Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Health systems all over the world are seeing more and more individuals living with complex care needs. These individuals are typically characterized as having multi-morbidities (two or more chronic conditions) and will tend to be the highest users in the health system. To meet the needs of this growing patient population we are seeking to create a multi-national research partnership to support the development of patient-centered electronic tools (e-tools) that improve primary care delivery for patients with complex care needs. Through site visits and formalized communications we will engage in knowledge exchange with international leaders in e-tool development and implementation to support to development of the PET-CC (Patient-reported Outcome E-Tool for Individuals with Complex Care Needs); an innovative e-tool for patients with complex care needs and their providers. The research partnership will also explore barriers and facilitators to e-tool adoption across multiple healthcare settings, and develop a research protocol for implementation and evaluation of the PET-CC (where applicable). We anticipate that the PET-CC, or similar, tool will improve communication between patients and their providers, help patients avoid unnecessary hospital and physician visits, and will support patient self-management.