SCPOR Phase I:
End of Grant Evaluation

As the Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR) moves into its second and final phase, we reflect on our previous successes and opportunities to improve so we can best achieve sustainable and effective patient-oriented research in Saskatchewan.

In 2021-22, Prairie Research Associates (PRA) conducted a program evaluation of SCPOR’s phase I activities and accomplishments and provided us with the following information. This has been used to assist us in developing our strategies to successfully achieve our phase II goals.

Please click on the image 👉 or here to see the summary of the evaluation, or read on to see each fundamental section broken down to highlight strengths and opportunities.

Strengths:

💪 Increase in training and capacity-building activities

💪 Provided over 150 traineeships

💪 Almost 700 requests for support completed in 2019-20

💪 High levels of satisfaction (Researchers 86%, Trainees 91%)

Considerations:

🔔 More opportunities for mentorship for trainees

🔔 More guidance and support during early stages of research projects

Strengths:

💪 SCPOR Indigenous platform and activities focused on Indigenous health research seen as:
- Positive
- Improving / Increasing over time
- Strengthening involvement of Indigenous communities in research

💪 Indigenous representatives serve on all governance and management levels of SCPOR

💪 SCPOR investing in Indigenous trainees to reach outcome of Indigenous researchers leading projects

💪 SCPOR’s recent success in supporting POR projects in this area positive - should remain a focus.

Considerations:

🔔 Historical and ongoing injustices

🔔 Misalignment in world views

🔔 Different priorities during the pandemic

🔔 Heightened concerns due to shared authority

🔔 Access to internet and technology

🔔 Language

Strengths:

💪 Increased since launch of SCPOR

💪 Increase associated with SCPOR activities

Considerations:

🔔 Increase for specific groups
- General public
- Government Agencies

🔔 SCPOR could improve outreach methods
- Social Media

Strengths:

💪 Positive and improving over time

💪 Number of national and cross-provincial/territorial initiatives increasing

💪 Plans for further national and cross-provincial/territorial initiatives

Considerations:

🔔 Need for greater collaboration between SUPPORT Units

Strengths:

💪 SCPOR activities are increasing Patient Partner engagement

💪 Patient Partners are involved in SCPOR committees

💪 Patient Partners have high levels of satisfaction with engagement

Considerations:

🔔 Patient Partners rate engagement in research projects lower than researchers (PORLET Criteria - Patients are partners: Researchers 82%, Trainees 73%, Patient Partners 66%

🔔 Use of the term “patient”

🔔 Inconvenience and time required to employ POR

🔔 Tokenistic Patient Partner engagement

🔔 Trainee difficulty in recruiting and sustaining Patient Partner relationships

🔔 Lack of funds and process of issuing honoraria to Patient Partners

🔔 Recruitment of representative and diverse Patient Partners

🔔 COVID-19

Strengths:

💪 Restructured in 2017

💪 Current leadership and governance functioning well

💪 Working collaboratively with
- Government partners
- Patient Partners
- Indigenous partners

Considerations:

🔔 Increase communications within SCPOR and with community

Strengths:

💪 Evidence of achievement of short-term outcomes

Considerations:

🔔 Limited evidence of achievement of longer-term outcomes
- Infancy of SCPOR and time to establish activities
- Expected contribution to health system performance and policy in the future

🔔 Less progress than expected for improving data infrastructure and access
- Continued high priority going forward
- Collaborations and partnerships with key organizations necessary

🔔 SCPOR aligned with Government of Saskatchewan priorities
- Increase engagement with government officials, health system partners and provincial networks on POR

Concern of sustainability of SCPOR and POR in SK following SCPOR 2.0. Where funding will come from to ensure POR remains relevant in SK?

Considerations:

🔔 Continued education and outreach from SCPOR needed

🔔 Necessary to embed POR within SHA

🔔 Movement towards LHS model important for future of POR in SK

👉 Review the supports available to grantees and trainees during the application process and earlier stages of research projects, and consider additional measures to increase awareness of these supports. Ensure greater awareness by ensuring that access to a pool of Patient Partners is clear to grantees and trainees at the outset of their projects (e.g., strengthen the SCPOR P&RCS). Additional networking opportunities between grantees/trainees and Patient Partners should be considered, as should additional measures to increase awareness of these opportunities.

👉 Promote using the PORLET (and IRLET) as a tool for researchers and Patient Partners to support a cohesive understanding of Patient Partner engagement.

👉 Consider revisiting the use of the term “Patient Partner” and consider other terms that could describe this group and their role in POR without eliciting the thoughts commonly associated with the word “patient.”

👉 Explore and implement additional and more varied methods to attract and engage representative and diverse Patient Partners. Consult with other SUPPORT Units for potential best practices.

👉 Continue to make improving data infrastructure and access in Saskatchewan a priority going forward given its importance to research in the province. Collaborating with key stakeholders and organizations to address ongoing political barriers and reach an agreed-upon process is recommended.

👉 Develop additional SCPOR supports to ensure government officials, health system partners, and provincial POR networks are increasingly involved in research projects, including the early stages, in an effort to increase the relevance of the research to the Government of Saskatchewan and the potential implementation of the results in Saskatchewan.

👉 In an effort to ensure the sustainability of SCPOR and POR in Saskatchewan beyond SCPOR 2.0, SCPOR should increase its level of outreach to all Saskatchewan residents, including the general public and Indigenous communities, through an increased social media presence, and continue its other awareness-raising activities to ensure that awareness of POR and SCPOR for all stakeholders continues to grow in Saskatchewan.