-
FROMPATIENTS
TOPEOPLE
ANNUAL REPORT 2012 | 2013
-
ME
SS
AG
E F
RO
M T
HE
LE
AD
AN
D C
HA
IR | 1
Message from the Lead and Chair
Anthony Easty, PhD, PEng, CCE Chair, Management Committee
Joseph Cafazzo, PhD, PEng Centre Lead
Reflecting on the past year as we do at this time, we often look
to see what we have accomplished in our pursuit of a better life
for our patients and for those who simply want to stay well. Yet we
dont always reflect on how we accomplished whats inside the pages
of this annual review. Our facilities at UHN, the University, and
our generous supporters, financial and otherwise, all help us
realize our goals, but these aspects dont matter as much as the
people who work and study with us.
Over the years the Centre has attracted the most dedicated,
tenacious, passionate individuals from a broad spectrum of
disciplines and from around the world. A personal experience may
have drawn them to pursue a career in shaping the future of health
technology, or perhaps it was the realization that they wanted to
apply their talent to give back in some way.
No matter the reason, it is what we have in common that binds
us. The passion in pursuit of our goals is often infectious, and is
apparent in the camaraderie that youll see within the closely-knit
teams at the Centre. Its no surprise that year after year we see
more and more talented people at our door, wanting to know how they
can contribute. Its especially gratifying to see our students
develop over time and graduate, only to become valuable,
contributing staff members and faculty.
Its such a privilege to work with the staff and students of this
Centre as they collaborate to transform our work. Its a highlight
of this years report to have them express themselves personally on
why they are here.
Enjoy.
-
WO
RD
S F
RO
M O
UR
TE
AM
S | 3
I FEEL REWARDED EVERY-
DAY KNOWING THAT OUR
WORK HELPS TO LEVEL
THE PLAYING FIELD
FOR MARGINALIZED &
DISADVANTAGED GROUPS
IN SOCIETY. I AM PROUD
TO BE PART OF AN
ORGANIZATION THAT
WORKS TOWARDS PUTTING
PATIENTS AT THE CENTER OF
OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. Rossini Yue, PhD Candidate
OUR WORK IS REWARDING
BECAUSE OUR RESEARCH
REVEALS WHERE WE CAN
IMPROVE SYSTEM SAFETY
& HOW TO MAKE THOSE
IMPROVEMENTS SO THAT
PATIENTS & THEIR FAMILIES
CAN FEEL SAFE & FOCUS
ON WHAT MATTERS TO
THEM THE MOST.
Andrea Cassano-Pich, Human Factors Engineer
WITH RAPIDLY CHANGING
TECHNOLOGY & PRACTICES,
I LOVE THAT OUR WORK
AT THE CENTRE KEEPS THE
PATIENT EXPERIENCE AS
A CONSTANT. Aarti Mathur, Logistics & Operations
Coordinator
THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE
IS AT THE CORE OF ALL
PROCESS & DESIGN
DECISIONS IN OUR
TELEHEALTH & MEDICAL
INFORMATICS PROGRAMS.
QUALITY, SAFETY
& ACCESS TO CARE
DETERMINE STRATEGIC
PRIORITIES, ARCHITECTURE,
TECHNOLOGY & PRIVACY
CONSIDERATIONS.
THROUGH ENABLING
EHEALTH TECHNOLOGIES
WE HELP CLINICAL
TEAMS DELIVER THE BEST
CARE POSSIBLE FOR
PATIENTS REGARDLESS OF
GEOGRAPHY, MOBILITY &
SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS.
Peter G. Rossos, Chief Medical Information Officer
NO OTHER INDUSTRY NEEDS
FRESH, INNOVATIVE WAYS
OF PROBLEM SOLVING
LIKE HEALTHCARE DOES.
PATIENTS DESERVE THE
BEST DESIGN SOLUTIONS
SOCIETY HAS TO OFFER,
& BY AND LARGE, THE CUR-
RENT STATE IS NOWHERE
CLOSE TO FULFILLING THAT
NEED. THE GRATIFICATION
OF USING DESIGN TO AFFECT
POSITIVE & TANGIBLE
CHANGE TO REAL PATIENTS
WHO HAVE REAL PROBLEMS
CANNOT BE UNDERSTATED. Justin Kirkey, Human Factors
Specialist
PUSHING BOUNDARIES,
ASKING DIFFICULT
QUESTIONS, STRIVING
TO MOVE BENCHMARKS
HIGHER, & ASKING MORE
OF OURSELVES TO DRIVE
CHANGE FOR BETTER
QUALITY CARE & PATIENT
OUTCOMES ARE AT THE
HEART OF OUR WORK.
THIS IS WHERE I BELONG.
Caterina Masino, Analyst
WORKING TO TRANSFORM
HEALTHCARE DELIVERY
SERVICES CAN SOMETIMES
FEEL LIKE MOVING A
MOUNTAIN. BUT WHEN
YOU WORK ALONGSIDE
DEDICATED & PASSIONATE
PEOPLE, IT TRULY INSPIRES
TO GIVE YOUR BEST TO
BECOME PART OF THE
CHANGE. Mary Lam, Business Team Lead
WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPIEST?
WHAT DO YOU REGRET MOST?
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO DIE?
HOW COULD WE WORK
TOGETHER TO ELIMINATE
UNNECESSARY SUFFERING?
WE WORK TOGETHER
TO CREATE INNOVATIONS
THAT ENABLE PEOPLE TO
ACHIEVE OPTIMAL LEVELS
OF HEALTH THROUGH THE
INNOVATIVE USE OF INFOR-
MATION & COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGIES.
Alex Jadad, Centre Founder
WHAT IS HAPPENING AT
THE CENTRE TODAY, WITH
ITS FOCUS ON PATIENT-
CENTERED MEDICINE,
IS WHAT MANY OF US HAVE
BEEN DREAMING ABOUT
SINCE STARTING OUR
PROFESSIONAL CAREERS.
NO ACTUALLY, SINCE I FIRST
WATCHED STAR TREK.
Gunther Eysenbach, Senior Scientist
I WORK HERE BECAUSE I SEE
PROBLEMS IN HEALTHCARE
DELIVERY. HELPING TO
DESIGN SOLUTIONS THAT
WORK TOWARDS IMPROVING
THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE IS
INCREDIBLY FULFILLING.
Elina Lawrie, Designer
THE WORK AT THE CENTRE IS
TRULY MOTIVATING. THERE
IS SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR
TECHNOLOGY TO BETTER
THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS
IN OUR COMMUNITIES
TO BE HEALTHIER, HAPPIER
AND I AM GRATEFUL TO
BE WORKING WITH AN
INSPIRATIONAL TEAM IN
MAKING THIS POSSIBLE. Theresa M. Lee, Project Manager
I THINK THAT BECAUSE
OUR RESEARCH IS BUILT
FROM THE GROUND UP, IN
THE DAILY EXPERIENCES
OF CLINICIANS, IT HAS AN
ENORMOUS RESONANT
POWER WITH EVERYONE,
ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TIE
IT BACK IN A VERY REAL
WAY TO PATIENT SAFETY &
THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
AS A WHOLE. Mark Fan, Human Factors Analyst
-
TH
E C
EN
TR
E F
OR
GL
OB
AL
EH
EA
LT
H IN
NO
VA
TIO
N | 5
OUR COMMON VISION
At the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation we are trying to
improve health for all using information and communication
technologies. Touched by the broad spectrum of players that can
elicit changes in health, we work tirelessly with
multi-disciplinary and international leaders from the social
sciences, technology, and health fields to transform global health
systems.
