Grant: Project Grant - PA: Patient-Oriented Research - Implementation Science

Efforts to centre patients and caregivers in health systems have been underway for over a decade, typically through some combination of engagement, partnership and co-design activities. The concept of engagement capable environments (ECEs) has been promoted as a way of supporting these efforts. The pillars of ECEs include creating space and capacity for patient partners, preparing and supporting teams to engage with patients, and ensuring leadership support and strategic focus. Despite a growing consensus on the essential elements of engagement capable environments, implementation has been a persistent challenge in this field. The aim of this research is to evaluate the implementation and early impacts of a strategy and related supports to facilitate the building of ECEs. The study will be carried out in Ontario in partnership with Ontario Health Teams (OHTs), which are a new way of organizing and delivering care that is more connected to patients in their local communities. The centering of patient, family and caregiver (PFC) engagement, partnership and co-design in all OHT activities is a core building block of the OHT model. In 2023, the Creating Engagement Capable OHTs framework was developed to support OHTs to build ECEs. As of April 2024, all OHTs are required to adopt and implement this framework which provides a unique opportunity to study and learn from this province-wide implementation process. Implementation research methods will be used to carry out the following activities: i) we will describe and assess the implementation of the engagement capability framework and related supports across OHTs; and ii) we will evaluate the framework's early impacts on key engagement outcomes. The research will be carried out in partnership with OHTs, provincial health partners, and with patient partners, researchers and knowledge users from across the country to ensure learning and uptake both within Ontario and across other health system contexts.