Health Services and Policy Research Support Network

MSFHR Board approves award extensions
MSFHR is in discussions with government regarding annualized funding for the Foundation. To allow time for these discussions, the MSFHR Board of Directors has approved funding extensions for current infrastructure and personnel awards including the HSPRSN-funded Health Authority Capacity Buidling and Investigative Team awards.
Read about MSFHR funding extensions (PDF)

Partnership Program
Health Authority Capacity Building
Investigative Teams
Research Operating Grants

With support from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, four funding programs have been developed and rolled out through the Health Services and Policy Research Support Network (HSPRSN). The programs were recommended for development through HSPRSN consultation processes and approved by the MSFHR Board of Directors as strategies for building BC's capacity to evaluate the effects of health redesign and change and to inform current and future health care process redesign and innovation.

Partnership Program
Through the Partnership Program, HSPRSN supports BC researchers in applying to peer-reviewed, national or international competitions that address BC health services and policy research priorities and require matching funds as a condition of funding.

Partnership Program Description and Criteria (PDF) *new*

Partnership Program Award Recipients
2007 CIHR PHSI competition (PDF)
2006 CIHR PHSI competition (PDF)
2005 CIHR PHSI competition (PDF)
2005 CHSRF REISS competition (PDF)

Health Authority Capacity Building
This one-time funding program recognized that each BC health authority is unique, with significant variation in their capacity to participate in, and/or utilize research to support evidence based policy and practice change. To this end, health authorities were supported in developing a vision and plan for creating a basic platform of or augmenting existing capacity to facilitate uptake and use of existing research and more effective engagement in research and evaluation activities. These plans were required to take into account the longer and shorter-term priority requirements to:

Answer questions and apply evaluation and research findings important and specific to their region.
Respond to, and work collaboratively in addressing provincial question or those affecting multiple regions, including the ability to contribute a region-specific perspective on such issues.
Obtain and interpret or develop information for planning in their region.
Build their capacity to engage in coordinated planning with all stakeholders as appropriate, such that the system becomes more strategic and forward looking in addressing health services and policy issues.
Allow for staged implementation.

Current Status
On September 21, 2007, the MSFHR Board approved an HSPRSN Steering Council recommendation to extend Health Authority Capacity Building and Investigative Team awards. The decision was taken to align the timelines of these competitions with the MSFHR competitions for Institutional and Research Unit awards, in readiness for launching integrated programs in October 2008. Funding for the integrated programs would flow March 31, 2009. The integration was recommended by an external review panel, which reviewed all MSFHR and HSPRSN infrastructure programs in October 2006. The report was received by the MSFHR Board last February. Read Panel Final Report (PDF).

The initial Health Authority Capacity Building Awards were fully expended at the end of December 2007. Health Authority proposals for extending awards for an additional 15 months (January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009) were received October 31, 2007 and underwent formative review by an external panel in November 2009. In addition to specific comments on each proposal, the panel provided a number of general recommendations applicable to all Health Authorities. In particular, they recommended that Health Authorities build on collaborations already developed through this program to increase joint action in areas such as capacity building evaluation, knowledge transfer and exchange, program evaluation and quality of care, and research ethics review.

In July 2008, the MSFHR Board approved extending these awards for an additional six months. The award end date is now September 30, 2009.

Investigative Teams
Following adjudication by an external review committee, five investigative teams were awarded $150,000 per year for three years to support the development of a program of research, which provides for synthesis and original research as well as capacity building and knowledge translation deliverables. Funding was started in September 2005, with provision for one two-year award extension pending satisfactory review of progress and the availability of funding. Through this program, a partnered team of researchers and clinical/policy decision-makers has been supported in each of the following priority areas:

Acute Care Redesign
Chronic Disease Management
Health Human Resources
Home and Community Care
Mental Health

Five awards were approved for funding in 2005.