We are the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation
WE ARE MADE UP OF THE FOLLOWING TEAMS:
HUMANERA
To err is human. Errors are consequences rather than causes of
unsafe systems. We work to improve the complex conditions under
which people in healthcare work.
TELEHEALTH
We provide patients equitable access to clinical care treatment
options by eliminating barriers associated with geography, time,
distance or available services, using information and communication
technologies (ICTs).
HEALTHCARE HUMAN FACTORS
Our vision is a healthcare system transformed by human-factors
informed design. Putting people at the center of our process
creates robust, safe, and innovative alternatives to our current
system.
PEOPLE, HEALTH EQUITY & INNOVATION
Our mission is to enable people to live full, healthy and happy
lives until their last breath, through innovative global
collaborative efforts enabled by information and communication
technologies. We explore ways to level the playing field for
marginalized and disadvantaged groups in society, and to improve
the capacity of humans to imagine, create and promote new and
better approaches to living, healing, working and learning across
the world.
MEDICAL INFORMATICS & SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
We explore how to best collect, store, and retrieve healthcare
information for use in acute-care settings. We provide clinicians
with active decision support tools that help improve the quality
and efficiency of care, and allow for innovative approaches around
research and evaluation.
PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
We work to develop technology innovations that connect patients
with providers and are focused on improving health outcomes and
patient quality-of-life. We work on all phases of the product
cycle; from gathering user requirements to study
evaluations/trials, and everything in between.
EYSENBACH LAB
We conduct research in knowledge translation, consumer health
infor-matics, public health informatics, and e-publishing. We are
interested in using social media analytics to study and implement
knowledge translation approaches in healthcare and analyzing big
data available on the Internet.
-
Knowledge Translation to Inform Healthcare Decisions
WHAT IS INFODEMIOLOGY?
Information epidemiology is defined as the science of
distribution and determinants of information in an
electronic
medium, specifically the Internet, or in a population to
inform
public health. Data sources may include information generated by
the public on search engines, news websites, social media,
discussion groups (forums),
blogs, and microblogs.
Our activities include mining and analyzing big data and
evaluating direct-to-consumer technology-based innovations. We
develop disruptive methods and tools for knowledge translation and
transformative science communication through Web 2.0 and social
media platforms, for public partic-ipation and discussion of
contemporary issues. With this popularity comes a wealth of
user-generated content and data that is a largely untapped resource
for public health and health policy.
Another piece of this work is Infoveillance, which is the
monitoring of information and communication patterns on the
Internet. Monitoring includes tracking the pulse of Canadians in
reaction to public health messages and potentially identifying
epidemics. This federally funded research program will provide new
methods to under-stand how knowledge resonates with Canadians and
how it shapes public opinion and attitudes that feeds back into
health policy. We have built a platform for researchers called
Infovigil for big data analytics, which currently focuses on
Twitter posts (tweets).
EL | IMPROVING TRANS-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH LEARNING
& COLLABORATION
We have recently expanded our activities to include the hosting
of the editorial offices of now seven Journal of Medical Internet
Research (JMIR) journals and the coordination of two annual
Medicine 2.0 congresses. We are excited to announce JMIR mHealth
(mobile health) and uHealth (ubiquitous health), a spin-off journal
that focuses on health and bio-medical applications in mobile and
tablet computing; pervasive and ubiquitous computing; wearable
computing and domotics. JMIR mHealth and uHealth features a rapid
and thorough peer-review process, copy editing, production of
proofs, and very soon, an iPad App.
Related to these activities, we have also initiated the
CONSORT-eHEALTH checklist, an ongoing project to improve the
quality of Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) reports of eHealth and
mHealth evaluations.
We are spearheading an initiative to peer-review, evaluate and
classify mHealth apps, which can be prescribed
to consumers. Reviewers will either verify that the applications
submitted are compliant with best practices, or provide
constructive recommendations and improvements to the submission.
The goal is to help both patients and health professionals navigate
the large number of healthcare apps by creating a database,
soliciting ratings and feed-back from all users.
KN
OW
LE
DG
E T
RA
NS
LA
TIO
N | 7
Infovigil infodemiology.org
JMIR mHealth/uHealth mhealth.jmir.org
THE INTERNET HAS MADE
MEASURABLE WHAT WAS
PREVIOUSLY IMMEASURABLE:
THE DISTRIBUTION OF HEALTH
INFORMATION IN A POPULATION,
TRACKING HEALTH INFORMATION
TRENDS OVER TIME, & IDENTIFYING
GAPS BETWEEN INFORMATION
SUPPLY AND DEMAND.
Gunther Eysenbach
-
IMP
RO
VIN
G P
AT
IEN
T S
AF
ET
Y | 9
Improving Patient Safety
EMBRACING COMPLEXITY TO CREATE SYSTEM CHANGE
Most patient safety issues are entrenched in complex
interactions involving people, workflows, and technologies. By
analyzing these patient safety issues and using an effective
combination of representative and controlled methodologies, weve
become adept to embracing these complexities. Consequently, we are
able to identify an array of contributing factors and evaluate
evidence-based solutions, ranging from
improved technology design to best practices, training and
education programs.
HHF | CREATING THE SAFEST
PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET
Our goal of creating the safest medical products on the market
is now supported by the FDAs recent requirement for human factors
considerations prior to granting regulatory approval. This year, we
helped a leading medical device manufacturer refine their newest
gas machines and demonstrate risk reduction to the FDA through
rigorous usability testing iterations with over thirty
anesthesiologists and nurses.
HE | IDENTIFYING EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN FEATURES THAT
HELP ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL
FOR ERROR
Through a simulation study with forty critical care nurses, we
compared the effectiveness of different interventions aimed at
improving the safe adminis-tration of multiple intravenous (IV)
infusions to a given patient. Supported by Health Quality Ontario
and commis-sioned by the Ontario Health Technology Advisory
Committee, this groundbreaking study has resulted in numerous
recom-mendations to improve infusion safety. This includes standard
design features for manufacturers to incorporate into future
product developments, which will then be acquired and implemented
by healthcare providers.
HE | IMPROVING CHEMOTHERAPY SAFETY BY IDENTIFYING ERRORS
IN CURRENT PRACTICES
As part of our continuing work to improve chemotherapy safety,
and with the support of the Canadian Association of Provincial
Cancer Agencies, we investigated how different medication
preparation practices affect mixing errors. In a segment of this
study we identified that current gold-standard testing methods,
sometimes used to identify drug concentrations in parenteral
chemotherapy bags, may not be adequate to detect extreme mixing
errors, leading to uncertainty in dose concentrations.
-
IMP
RO
VIN
G P
AT
IEN
T S
AF
ET
Y | 11
INTERACTIVE TRAINING TOOL
TRADITIONAL IN-PERSON TRAINING
VIDEO-BASED TRAINING
VS.
