Grant: Foundation Grant

Heart disease continues to pose a significant burden on healthcare systems in Canada and around the world. Each year, more than 600,000 patients present to the emergency department for chest pain assessment, more than 80,000 patients are hospitalized with a heart attack, and more than 60,000 patients undergo coronary angioplasty to treat heart blockages in Canada. Although there have been significant advancements in the prevention and management of heart disease, patients continue to be at risk for serious events. For example, heart attack patients have a ~10% chance of dying and ~40% chance of being readmitted to the hospital in the first year after their initial events. Emerging data suggest many adverse events occur because the care during transitions of patients from hospital to home, or from the emergency department, is suboptimal. This proposal consists of a series of innovative, large-scale projects that will close the gap in the quality of care received by heart disease patients during care transitions. We will examine how to measure care properly, assess the current level of care, and understand what the drivers of these deficiencies are. Next, we will create tools to help patients and clinicians in order to improve the quality of care. Lastly, we will create a Learning Health System so that we can align the priorities of patients, clinicians and policy makers. The ultimate goal of this research program is to build capacity and sustainability to continue to improve the care and outcomes patients with heart disease.