Primary and Integrated Health Care Innovations (PIHCI) Network Summary Report and Infographic

The PIHCI Network has supported a strong foundation for primary and integrated health care research across the country through the establishment of and collaboration between 11 provincial and territorial networks.

For more information, please contact Dr. Sharon Straus: strauss@smh.ca

After eight years facilitating cross-jurisdictional patient-oriented research, the PIHCI Network is poised to continue strengthening Canada’s primary health care system, through well established relationships across the provinces and territories. The Network hopes to continue engaging researchers, patients, policymakers, healthcare providers and patients/caregivers across the country. The Network also aims to continue building a primary health care learning health system through investments in a primary health care information system and provincial/ territorial practice-based research and learning networks.

The PIHCI Network commissioned the KTP to develop a summary report and infographic that highlights the work conducted by the Network since its launch in 2014. We collated information pertaining to the activities, accomplishments, and impact of the Network into a summary report and infographic. Both documents were also translated into French.

The network has encouraged engagement and collaboration at the national level. It has had a cross-jurisdictional impact on collaborative leadership between partner groups (researchers, policymakers and health care providers, and patients/caregivers).

Work conducted through the network also encouraged and had an impact on research engagement, with 155 patient partners reported to have been involved in all stages of the research process. Many other partner groups were also engaged throughout the research process including clinicians/healthcare providers (578), health system/care managers (40) and health care/professional organizations (26).

The PIHCI Network as a whole has also been extremely productive producing 174 peer-reviewed publications, 50 reports, 44 plain language reports, 17 knowledge translation webinars and 255 conference presentations. In addition, provincial/territorial PIHCI networks have organized a wide range of training and capacity building activities with a handful either co-developed or co-led/delivered with patient partners. There are also several examples of the impact that the PIHCI Network has had on policy and practice which are highlighted in both the summary report and the infographic.