TRAINING METHODS EVALUATED:
Our observation concluded that the design of this particular
heparinized syringe posed a significant risk to patient safety. The
manufacturers and Health Canada were notified of the problem and
the ISMP report is being shared to raise awareness about these
look-alike syringes. Our work was presented and received
recognition at the University of Toronto Quality Improvement and
Patients Safety Symposium.
HHF | PROTECTING PEDIATRIC PATIENTS FROM LOOK-ALIKE SYRINGES
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Canada
received a report earlier this year describing a near-miss incident
in which a syringe intended for withdrawal of a sample for Arterial
Blood Gas (ABG) testing was nearly used for preparation of a
parenteral injection on an infant. Mistaken use of a heparinized
syringe for anything other than its intended purpose can lead to
adverse outcomes. Therefore, we conducted a blinded experiment in
our simulation labs with fourteen representative end users to
evaluate the syringes safety in its appropriate hospital setting.
In most scenarios, users could not distinguish the 3 mL heparinized
syringes from non-heparinized ones.
HHF | HUMAN FACTORS IN INFORMING HIGH-RISK,
HIGH IMPACT PROCUREMENTS
Working with clinicians from across all four UHN sites, we
conducted a comparative usability evaluation in order to select the
best Electronic Medical Record (EMR) for the needs of our care
providers. Findings reported on the ease of use and matches with
user expectations for a breadth of functionality including clinical
documentation, referral management, and medication order
management. Based on what we learned, we were able to tailor the
implementation and change management plans to best support the
roll-out.
HE | CREATING EVIDENCE-BASED TRAINING TO PROVIDE CLINICIANS WITH
THE KNOWLEDGE
REQUIRED TO SUPPORT SAFE PRACTICES
This year, we evaluated the impact of three different training
methods with 150 nurses. The novel interactive training tool was
shown to be the most effective method and led to a significant
reduction in use error. Based on this evidence, we developed two
unique interactive tools to support the introduction of new
technologies at Massachusetts General Hospital, both of which were
used by over 3,000 nurses.
THESE WERE SOME PARTICIPANT RESPONSES RECORDED DURING OUR
STUDY:
I FAILED MISERABLY...ITS NOT EASY
[TO BE ABLE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE
IN AN EMERGENCY]
Neonatologist
I WOULD HAVE NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS
THOUGHT OF THIS [TO CHECK IF IT WAS
HEPARINIZED]!
Registered Nurse
NO [ITS NOT DISTINGUISHABLE], NOT ONCE
ITS DRAWN UP AND THE FACT THAT [THE
CONTAINS HEPARIN LABEL] IS SO SMALL
I DIDNT EVEN LOOK AT IT...
Anesthesia Assistant
Improving Patient SafetyTHE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN FACTORS IN
HEALTHCARE
-
TH
E IM
PA
CT
OF
TE
LE
HE
ALT
H | 13
This is a story of a patient.SITTING IN HIS HOMETOWN community
clinic three hours away from Toronto, a 79 year old man with
multiple, long-standing health issues complained of pain and
discolouration in his foot during an appointment with his UHN
clinician. The appointment took place through our Telehealth
videoconferencing service.
The patients medical condition had significantly deteriorated
since his last assessment and required urgent medical examination.
The clinician examined both of the patients lower limbs from his
office in Toronto, using his desktop computer equipped with the
personal videoconferencing software recently deployed at UHN. This
enabled him to zoom in
using the remote sites camera to examine the areas of concern.
Assisted by the community site Telehealth nurse, he was able to
capture still images, which he magnified and studied on his
monitor.
Upon assessment, the clinician realized the patient was
suffering from ischemia related to his underlying vasculitis, and
needed urgent care. An interprofessional team of rheumatologists
and vascular surgeons assembled in the clinicians office to view
the patients wound and triage accordingly. The team determined that
the patient needed to be transferred to UHN for further assessment
and the patient was admitted the next day.
TRAVEL TIME & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT This patient was seen
from his local healthcare centre just minutes away from his
home.
The Impact of Telehealth
To read more about this study:
Fitzpatrick D, Grabarz D, Wang L, Bezjak A, Fehlings MG,
Fosker C, Rampersaud, Raja, Wong RKS. How Effective is a
Virtual Consultation Process in Facilitating
Multidisciplinary
Decision-Making for Malignant Epidural Spinal Cord Compr-
ession? International Journal of Radiation Oncology,
Biology,
Physics. 2012;84(2):e167-72. doi:
10.1016/j.ijrobp.2012.03.057.
PubMed PMID: 22682804
RESEARCH IMPACT
A recent 2012 study published by Dr. Rebecca Wong and the
Palliative Radiation Oncology Team estimated that the accuracy of
the virtual consultation opinions in predicting actual surgery is
92% and that Telehealth can be effective in providing timely and
reliable interprof-essional opinions and minimize unnecessary
patient transfers and multiple consultations between sites.
3,300 160
180
250
50
200
CLINICAL CONSULTS
CLINICIAN USERS
EDUCATION ROUNDS
MULTIDISCIPLINARY CLINICAL CASE REVIEWS
INPATIENTS
OUT OF PROVINCECLINICAL CONSULTS
FY 2012-2013 UHN TELEHEALTH PROGRAM ACTIVITY*
*Clinical activity within all fourteen LHINS in over a hundred
Ontario cities/towns.
GEOGRAPHICALLY
EXPANDINGACCESS TO CARE
37.0 C190
LB13585
72
TECHNICAL IMPACT
Personal videoconferencing software was introduced to UHNs
clinicians in partnership with the Ontario Telemedicine Network
(OTN). UHN was the first large academic health sciences centre to
trial this new technology for direct clinical care. Currently, more
than seventy UHN healthcare professionals utilize this technology
to conduct clinical consultations and attend educational events
from the convenience of their workspace, or potentially almost
anywhere in Ontario.
-
PHIT | SYMPTOMS AND MEDICATION MANAGEMENT
FOR CHRONIC ILLNESSES
One year into the pilot launch of breathe, our landmark asthma
management app has seen the recruitment of over 300 people who live
with asthma across Kingston, Windsor, London, Sault Ste Marie and
Toronto. Its key feature, the Your Zone page, guides the patient to
self-manage their current symptoms using a person-alized medication
plan prescribed by their physician. The app also highlights a new
venture for our team in responsive web design allowing patients to
access the app on a variety of mobile and tablet platforms as well
as on a computers
PHIT | DEVELOPING STANDARDS THAT ALLOW COMMUNICATION BETWEEN
DEVICES TO DELIVER SEAMLESS PATIENT CARE
Our work to improve diabetes technology continues through the
JDRF-sponsored Artificial Pancreas Standards and Technical Platform
Project. The artificial pancreas is a system of individual diabetes
management devices (including blood glucose meters, continuous
glucose monitors, and insulin pumps) working together to mimic the
physiology of a pancreas. Collaborating with international
contributors from academia, healthcare, and industry, our team
leads the development of communication standards for diabetes
devices within the IEEE Personal Health Devices Working Group.
These standards enable interoperability by establishing consistent
data protocols and universal understanding of the device data. This
will help accelerate research and development in the area for years
to come.
web-browser. The evaluation will extend into 2014 when we expect
to move into the analysis phase where we hope to learn more about
breathes impact on a patients quality of life.
