Health and Community Services
October 16, 2014

Strengthening Health Services for Families and Communities

$259,000 in Research Grant Funding Will Help Improve Patient Care

Five research grants that focus on enhancing patient care have been awarded. The grants, totalling $259,000, were provided as part of the Enhancing Health Care in Newfoundland and Labrador research fund which was established as part of the recommendations put forth by the Commission of Inquiry on Hormone Receptor Testing.

“We must always be willing to look for new and improved ways to treat patients who come under our care. Innovation, research and a drive to implement best practices are requirements of a responsive and effective health care system. Through the Enhancing Health Care in Newfoundland and Labrador grant program we have an opportunity to utilize localized knowledge and skill sets that have the potential to create a real impact on patients here in our own province. I congratulate each of this year’s recipients and wish them success in each of their projects.”
- The Honourable Steve Kent, Minister of Health and Community Services

The Enhancing Health Care in Newfoundland and Labrador grant fund is valued at $1 million and was established in 2012 for a four-year period. The funding is provided by three partners, the Department of Health and Community Services - $400,000; Eastern Health - $400,000; and the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation - $200,000. For the past three years, $647,500 has been awarded for research projects. Information on previous recipients can be found here.

“On behalf of Eastern Health, I would like to congratulate the recipients of the Enhancing Health Care in Newfoundland and Labrador research fund, as well as acknowledge all of the other applicants. Research is an essential element in the advancement of safe patient care, and I am confident that these new research projects, made possible as a recommendation of the Cameron Inquiry, will continue to strengthen health care in this province.”
- Katherine Chubbs, Vice President responsible for Research and Cancer Care, Eastern Health

The 2014 research grants have been awarded for the following projects:

• The effects of mindfulness training on physician-patient communication;
• Implementation of pathologist teamwork to decrease diagnostic errors;
• Improving the transition from pediatric to adult care for childhood cancer survivors;
• Enhancing knowledge, quality and safety of oral chemotherapy delivery and management in Newfoundland and Labrador;
• The use of an electronic hand hygiene monitoring system to improve hand hygiene compliance: a pilot project.

Additional information about each of this year’s research grant recipients can be found in the backgrounder below.

“Thanks to the support of our donors, the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation is pleased to partner with Eastern Health and the Department of Health and Community Services on this important initiative for cancer care. This partnership creates opportunities to fund innovative research by teams in Newfoundland and Labrador, and move forward in a positive direction for the benefit of our cancer patients and their families. Our best wishes to those research teams receiving funding in 2014 – we look forward to seeing the impact of their results.”
- Lynette Hillier, Executive Director, Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation

The 2014 Enhancing Health Care in Newfoundland and Labrador grant competition was administered by the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research. To be eligible for funding, the principal applicant and any co-principal investigator of an application must be an employee or student of Memorial University, an employee of any of the province’s regional health authorities, or an employee of any other non-profit organization based in this province.

QUICK FACTS

• Five patient care research projects have received funding through the Enhancing Health Care in Newfoundland and Labrador grant fund.
• A total of $259,000 has been awarded to five projects that will research a variety of patient care topics including physician-patient communication, pathology, cancer care, and hand hygiene compliance.
• The Department of Health and Community Services, Eastern Health and the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation have provided a $1 million fund, to be awarded over four years, to fund the research projects.
• The Enhancing Health Care in Newfoundland and Labrador grant fund was established as part of the recommendations put forth by the Commission of Inquiry on Hormone Receptor Testing.
• The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research administers the competition.

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  Media contacts:

  Heather MacLean Director of Communications Department of Health and Community Services 709-729-1377, 697-4137 heathermaclean@gov.nl.ca	Jackie O’Brien Media Relations Manager Eastern Health 709-777-1339 jackie.obrien@easternhealth.ca
  Lynette Hillier Executive Director Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation 709-777-7590 lynette.hillier@easternhealth.ca

  BACKGROUNDER
  Enhancing Health Care in Newfoundland and Labrador

  2014 Research Grant Recipients

  Study Title: The effects of mindfulness training on physician-patient communication
  Principal Investigator of Research Team: Adam Stacey
  Amount Awarded: $25,000
  Study Description: This study will focus on whether it is possible to increase the mindfulness scores of family practice residents through training. It will also examine the effect of mindfulness training on residents' stress levels and whether increases in self-reported mindfulness affect the quality of patient interactions (specifically the level of patient-centred communication).

  Study Title: Implementation of pathologist teamwork to decrease diagnostic errors
  Principal Investigators of Research Team: Dr. Dana Grzybicki, Dr. Stephen Raab
  Amount Awarded: $44,000
  Study Description: The objective of this research is to improve the safety and quality of cancer diagnostic services at the Health Sciences Centre by implementing changes aimed at enhancing both the technical and non-technical skills of the surgical pathologists working there.

  Study Title: Improving the transition from pediatric to adult care for childhood cancer survivors
  Principal Investigator of Research Team: Dr. Roger Chafe
  Amount Awarded: $75,000
  Study Description: The goal of this project is to improve care for adult survivors of pediatric cancer through the use of an applied health services and integrated knowledge translation design which is modeled on the World Health Organization’s Quality Care Strategy Process. The first stage includes a literature review, interviews with adult survivors and healthcare providers involved in arranging transitions for patients, a review of pediatric oncology patient data and an exploration of the medical home model. Based on this analysis, the research team, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, will identify, pilot and evaluate interventions which have the potential to improve care.

  Study Title: Enhancing knowledge, quality and safety of oral chemotherapy delivery and management in Newfoundland and Labrador
  Principal Investigators of Research Team: Dr. Kara Laing, Dr. Scott Edwards
  Amount Awarded: $75,000
  Study Description: Systematic therapy is constantly evolving and ensuring physicians, including those working in rural Newfoundland and Labrador have access to ongoing education in an accessible format is vital to safe and effective care. This proposed physician education research program using web-based technology will help assure that quality and safe care is provided to patients receiving systematic therapy throughout the province.

  Study Title: The use of an electronic hand hygiene monitoring system to improve hand hygiene compliance: a pilot project
  Principal Investigators of Research Team: Dr. Natalie Bridger, Mohamed Shehata
  Amount Awarded: $40,000
  Study Description: Hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to prevent hospital-acquired infections. Currently, compliance is measured by direct observation which is time and resource consuming and potentially biased. There is little evidence at present regarding the best interventions to improve and sustain hand hygiene compliance. Existing commercial electronic hand hygiene monitoring systems are cost prohibitive for most health authorities. This project will see the development of a new electronic hand hygiene monitoring system at a substantially lower cost. The research will focus on whether an electronic hand hygiene monitoring system improves compliance. It will also explore whether an electronic hand hygiene monitoring system reduces hospital-acquired infections and if the system is acceptable to frontline health care workers.

  2014 10 16                                        11:25 a.m.