“By engaging patients and families as partners right from the beginning, we can make sure that our research reflects their experience and priorities and has the greatest possible impact,” - Dr. Dean FergussonThe Ottawa Hospital and OHRI have had unique success in facilitating and supporting patient engagement in research, with an increasing number of patient-oriented projects undertaken every year.

As described in the journal Research Involvement and Engagement, several different platforms contribute to the success of the “Ottawa model” for patient engagement in research, including a Patient and Family Engagement Program, which recruits, educates, and supports patients and families to engage in clinical care, decision making, and research; the Ottawa Methods Centre, which leads studies to understand the best methods to conduct research, and provides support to researchers for patient engagement; and the Office of Patient Engagement in Research Activities (OPERA), which connects patients, researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders.

“By engaging patients and families as partners right from the beginning, we can make sure that our research reflects their experience and priorities and has the greatest possible impact,” said Dr. Dean Fergusson, senior author of the paper, Director of OHRI’s Clinical Epidemiology Program and professor at the University of Ottawa.

The Ottawa model also includes innovations such as integration with electronic medical records (myChart) and tracking through the Research Ethics Board and grant submission process.   

Authors: Shelley Vanderhout, Stuart Nicholls, Zarah Monfaredi, Claudia Hampel, Lynn Ashdown, Maxime Bilodeau, Susan Rich, Beverley Shea & Dean Fergusson

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.