We continue to expand our chronic disease platform, Medly, which
includes a complete visual and technical redesign to accommodate
current smartphone technology. Medly is a platform that supports
the self-management of multiple chronic conditions. Currently it
incorporates mobile applications to address Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Heart Failure (HF) and Chronic Kidney
Disease (CKD).
PHIT | CONTINUOUS LEARNING, IMPROVEMENT & VALIDATION
OF OUR SELF-CARE MOBILE
APPLICATIONS
Though app development is the primary make up of our work, it is
the evaluation of our solutions that provides the evidence
demonstrating that technology is effectively impacting self-care
and health outcomes. The usage evaluation of
-
PA
TIE
NT
DE
ST
INY | 1
7
Solving Challenges at the Point of Care
Patient Advocacy
MISE | IMPROVING THE JOURNEY FOR PATIENTS & CAREGIVERS
The elements of design, architecture and implementation of the
ConnectingGTA Program (Greater Toronto Area) will allow electronic
patient eHealth infor-mation to be seamlessly and securely shared
to deliver better, timelier and more coordinated care. Our work on
this program will make it easier for patients and their caregivers
to move through the continuum of care in the GTA. This project will
benefit approximately 51% of Ontarios population.
MISE | IMPROVING QUALITY
COMMUNICATION OF DIAGNOSIS
BETWEEN CLINICIAN & PATIENT
Our team is leading in the innovative development of Canadian
National Synoptic Reporting Standards to help address decisions and
challenges related to quality, cost and access to endoscopic
screening and surveillance. In partner-ship with Canada Health
Infoway (CHI),
the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC), and with input
from clinicians across Canada, we are leading an initia-tive to
develop, implement and evaluate a pan-Canadian data model for
reporting on colonoscopies and colposcopies. Our goal is achieving
greater patient engagement through patient portals and Personal
Health Records (PHRs) by improving the quality of information
captured, increasing adherence to stan-dards and guidelines, and
allowing for broader access to electronic reports. This approach
will serve as a model for other clinical areas.
MISE | IMPROVING COLLABORATIVE HEALTHCARE
INFORMATION COMMUNICATION,
INTERNATIONALLY
This year, we worked on a new specifi-cation for secure
communication of HL7 messages known as HL7-over-HTTP. Our work on
international standards development was proposed to the HL7
international working group in Atlanta in June 2013.
HL7 is a non-profit organization involved in the development of
interna-tional healthcare informatics interop-erability standards
for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic
health information. HL7s affiliates include organizations in more
than thirty countries around the world, including Argentina,
Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
TECHNA, SIMS & THE CENTRE FOR GLOBAL EHEALTH
INNOVATION
In 2012 the UHN Systems Engineering and Medical Informatics
teams were
brought together in alignment with the Techna Institute to
benefit from the diverse strengths and many skills of these
talented teams.
The newly combined group is entirely focused on solutions to
directly improve patient safety and quality of care, regionally,
nationally, and internationally.
CREATING AWARENESS
AROUND PATIENT ADVOCACY
Patient Destiny collaborated with Newmarkets Southlake Regional
Health Centre for Patient Day on Wednesday, May 8th, 2013. Close to
sixty patients, caregivers and healthcare personnel collaborated on
ways to increase both awareness and demand for patient access to
their health information. Southlake is building from the days
discussions and dialogue to empower patients to work with their
health providers to achieve optimal health outcomes.
IMPROVING PATIENT & COMMUNITY
ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE SERVICES
From September 2012March 2013, Patient Destiny worked in
partnership with the Toronto Central Local Health Integration
Network (TC LHIN), and held a series of comprehensive
consul-tations with residents of Mount Dennis in Toronto. Mount
Dennis was identified as a region facing challenges in accessing
and using healthcare services.
After the consultations, Patient Destiny recommended the design
and develop-ment of a community level Healthcare Concierge - an
individual with expertise in navigating the healthcare system and
fluent in a specific language and culture, who would liaise between
the individ-uals in the community and the system.
The Somali community, a major partic-ipant in the project, fully
supports this
concept. Patient Destiny recommends the initiation of a project
to pilot the Healthcare Concierge concept and further that the
Somali community be part of the pilot study.
The Report from the Patient Engagement Project: Mount Dennis
Community will be used by the TC LHIN for health system
planning.
Kevin Leonard, Founder of Patient Destiny and Senior Scientist
at the Centre, passed away on July 15th, 2013 leaving behind a
legacy that will not be forgotten.
These projects were his final works of patient advocacy, to
which he dedicated his life.
For more information visit patientdestiny.com
AN INFORMED PATIENT
The goal of Patient Destiny is an informed patient: a person who
has all the appropriate information in hand and who is, thereby,
able to work within the system to obtain the best healthcare
services and outcomes.
When patients access their own information, they can be more
effective in managing their care because it allows them to work
with their providers to respond earlier
and more directly to the patients needs.
The Centre supports Patient Destiny in its journey towards an
engaged and empowered patient.
PATIENTSAS
PARTNERSIN THEIR
HEALTHCARE-
BENEFITTING
51%OF ONTARIOS
POPULATION
ConnectingGTA will improve the patient and clinician experience
by delivering a regional electronic health record for 6.75M
individuals living in the Greater Toronto Area.
-
IMP
RO
VIN
G H
EA
LT
H A
ND
HA
PP
INE
SS | 19
Improving Health and HappinessA HAPPIER WORKPLACE // The
work-force is burning out at an alarming rate. Mental health issues
are the leading cause for disability claims, absenteeism and lost
productivity in Canada and around the world. Dr. Jadad is now
heading a team studying digital inno- vations to foster a workforce
that is truly engaged, productive and most importantly, happy.
RECONCEPTUALIZING HEALTH //
In 2011, after three years engaged in a global conversation
supported by ICTs, an international team of collaborators and Dr.
Jadad re-conceptualized the meaning of health as the ability for
individuals or communities to adapt and self-manage when facing
physical and mental challenges. In theory, this new approach allows
people to consider themselves as healthy, even when living with
multiple chronic diseases. This year, our team of researchers
conducted an in-depth analysis of the best available evidence on
self-assessments by patients, living with chronic diseases. We
found a large body of research that indicates that the vast
majority of work initiated in the late 1970s by Aaron Antonovsky
under the banner Salotogenesis, revealed more findings indicating
that the predominant number of these patients consider their health
to be good, very good or excellent. This research shows that such
self-assessments,
which usually take a few seconds to be completed, are very
powerful predictors of mortality.
The insights generated have triggered efforts to promote the
inclusion of personal health-assessments as a key component of
clinical consultations and large population-based databases in
different countries. This has inspired new projects to be designed
to under-stand why some people living with chronic diseases
consider themselves to be healthy, while enabling those who judge
their health to be poor or fair to improve their perceived health
status.
PHI | HEALTH ECONCIERGE (HEC): ELIMINATING SUFFERING AMONG
ELDERLY PEOPLE & CAREGIVERS
This initiative is a core component of a five-project Health
Innovation Collaborative exploring how a user-friendly online tool
can eliminate suffering among elderly people and their caregivers,
by improving their ability to identify and communicate their unmet
needs, and to find services that can address them. Funded by the
Green Shield Canada Foundation, a prototype of the back-end
infrastructure was developed and is already populated with service
data from palliative care services of Ontario.