Current Status
On September 21, 2007, the MSFHR Board approved an HSPRSN Steering Council recommendation to extend Investigative Team and Health Authority Capacity Building awards. The decision was taken to align the timelines of these competitions with the MSFHR competitions for Institutional and Research Unit awards, in readiness for launching integrated programs in October 2008. Funding for the integrated programs would flow at March 31, 2009. The integration was recommended by an external review panel, which reviewed all MSFHR and HSPRSN infrastructure programs in October 2006. The report was received by the MSFHR Board last February. Read Panel Final Report (PDF).

Current Investigative Team Awards are for three years, ending in September 2008. To accommodate time to call for and adjudicate applications to an integrated competition, Investigative Teams will be required to submit a budget and description of activities that would be undertaken during a six-month extension of the current award term (October 1, 2008 - March 31, 2009). These are due August 29, 2008 for review and approval by staff.

In July 2008, the MSFHR Board approved extending these awards for an additional six months. The award end date is now September 30, 2009.

Research Operating Grants
This program offered funds to answer specific research questions. It required partnering of researchers and policy and/or program decision makers and a plan for supporting dissemination to and uptake of findings by the target audience(s).

Grants of up to $50,000 per year for a maximum of two (2) years were offered to support relevant high quality health services and policy research that evaluates the effects of health redesign and change initiatives or informs health care process redesign and innovation in eight priority areas:

Acute Care Redesign
Chronic Disease Management
Clinical Outcomes Measurement
Differential Impact of Changes in the Health System on the Health of Specific Population
Health Human Resources
Home and Community Care
Mental Health
Patient Safety

Eight grants were approved for funding in 2006.

Seven grants were approved for funding in 2005.

Current Status
In 2007, the HSPRSN Steering Council struck a Task Force on Future Directions for Research & Capacity Building. This initiative reflected the HSPRSN commitment to ensuring that its programs are changed or augmented as necessary to build capacity for and undertake health services and policy research that is relevant to the BC Health Authorities and the Ministry of Health. The Steering Council subsequently endorsed the Task Force Report, including a recommendation to discontinue the HSPRSN open operating grants program in favour of a more iterative process to narrow and select priority areas for attention.

Next Steps
Following extensive consultation (outlined below) the HSPRSN Steering Council has recommended that remaining HSPRSN funds be directed at research into health human resources.

Consultation

In 2007, the HSPRSN Steering Council endorsed a recommendation from a planning task force to discontinue the current HSPRSN operating grants program in favour of a more iterative process to narrow and select priority areas for attention.
In follow-up, BC Health Authorities and the Ministry of Health received a list of priorities that had been developed by the task force and were asked to reference it in identifying their top two priorities by the end of January 2008.
Five of six Health Authorities chose health human resources as a priority topic. Sub-topics included: scope of practice (particularly innovative roles), inter-professional practice, productivity, change management to implement new ways of providing care and recruitment and retention.
In March 2008 Steering Council members reviewed the input. They reached consensus that the remaining HSPRSN funds should be focused on identifying and addressing priority health human resources issues as they relate to how care/services are provided (e.g. better employment of existing resources, developing new care models, etc.). They also concurred that the purpose of the research should be to assist the system in better addressing the needs of patients/populations, improve health outcomes and contribute to improved levels of staff engagement and job satisfaction.
During April/May 2007, 28 key informants representing professional practice and human resources in the Health Authorities and the Ministry of Health as well as the major health unions were interviewed. These informants identified three health human resources subthemes as their priorities: ways to better employ existing providers, development of new models of staffing and development of new models of care. They also confirmed that research on these subthemes should be directed at more effectively meeting patient needs and improving staff engagement and productivity.

In June 2007, Steering Council endorsed a recommendation to focus attention on health human resources, specifically in the three areas identified above. Following Board approval in September, the HSPRSN will institute an RFP process to gain further insight into what knowledge and research capacity currently exists in relation to the three priority sub-themes to inform the development of research funding strategies.