Grant: Nfld and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Res Context. Health Res Synthesis

The mission of the Contextualized Health Research Synthesis Program (CHRSP) is to supply healthcare decision-makers in Newfoundland and Labrador with the best and most recent scientific evidence on matters identified by them as being of pressing public concern. CHRSP works closely with the five principal health organizations in this province - the Department of Health & Community Services and the four regional health authorities - to identify four topics to be studied each year and to assemble research teams for each topic. These teams do not conduct original research; rather, under the guidance of a senior academic expert they find and synthesize the best available reviews of evidence on each topic. Most importantly, CHRSP applies an innovative 'contextualization' methodology to determine how this evidence applies to the specific concerns and capacities of Newfoundland and Labrador. The end result is an up-to-date synthesis of research that is explicitly tailored to the needs of the teams' partners in the provincial healthcare system. The CHRSP process is thus an efficient and affordable means for delivering relevant research evidence to support the work of decision makers in a province with a limited supply of human and financial resources.