PHI | ENHANCING EQUITY: PUBLIC EHEALTH INNOVATION &
EQUITY IN LATIN AMERICA &
THE CARIBBEAN (ESAC)
This applied research project aims at enhancing health equity in
Latin America and the Caribbean through the use of ICTs. Talented
young pro-fessionals in local communities were trained to work as
researchers and knowledge managers; an online public agora was
created; and an innovation competition was launched to promote
creative and ingenious Public eHealth solutions in the
sub-continent.
PROMOTING FULL LIVES
Our collaborative and action-oriented research initiatives focus
on enabling people, regardless of who or where they are, to live
the healthiest and happiest lives possible
until their last breath.
-
We Proudly Support
DESIGNMEETS HEALTHCARE
DesignMeets Healthcare events are organized by Pivot Design
Group to encourage more involvement, more collaboration and more
design thinking to be embedded within healthcare. A ground swell;
an energy and excitement about a new way of looking at healthcare,
the emergency of a new practice these are just some of the terms
that guests of DesignMeets used to describe the event. DesignMeets
is a hub that brings Canadian designers from all walks of life
together.
For more information visit designmeets.ca
PATIENTS CANADA
Patients Canada (formerly Patients Association of Canada) works
to bring the voice of patients and caregivers into healthcare in
Canada. As a patient-led and patient-governed association, they
work on how healthcare is delivered to diverse populations. This
year Patients Canada has also been involved with bringing the
patient voice to the design of new healthcare technologies and
soft-ware. We share and support the vision that patients should
have a role in the design and operation of their care.
Stay engaged at patientscanada.com
MEDICINE2.0
Med2.0 is a leading peer-reviewed conference that promotes the
science and practice of social media in health, providing a venue
for scientists to present research on emerging changes in medicine
and health. Themes of focus include social media, biomedical
research and web 2.0 platforms in medi-cine and health. Take a trip
with us into the future of medicine at one of the two upcoming
conferences in 2014.
For more information visit medicine20congress.com
TECHNA SYMPOSIUM
The theme this year was to explore the current state and future
trends of Personalized Cancer Medicine (PCM) and how technology and
economics play into its future. Held at MaRS Discovery District on
October 25th, the symposium brought together experts in clinical
and physical research, clinical trials, policy and health economics
with members of industry to discuss the current state of PCM and
its future potential. Participants worked collaboratively to
determine what technological barriers or clinical needs should be
addressed by new research programs, and formed new partnerships and
planned collaborations to develop solutions.
More details available at technainstitute.com
HACKING HEALTH
We see Hacking Health as a space where small ideas come to life
and create impact; where the healthcare community unites with the
technology talent of the city to create solutions at work for
patients and the healthcare system. This testimonial summarizes
their sentiment:
Amanda and I came to Hacking Health without many expectations
and not entirely sure what the weekend was all about. At best, we
hoped that someone would help us translate a paper booklet for our
My Baby and Me Infant Passport program, here at St. Mikes, into a
digital format. What we left with, 48 hours later, was a working
prototype of an app for both Windows phone and Android that not
only had all the info we expected but so much more! The recommended
additions that the designers and developers made totally enhance
our existing program and
have the power to make a real difference in the lives of young,
homeless pregnant women. We had no idea such a brilliant way for
health and tech to intersect existed but are so glad that we
figured it out and ended up at a Hackathon. - Marisa Cicero with
Amanda Hignell, Social Workers, Obstetrics, St. Michaels Hospital,
Toronto
This year, at the second Hacking Health Toronto at MaRS
Discovery District, the event welcomed over 400 people from the
combined community of developers, designers, healthcare
professionals, patients, entrepreneurs and health policy
makers.
Learn more at hackinghealth.ca
WE
PR
OU
DLY
SU
PP
OR
T | 21
-
THE NATIONAL POST /
ITS SUCH A HIGH-RISK MEDICATION:
RESEARCHERS UNCOVER POTENTIAL
ERRORS IN CHEMOTHERAPY USE
AT CANADIAN HOSPITALS
By Tom Blackwell, 4 Feb 2013
A 43-year-old patient at Edmontons Cross Cancer Institute died
when her infusion pump was wrongly programmed. Upon investigation,
at least seven other accidental deaths were uncovered in recent
years. The toxic nature of chemotherapy makes it particularly
critical to avoid errors in its use, stated Rachel White, the
latest studys lead author and a Human Factors expert with the
HumanEra team at UHN.
Its such a high-risk medication and dosing of chemotherapy and
the timing is a really complicated balance! said Ms. White.
She said that the system has taken to heart the findings and
advice highlighted in the new study and other research. The
overhaul quietly taking place in Canadian oncology wards stems
largely from that Edmonton death and the courageous decision by Dr.
Tony Fields, head of the citys Cross Cancer Institute, to make the
tragic mishap public, said Ms. White.
The HumanEra team was asked to review the whole process of
administering chemotherapy and provide a report. Ms. White noted
that this work has already brought about significant change, like
extensive new training on operating the pumps, and use of
pre-printed forms that make ordering the drugs clearer.
MACLEANS MAGAZINE / THE
SMART-PHONE WILL SEE YOU NOW
By Tamsin McMahon, 4 Mar 2013
GLOBE & MAIL / EIGHT WELLNESS
APPS TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR
HEALTH GOALS By Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe, 26 Nov 2013
According to the eHealth Strategy Office at the University of
British Columbia, there are more than 40,000 of these types of
mobile apps available. How do you choose the best one for you? [You
would] look for ones that are easy to use, safe, effective,
maintain privacy, and are free or low cost.
GLOBE AND MAIL / LIVES LIVED
By Sandra Dalziel, 4 Dec 2013
Our friend, colleague, teacher and mentor, Dr. Kevin J. Leonard
passed away on July 15th, 2013 from complications arising from
Crohns disease.
Living with Crohns disease for more than forty years involved
frequent and extensive interactions with the healthcare system.
Kevins spirit, optimism and mental dis-cipline played a vital role
in managing his health.
bant: Created for adolescents with Type 1 diabetes, bant
encourages users to pay attention to their diet, activity and
insulin therapy. It motivates its users to record blood sugar
readings and monitors patterns that can provide insight into
adjusting medications accordingly. As a reward for inputting your
data, bant gives its users free perks such as iTunes credits.
-
AS FIRST & SENIOR AUTHORS
Bender JL, Jimenez-Marroquin MC, Ferris LE, Katz J, Jadad AR.
Online Communities for Breast Cancer Survivors: A Review and
Analysis of their Characteristics and Levels of Use. Supportive
Cancer Care, 2013 May; 21(5): 1253-63. doi:
10.1007/s00520-012-1655-9 Bender JL, Katz J, Ferris LE, Jadad AR.
