Facilitate access to Saskatchewan health data and integrate existing or new databases;
Provide traineeships for University students interested in hands-on experience in patient-oriented research (See Trainees Page).
SCPOR is also committed to supporting Rural and Indigenous health research in the province. The Indigenous Platform advises and contributes to SCPOR programs and activities to advance SCPOR’s core values and build capacity in Indigenous-specific engagement and research across the province.
CIHR’S SPOR Strategy
SCPOR is one of eleven provincial/territorial units led by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to build provincial and national capacity for patient-oriented research. CIHR launched the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) to foster evidence-informed health care. Read more about CIHR’s SPOR strategy here.
The Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR) is a coalition of organizations that support patient-oriented research in Saskatchewan. It is one of a number of provincial units supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to build provincial and national capacity for patient-oriented research. See our list of partners here.
Patient-oriented research is research done in partnership with patients and their families and caregivers, that answers research questions that matter to patients, and aims to improve health care.
The vision of CIHR’s SPOR initiative includes two critical elements. The first is patient-oriented research teams which include patients and family members as partners in the grant writing and research process. The second is the inclusion of decision makers (including policy makers and health authority leaders) and health care practitioners throughout the research process.
The goal of this way of doing research is to have patients, families, clinicians, researchers and policy-makers work together to identify research topics, do the research and then use the results of that research to improve patient care and the health system.
Why is Patient-Oriented Research Important?
Patient involvement has been shown to guide research to more relevant questions, improve data collection methods, and improve data interpretation. Patients also have a role to play in knowledge translation. The contribution of health care practitioners and decision makers helps guide the research on a practical, sustainable path and their involvement in research speeds up the process of translating new knowledge into policy and to the bedside.
To learn more about organizing a patient-oriented research team, see our Researchers Page.
Are you interested in getting involved as a patient or family member? See our Patients Page.
