Optimal Health Services Lab
Ongoing
Projects
Patient Priorities for Quality Improvement on
the Acute Oncology Ward
Due to advances in cancer therapies and an aging population, the volume and complexity of oncology patients admitted to hospitals are increasing rapidly, particularly in large urban centers. At Toronto General Hospital, this challenge has been addressed by redistributing inpatient care between academic general internists and medical oncologists. A unifying objective of our GIM Oncology program is to offer a supportive care environment that promotes healing and aligns with patient goals throughout their cancer journey. As we seek to measure and improve the care on GIM oncology program, it will be essential to centre ourselves on the patient experience.
We propose to identify factors contributing to the acute oncology inpatient experience and then use these to derive and prioritize a list of patient priorities for quality improvement.
Walk-in Physician Care: An Integrated Knowledge Translation Project to Inform Quality Improvement
Our overarching study objective is to produce evidence to inform the delivery of high quality, comprehensive primary care. Many Canadians receive primary care through walk-in clinics, yet some have raised concerns about the quality of care they provide. To date, no systematic studies have examined walk-in care at the population-level. Such data on the practice and outcomes of physicians working in walk-in clinics are needed to guide improvement initiatives and primary care policy changes. This project will leverage novel data to identify physicians providing walk-in care, describe their practice and quality of care, and then explore opportunities for improvement. Our team of scientists, patients and knowledge users representing regulatory bodies, advocacy groups, and funders will work collaboratively to execute this ambitious and novel project. Through our integrated knowledge translation strategy, evidence from this work will directly support our goal of achieving high-quality primary care for all.