What is the Role of Online Support From the Perspective of
Facilitators of Face-to-Face Support Groups? A Multi-Method Study
of the Use of Breast Cancer Online Communities. Patient Education
and Counseling, 2013 Dec; 93(3):472-9. doi:
10.1016/j.pec.2013.07.009 Bender JL, Yue RY, To MJ, Deacken L,
Jadad AR. A Lot of Action, but Not in the Right Direction:
Systematic Review and Content Analysis of Smartphone Applications
for the Prevention, Detection, and Management of Cancer.Journal of
Medical Internet Research, 2013 Dec 23;15(12):e287 Goyal S, Cafazzo
JA. Mobile Phone Health Apps for Diabetes Management: Current
Evidence and Future Developments. Quarterly Journal of Medicine,
2013 Dec; 106(12):1067-9. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hct203 Picton P, Yeung
MS, Hamming N, Desborough L, Dassau E, Cafazzo JA. Advancement of
the Artificial Pancreas Through the Development of Interoperability
Standards. Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, July 2013,
Volume 7, Issue 4 Taneva S. There Is a Need for a
Multi-disciplinary Approach to Patient Safety.
HealthcarePapers: 13 (1), p. 30-35, 2013
Trbovich P, Griffin M, White R, Bourrier V, Dhaliwal D, Easty A.
The Effects of Interruptions on Oncologists Patient Assessment and
Medication Ordering Practices. Journal of Healthcare Engineering.
2013;4(1):127-44. Doi:10.1260/2040-2295.4.1.127
White R, Cassano-Piche A, Fields A, Cheng R, Easty A.
Intravenous Chemo-therapy Preparation Errors: Patient Safety Risks
Identified in a Pan-Canadian Exploratory Study. Journal of Oncology
Pharmacy Practice, February 2013
AS SENIOR AUTHOR
Alvaro C, Atkinson C, Colucci G, Elgie S, Gardner P, Hall M,
Harvey C, Khouri T, Lyons R, Wilkinson K., Wigle J, Jadad AR.
Design for Health and Psychosocial Well-being: Assessing the Impact
of HealthCare Facility Design on the Lives of People Living With
Complex Conditions. World Congress Design & Health (WCDH) 2013
Siu M, Catton P, Jones J, Jadad AR. A Pilot Study Examining the
Unmet Needs of Cancer Survivors Living with Polypathology. Current
Oncology, 2013, 20(3):e266-9 Quan S, Morra D, Lau FY, Coke W, Wong
BM, Wu RC, Rossos PG. Perceptions of Urgency: Defining the Gap
Between What Physicians and Nurses Perceive to be an Urgent Issue.
International Journal of Medical Informatics. 12 Dec 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.ijmedinf.2012.11.010
AS CO-AUTHOR
Archambault PM, van de Belt TH, Grajales FJ 3rd, Faber MJ,
Kuziemsky CE, Gagnon S, Bilodeau A, Rioux S, Nelen WL, Gagnon MP,
Turgeon AF, Aubin K, Gold I, Poitras J, Eysenbach G, Kremer JA,
Lgar F. Wikis and Collaborative Writing Applications in Healthcare:
A Scoping Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2013 Oct
8;15(10):e210. doi: 10.2196/jmir.2787
Liu S, Dunford SD, Leung YW, Brooks D, Thomas Sg, Eysenbach G,
Nolan RP. Reducing Blood Pressure with Internet- based
Interventions: A Meta-Analysis. Canadian Journal of Cardiology.
2013 May; 29(5):613-21. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2013.02.007 McCoy AB,
Wright A, Eysenbach G, Malin BA, Patterson ES, Xu H, Sittig DF.
State of the Art in Clinicial Informatics: Evidence and Examples.
Yearbook of Medical Informatics. 2013 ;8(1):13-9 Quan SD, Wu RC,
Rossos PG, Arany T, Groe S, Morra D, Wong BM, Cavalcanti R, Coke W,
Lau FY. Its Not About Pager Replacement: An In-Depth Look at the
Interprofessional Nature of Communication in Healthcare. Journal of
Hospital Medicine. 2013 Jan 18. doi: 10.1002/jhm.2008 Shachak A,
Montgomery C, DowR, Barnsley J, Tu K, Jadad AR, Lemieux-Charles, L.
End-User Support for Primary Care Electronic Medical Records: A
Qualitative Case Study of Users Needs, Expectations, and Realities.
Health Systems advance online publication 2 August 2013; doi:
10.1057/hs.2013.6 Sewitch MJ, Jiang M, Barkun AN, Armstrong D,
Manca D, Rossos P, Stein B, Attendees M. Report on the Expert Forum
on Using Information Technology to Facilitate Uptake and Impact of
Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines. Canadian Journal of
Gastroenterology. 2012 Dec;26(12):902-4 Quan SD, Wu RC, Rossos PG,
Arany T, Groe S, Morra D, Wong BM, Cavalcanti R, Coke W, Lau FY.
Its Not About Pager Replacement: An In-Depth Look at the
Interprofessional Nature of Communication in Healthcare. Journal of
Hospital Medicine. 2013 Jan 18. doi: 10.1002/jhm.2008
Peer Reviewed Publications
Shachak A, Montgomery C, Barnsley J, Tu K., Jadad AR,
Lemieux-Charles L. End-User Support for a Primary Care Electronic
Medical Record: A Qualitative Case Study of One Vendors
Perspective. Informatics in Primary Care 2013; 20(3): 185-196 Wu
RC, Lo V, Morra D, Wong BM, Sargeant R, Locke K, Cavalcanti R, Quan
SD, Rossos P, Tran K, Cheung M. The Intended and Unintended
Consequences of Communication Systems on General Internal Medicine
Inpatient Care Delivery: A Prospective Observational Case Study of
Five Teaching Hospitals. Journal of the American Medical
Informatics Association. 2013 Jan 25 Yeung NK, Jadad AJ, Shachak A.
What Do Electronic Health Record Vendors Reveal About Their
Products: An Analysis of Vendor Websites. Journal of Medical
Internet Research, 2013;15(2):e36; doi:10. 2196/jmir.2312
PU
BL
ICA
TIO
NS | 25
THE CENTRES INVESTIGATORS
Joseph Cafazzo
Anthony Easty
Gunther Eysenbach
Alejandro Jadad
Kevin Leonard
Peter Rossos
Emily Seto
Patricia Trbovich
-
Awards
The ImagineNation Outcomes Challenge sought to improve
healthcare quality and the patient experience in Canada by
accelerating the use and spread of innovative solutions in four key
areas: Medication Reconciliation
Clinical Synoptic Reporting
Patient Access to Health Information
e-Scheduling
The Centres Medical Informatics and Systems Engineering Team won
in the two following categories:
1 / MEDICATION RECONCILIATION
CATEGORY
Medication reconciliation reduces the risk of adverse drug
events by taking a best possible medication history for
every patient and ensuring new prescrip-tions are reconciled
with that list.
Our solution was a single web-based platform that integrated
with the elec-tronic discharge summary to document the patients
medication history and reconcile medications at admission as well
as discharge. It also allows users to generate e-prescriptions,
medication letters, patient grids and medication wallet cards .
2 / CLINICAL SYNOPTIC REPORTING
CATEGORY
Synoptic reporting is used to record key clinical information in
a systematic way based on the latest evidence about best
practices.
In order to improve communication between the hospital and
community physicians, we developed a tool to
capture data from discharge summaries to be used clinically,
thus enabling clinical decision support, research and health system
reporting. These tools improve access to information and
communication between care providers, provide clinicians real-time
learning and improve quality and timeliness of physician
documentation for hospital reporting and chart completion.
THIS WAS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE AT A CONFERENCE
OF THIS NATURE AND IT WAS AMAZING TO (ACTUALLY)
TOUCH AND SEE TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION.
