Grant: SPOR SUPPORT Unit Phase II - Alberta

There are large gaps between research evidence and the healthcare provided to patients: many healthcare interventions are not based on high quality research (estimates range from one-third to half), and for those interventions that are supported by research evidence it has been estimated that it takes up to 17 years for a research innovation to make its way into regular clinical care. The Alberta SPOR Support Unit (AbSPORU) is an enabling platform to: (i) bring patients and researchers together to identify and address healthcare issues flagged by patients as important ("patient-oriented research"), (ii) assist researchers (and train new researchers) to conduct patient-oriented research, (iii) link researchers with healthcare practitioners and policy makers to form "knowledge translation teams", and (iv) to assist these teams to apply that research evidence at the bedside or in the boardroom quickly to achieve a Learning Health System in Alberta focused on evidence-informed continuous improvement in quality of care. Our goals to improve patient/provider experience, healthcare practice and outcomes, and health care efficiency/effectiveness (the so-called Quadruple Aim) align with those of the Alberta Ministry of Health, Alberta Health Services (the single healthcare authority for the province), Alberta Innovates (the primary funder of research in the province), the Alberta Primary Care Research and Integration Network, the Health Quality Council of Alberta, the two Alberta medical schools (and their continuous professional development departments), and all healthcare professional organizations in Alberta. All of these groups and patient partners sit on our advisory committee (which sets priorities for AbSPORU support). We support clinical research across all age groups and the entire spectrum of disease with attention to health equity issues, sex/gender analyses, as well as Indigenous and People of Colour research priorities.