Making Progress on Patient Safety
The new Patient Safety Papers, edited by Professor Ross Baker (HPME), explore whether and how patient safety can be improved in Canada. Awareness of the need for change has grown since the release of the Canadian Adverse Events Study and birth of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute. But how is change achieved? The papers in this special issue of Healthcare Quarterly (Vol. 9) illustrate how patient safety is being improved through initiatives undertaken across the country to identify and reduce risks in hospitals and home care. Individual papers can be downloaded from Longwoods Publishing.

Improving Rural and Remote Access to Care Using Telehealth
In a new CIHR-funded study led by Dr. Susan Jaglal (Professor, HPME), investigators will test the efficacy of telehealth in delivering a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) in remote northern communities. CDSMPs have been shown to improve self-efficacy, health behaviour and health status, but are difficult to implement in remote communities.

The study will test two models of telehealth: a single-site group (participants are from a single community) and a multiple-site group (participants are from multiple communities). Using a pre/post-test design, the study will explore improvements in self-efficacy and differences in outcomes between the two delivery models. HPME collaborators include Drs. Gillian Hawker and Rhonda Cockerill.

Is there Gender Equity in Access to Health Care?
Most studies of gender and healthcare measure equality of access: do men and women have the same level of access to care? However, inequities may exist even when women and men have equal access to care, because of a variety of clinical and social variables associated with gender. Using an innovative statistical methodology, Dr. Adalsteinn Brown (Adjunct Professor, HPME) and colleagues will explore inequities in access to care based on gender. The cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of achieving equitable access will also be explored in this CIHR-funded study. HPME collaborators include Drs. Arlene Bierman, David Davis, Audrey Laporte, Heather MacLean and Mohamed Nizar.

Enhancing Medication Safety among Seniors
When seniors with chronic disease are admitted to hospital, their medications are often discontinued, putting them at risk. In this new CIHR-funded study, HPME's Chaim Bell, Arlene Bierman, Merrick Zwarenstein, David Urbach and colleagues, will examine the effects of admission to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on adherence to chronic medications.

Admission to ICU shifts the focus from chronic to acute illness and results in transitions in care between the community and the hospital. If these transitions are poorly coordinated, chronic medication may be unintentionally discontinued. By testing chronic medication use after discharge, this study will determine whether ICU admission is a risk factor for discontinuation of chronic medications.

Leadership

HPME Launches Groundbreaking Graduate Programs
HPME has launched two groundbreaking new graduate programs:

International Master of Health Technology Assessment and Management
This new program is one of only a few training opportunities in managing technological change in health care through the use of health technology assessment (HTA) research. HPME joins five other universities and HTA agencies in Canada and Europe in this unique collaborative graduate program. A flexible teaching format (four two-week teaching modules are held in Montreal, Rome, Barcelona and Ottawa over two years) allows working professionals to complete the degree without interrupting their careers. Building on HPME's strength in bridging research and practice, the program brings health scientists, practitioners and policymakers together on an international scale.

Master of Management of Innovation
The Master of Management of Innovation is an accelerated 12-month professional degree for individuals pursuing management careers in technology-focused organizations in the health care sector, industry, R&D or government. Offered jointly by HPME and the Department of Management (University of Toronto at Mississauga), the program brings together economics, management and technology transfer in a unique interdisciplinary program focused on driving business growth through innovation.

The application deadlines for both new programs, as well as the MHSc in Health Administration, are February 1, 2007.

Events

CCHSE/HPME Annual Professional Education Day
Mark the date! On Thursday, February 22, 2007, the Canadian College of Health Services Executives, GTA Chapter, and HPME's Society of Graduates will host their annual professional education day, "Fixes with Health Spending - Are we really making a difference?" This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Noralou P. Roos, Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba. This event contributes 3.5 Category 1 MOC credits towards the maintenance of CHE certification. More information will be posted soon on the HPME Society of Graduates' website.