Akib Uddin, Masters Student
Our student researchers attended the Healthcare Support Through
Information Technology Enhancements (hSITE) Annual Research Review
this year, hosted at Montreals McGill University Campus on November
18th, 2013. The event focused on application- driven research where
engineers and clinicians come together to showcase information
technology developed for safer and more efficient care.
The event showcased work from universities across Canada with
over thirty posters and demos present. Among these, our student
research team was awarded for the Best Project Demonstration for
the Wearable Wireless Electrocardio-gram (ECG) Monitor and
Smartphone App for Biofeedback. This live prototype was developed
in house and potentially offers a home-based complementary approach
for blood pressure control.
STUDENT AWARD / 18 NOVEMBER 2013
IMAGINENATION OUTCOMES CHALLENGE OVERALL AWARD / 27 MAY 2013
MHSc candidate, showcasing his work on the ECG Project at
hSITE
Annual Research Review, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
OUTSTANDING PATIENT SAFETY
POSTER AWARD / 10 OCTOBER 2013
Our work on the Risks of Look-Alike Arterial Blood Gas Syringes
was presented and won outstanding recognition at the 5th Annual
University of Toronto Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient
Safety (C-QuIPS) Symposium held on October 10th, 2013. C-QuIPS
focuses on creating, disseminating and implementing new knowledge
in the areas of patient safety and healthcare quality
improvement.
AW
AR
DS | 27
-
Students
MASTERS STUDENTS
Marcela Fandino Cardenas / Institute of Health Policy,
Management & Evaluation (IHPME) / Training in a High Fidelity
Sinus Surgery Simulator Improves the Surgical Performance of ENT
Trainees Katherine Chan / Institute of Biomaterials &
Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) / Empirical Evaluation of
Interventions to Mitigate Secondary Intravenous Infusion Risks
Associated with the Use of Infusion Pump Technologies David
Chartash / Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering
(IBBME) / Reducing Failure-to-Rescue Adverse events through
Automated vital Signs Capture & Alerting of Medical Emergency
Team Isabelle Dutil / Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical
Engineering (IBBME) / Adoption of Insulin Pump and Continuous
Glucose Monitors: Patient Perceptions of Utility and Usability
Julian Goss / Institute of Health Policy, Management &
Evaluation (IHPME) / Inter-professional Patient-Centered
Communication in Complex Care Michelle Hanbidge / Institute of
Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) / Improving
Patient Safety through Healthcare Incident Reporting, Analysis,
& Process Change Systems Gregory Jackson / Institute of
Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) / Medical Body
Area Networks for the Management of Chronic Conditions Fatima Kanji
/ Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (MIE) /
Patient-Centered Clinical Collaboration System for Complex Care
Lisa Min / Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
(MIE) / Designing for Behavioral Change for Adolescents with Type 1
Diabetes Carlos Penaranda / Institute of Health Policy, Management
& Evaluation (IHPME) / A Comparison of Content Between a Core
Curriculum for Pain Management, from the International Association
for the Study of Pain (IASP) & Wikipedia Thuva Sivayogan /
Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) /
Sleep Quality Monitoring using a Single- channel, Contact-free
Respiration Sensor Ashleigh Shier / Institute of Biomaterials &
Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) / Ecological Interface Design of an
Advanced Real-Time Planning Radiotherapy System Jonathan Tomkun /
Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) /
Mobile Phone Based Tele-Monitoring App as an Aid for Home
Healthcare Nurses Akib Uddin / Institute of Biomaterials &
Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) / A Mobile Body Area Network for
Behavioral Neurocardiac Training
PHD STUDENTS
Shivani Goyal / Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical
Engineering (IBBME) / Design and Evaluation of a Behaviour mHealth
Application for the Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Amanda Fleury / Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical
Engineering (IBBME) / Developing a Framework for the Testing &
Implementation of e-Textile Technologies in Children with Diabetes
Katia de Pinho Campos / Dalla Lana School of Public Health / The
Role of Public | Private Partnerships to Enable Effective Public
Health Policies for Healthy Food Solutions
Mustafa Al-Durra / Institute of Health Policy, Management &
Evaluation (IHPME) / Approaches to Affect the Adoption &
Continued use of eHealth & Health Interventions Farzan
Sasangohar / Institute of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
(MIE) / Systematic Investigation of Positive Interruptions in the
ICU Setting Sayaka Sugimoto / Faculty of Information / The Role of
Social Media as a Source of Support for Youth Living with
Depressive Illness
YEAR (PEY) STUDENT
Andrea Jovanovic / Department of Mechanical & Industrial
Engineering (MIE), University of Toronto
INTERNSHIP STUDENTS
Rene Desjardin / Institute of Health Policy, Management &
Evaluation (IHPME), University of Toronto Farzad Ghaznavi /
Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto
Teodor Herman / Ontario College of Art & Design University
(OCADU) Kerrie Lamb / Institute of Health Policy, Management &
Evaluation (IHPME), University of Toronto Theresa M. Lee /
Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation (IHPME),
University of Toronto Aaron Miller / Institute of Health Policy,
Management & Evaluation (IHPME), University of Toronto Kartini
Mistry / Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation
(IHPME), University of Toronto
Mortah Niaki / Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical
Engineering (IBBME), University of Toronto Laura Parente / Ontario
College of Art & Design University (OCADU) Davena Singh /
Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation (IHPME),
University of Toronto Jacques Ramphal / Ontario College of Art
& Design University (OCADU) Jason Wentao He / Department of
Computer Science, University of Toronto Joanne Wong / Institute of
Health Policy, Management & Evaluation (IHPME), University of
Toronto
THE CENTRE IS PASSIONATE
ABOUT IMPROVING HEALTH-
CARE, & IT IS A PRIVILEGE
TO BE IN A PLACE OF WORK
WHERE EVERYONE SHARES
A COMMON VISION. Ashleigh Shier, Masters Student
IMPLEMENTING NEW
TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTH-
CARE IS CHALLENGING.
