Advance Care Planning Evaluation in Hospitalized Elderly Patients

The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate Advance Care Planning (ACP) to determine from the patient and families’ perspectives, the prevalence of ACP, satisfaction with end of life (EOL) communication and decision-making, and to enable local or regional teams to develop and implement specific action plans aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of ACP efforts specifically, and the overall quality of EOL care in general.

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Why are so many patients dissatisfied with knee replacement surgery? Exploring variations of the patient experience

The purpose of this research is to determine why such high numbers of patients – up to 1 in 5 – who undergo knee replacement surgery are dissatisfied with the outcomes of their surgery. Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), is the most requested joint replacement surgery in Canada, and will continue to increase in response to the needs of an aging population.   A greater understanding of the variations in patient outcomes, and the factors that contribute to the dissatisfaction rate, will inform surgical program planning and help to standardize procedures and services to achieve better outcomes.

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Evidence Values and Priority Setting Methods in Cancer Control

The overarching goal of this study is to develop a framework to combine evidence and public values to set priorities for cancer control programs (including prevention, screening, treatment and palliative/supportive care). Its objectives are to: (a) develop better methods for identifying, interpreting and applying evidence in different cancer control decision-making contexts; and (b) better understand if, when, and how public engagement and public values should play a part in priority setting processes for cancer control.

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