Grant: Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI)

Using a highly collaborative process involving researchers, decision-makers, First Nations and Métis leaders and communities as well as other key knowledge-users, we anticipate that the proposed research will produce highly policy relevant outcomes, that it will have a strong likelihood of being used by decision makers and therefore, that it is highly likely to have an impact on the delivery of cancer screening services to First Nations and Métis in Canada. Specifically, there are 4 key outcomes for the proposed work: (1) a comprehensive analysis of the policies that govern cancer screening services for First Nations and Métis in Ontario and 2 other Canadian provinces; (2) a pilot analysis in a First Nations or Metis community of its readiness and the system's capacity for cancer screening that will used to develop a strategic plan to improve cancer screening in that community, an approach we anticipate can be replicated in other interested communities across Canada; (3) a rigorous program evaluation of 4 existing initiatives to improve cancer screening in Ontario First Nations or Metis communities, allowing for the identification of promising interventions that can be implemented in other First Nations and Métis communities in Canada; (4) a comprehensive action plan to improve cancer screening that has been developed with the very knowledge-users who are best positioned to effect change, thereby maximizing the potential that this comprehensive action plan will be implemented and will have an impact on cancer screening for FN and Métis in Canada.