THE CENTRES REPUTATION
FOR IMPACTFUL RESEARCH
HELPED ME TO GET THE
ORGANIZATION ON BOARD
TO IMPLEMENT & TEST A
NOVEL TECHNOLOGICAL
INTERVENTION TO REDUCE
UNNECESSARY INTERRUP-
TIONS IN ICU SETTINGS. Farzan Sasangohar, PhD Candidate
ST
UD
EN
TS | 29
-
FU
ND
ING
SO
UR
CE
S | 31
Funding Sources
GRANTS AWARDED IN 2012-2013
AS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) /
Design & Evaluation of an mHealth Behavioural Intervention
for the Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada
(NSERC) /
Developing Information Technology to Support Clinical Thinking
During Safety-Critical Tasks Integrated Personal Chronic Disease
Management on the BlackBerry 10 Platform
Strategic Network Enhancement Initiative (SNEI) Technology
Transfer Activities Project
AS CO-INVESTIGATORS
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) /
Democratizing Communication on Healthcare: Development and
Usability Testing of an Online Tool for Collaboration Care in
Complex Patients
Transforming Primary Healthcare in Remote Northern
Communities
Assessing the Impact of Healthcare Facility Design on Health
Outcomes: Implications for Strategic Investments in Design
Alternative Funding Program (AFP) Innovation Fund /
Pilot Randomized Control Trial of an Online Communication Tool
for Collaborative Care in Complex Patients
Harassing Mobile Health Technology to Personalize the Care of
Chronic Kidney Disease Patients (CKD)
A Novel Web-Based Application for Supported Self-Management of
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Canada Health Infoway (CHI) /
Colonoscopy & Colposcopy Synoptic Reporting Project
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) /
Quantitative Imagine for Personalized Cancer Medicine Image
Translation Platform (ITP)
The Ontario Trillium Foundation /
navCare: Navigating, Negotiating & Mediating Care and
Support Through Healthcare, Legal & Social Service Systems
AWARDS ONGOING IN 2012-2013
AS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) /
Towards Successful Migration to Computerized Physician Order
Entry Chemotherapy
Green Shield Canada /
Green Shield Canada Foundation Health Innovation
Collaborative
International Development Research Centre /
Public eHealth Innovation & Equity in Latin America &
Caribbean (eSAC)
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) /
Canadian Clinical Trial Network Artificial Pancreas Standards
& Technical Platform
National Science & Engineering Research Council of Canada
(NSERC) /
Patient Biofeedback MBAN Applications Through Real-time
Ambulatory Monitoring (BlackBerry)
Remote Patient Monitoring Facilitated Through Homecare Nursing
(Paramed Homecare)
Advanced Information Access & Communication in the Modern
Hospital (Telus)
Canada Health Infoway (with the Ontario Lung Association) /
Consumer Access to Personal Health Information for Asthma
Self-management
Ontario Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care /
Conducting Human Factors-Based Testing of New Medical Device
Technologies
Multi-line Infusion Pump Project-Funding Amendment
Canadian Association of Provincial Cancer Agencies /
The Safety of Admixture Work Processes for Parenteral
Chemotherapy: A Pilot Study
Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) /
The Development of a Human Factors-based
Usability Lab in Brazil
AS CO-INVESTIGATOR
Thrasher Research Fund /
Assessment of an Electronic Self-Management Tool on Glycemic
Control in Teens with Type 1 Diabetes
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) /
Towards a Standardized Electronic Pain Clinical Decision Support
System for Adolescents with Cancer
Democratizing Communication in Healthcare: Development &
Usability Testing of an Online Communication Tool for Collaborative
Care in Complex Patients
CIHR Centre in HIV Prevention Social Research
CIHR Strategic Training Program on Healthcare, Technology &
Place
Engaging the 21st Century Moccasin Telegraph: Using Cyberspace
to CAANs Advantage
CIHR Strategic Training Program in the Social Aetiology of
Mental Illness
CIHR Strategic Training Program on the Health Applications of
Cell Signalling in Mucosal Inflammation & Pain Patient/ Client
Safety in Home Care in Canada
Transition to Survivorship: Translating Knowledge Into Action
for Testicular & Endometrial Cancer Populations
Patient-reported Outcomes in International Surgical
Reconstruction Missions
Academic Administrative Units in Primary Care, Family Medicine
(HRSA 10-231) /
Developing Practice Transformation Capacity in a Family Medicine
Academic Administrative Unit (AAU)
Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute /
Online Communication Tool for Collaborative Patient Care in
Cancer
Canadian Health Services Research Foundation /
Research on Supporting Healthcare Citizen Boards for Effective
Governance on Quality & Patient Safety
Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
(FedDev) /
Connected Wellness Platform
Heart & Stroke Foundation /
Race/Ethnicity & the Perception of Diabetes &
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in the Context of Canadas
Lifestyle & Obesity Guidelines
National Science & Engineering Research Council of Canada
(NSERC) /
Healthcare Support Through Information Technology Enhancements
(hSITE)
National Institute of Health /
High-Performance Cone-Beam CT Guidance of Head & Neck
Surgery
SPONSORED RESEARCH
PRIVATE SECTOR
Baxter
B. Braun Medical
BlackBerry
Hologic
Hospira
Elekta Ltd.
Nestle Ltd.
Q Core
Roche Mannheim
Telus
UL-Wiklund R&D
PUBLIC SECTOR
Banting and Best Diabetes Centre
Canadian Association of Provincial Cancer Agencies
Cancer Care Manitoba
Cancer Care Ontario
Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
First Nations Inuit Health Board
Health Canada
Heart & Stroke Foundation
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
International Federation of Medical & Biomedical
Engineering
Massachusetts General Hospital
McMaster University
Mount Sinai Hospital
Ontario Renal Network
Sunnybrook Hospital
-
24 JULY 1957 15 JULY 2013
KE
VIN
J. L
EO
NA
RD | 33
Kevin J. Leonard
This year, we lost our friend and colleague, Kevin Leonard. In
his memory, a Celebration of Kevins Life was held at the University
of Toronto Faculty Club where his family, friends, colleagues, past
and present, students and acquain-tances shared in the grand
adventure that was Kevins life.
Kevin died of complications arising from Crohns disease just shy
of his 56th birthday. He had lived with Crohns for more than forty
years and worked hard to never let that stand in his way of a full
and active life. Kevin was an entrepreneurial spirit, a true
renaissance man who worked in banking, credit scoring and
academically in business and health informatics.
In addition to doing stand-up comedy and sketch writing, Kevin
wrote and produced plays, and was video coach for the Vancouver
Canucks in 1994, a year the team went to the Stanley Cup finals and
fell just short of a win. He was at his best in front of a crowd,
whether teaching students, speaking professionally, or holding
court in family gatherings. Kevin was a strong patient advocate and
passionate about the organization he started in 2005, Patient
Destiny, which promotes patients as partners in their
healthcare.
Many of us saw Kevin when he was less than well, still attending
meetings and conferences, still knocking on doors. How many of us
could say we were so committed to a cause that we would venture out
so often when we werent feeling up to it?
Leading by example, that was Kevin Leonard. He personified the
ability of patients to overcome adversity. We hope to honour Kevins
life journey in every possible way. The Institute of Health Policy,
Management and Evaluation (IHPME) and the Centre for Global eHealth
Innovation have established the Kevin J. Leonard Award. The award
will be given annually
to an outstanding student of IHPME whose work engages and
empowers patients through the use of technology to become partners
in their own healthcare. This award also honours the ideals and
principles that Kevin imparted to his own students and colleagues
over the course of his career and his personal life.
Thank you to all the healthcare professionals, including staff
from UHN, who cared for Kevin throughout his life.
KEVIN TAUGHT US THAT
PATIENT CARE IS NOT MERELY AN
OUTCOME. HE SPARKED IN US THE
TREMENDOUS NEED TO VIEW THE
WORK WE WERE DOING THROUGH
THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PATIENT;
TO CREATE TECHNOLOGIES THAT
ALLOWED FOR SELF-CARE, AND
THROUGH THIS, ENGAGE PATIENTS
AS PARTNERS IN THEIR OWN CARE.
Joseph CafazzoOur thoughts are with Sandra Dalziel, Kevins wife,
partner and caregiver.
Sandra has been with Kevin every step of the way through his
life. Her strength, passion, and dedication kept him well for many
more years.
-
Toronto General Hospital 190 Elizabeth Street,
R. Fraser Elliott Building, 4th Floor Toronto ON, M5G 2C4
Canada
ehealthinnovation.org
