Ontario Palliative Care Network’s recommendations. They should also endeavour to improve the integration of care and ensure that the best possible practices are in place so that patients can receive the care and comfort measures they need during one of the most vulnerable stages of life. For more insight, I recommend reading our own analysis on end-of-life care, End of Life Health Care in Ontario.
- Dementia Care
Proposals should emphasize improvements to care that can be provided regardless of sector or organization. Improvements have a way of taking hold when they can be easily integrated into a system, thereby becoming a mainstream way of thinking. As quality of life may quickly deteriorate with dementia, proposals should explore out-of-the box thinking that prioritizes the patient’s experience. For more information, check out the strategy for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias set out by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and its pledge to create new integrated programs, invest in staff training at long-term care homes and support experts with funding.
- Improved Quality by Reducing Unnecessary Care (Choosing Wisely Canada)
Proposals should align with and address some of the recommendations that Choosing Wisely Canada shortlisted for Ontario to limit superfluous tests that may diminish value from care or expose patients to harm (such as stress resulting from extra tests to rule out false positives). This theme encompasses a wide variety of disciplines from cardiology, emergency medicine, gastroenterology, psychiatry, transfusion medicine and more. To learn more, have a look at the Report of the Advisory Panel on Healthcare Innovation (Naylor Report), released just last month by Health Canada, and its recognition of the efforts of Choosing Wisely Canada to change system culture as one of the five most promising areas of innovation.
You can find out more about the requirements for project proposals here.
There are so many good ideas, rooted in effective clinical intervention, being tested and trialed throughout the province. If you think you might have the next best idea to be scaled and spread in one of the three areas listed here, I urge you to send in a project proposal. I am looking forward to the next round of submissions.