July 5, 2019
Dr. Parsons Leigh Receives Two CIHR Grants
Please congratulate Dr. Parsons Leigh on receiving two CIHR grants.
Planning and Dissemination Grant
Abstract: Over the past fifty years, more and more women have entered into the medical field. However, gender equity which is defined as the "fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs" has not been met in medicine. Less women than men are in positions of leadership or power in medicine around the world. Women also see less career advancement, career progression and receive less pay when compared to men. Gender inequity is a particularly big problem in critical care medicine. In a recent study, our team of researchers found that only 20% of faculty members in a sample of Canadian Universities with a critical care medicine training program are women. Research has been done on the reasons underlying why women do not pursue careers in critical care medicine and the barriers that exist to their full participation in the critical care work force. Building on this research, we will hold a meeting where experts in gender equity and critical care medicine will come together to talk about the current state of gender equity in critical care medicine. During this meeting, participants will come up with strategies to close the gender gap. This group of experts will form a collaborative that will communicate these strategies back to academic audiences and the public to start a movement towards gender equity in critical care medicine and throughout medical specialties more generally.
Operating Grant
Improving Transitions in Care from ICU: Evaluation of an Electronic Communication Tool
Abstract: Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are very sick. When a patient leaves the ICU it is important that doctors and other healthcare providers have an effective way to communicate between themselves to share important information, like new medical problems or new medications. Often, the doctor taking charge of the patient's care, or the 'receiving' doctor, will not have met or been involved in the patient's care up to that point. Because of this, it is crucial that ICU doctors and nurses have an effective way to share important information about the patient with the 'receiving' doctor. It is also important that this method be easy to share with other ICUs in other regions to streamline communication and information about the patient after they leave the ICU. The goal of this study is to evaluate and improve an electronic tool that enables ICU doctors and nurses to create and share electronic transfer documents when patients leave the ICU. The tool was recently implemented in four (4) ICUs in Calgary, AB. This study will explore the capacity of the tool to improve the quality of communication between ICU and 'receiving' doctors and nurses. It will also investigate whether using the tool improves the quality of care patients receive as they move between healthcare teams and locations. Once evaluated, the tool will be updated to create the best version possible. The final step will be creating a plan to share the new, updated tool with ICUS across the province of Alberta, and eventually the rest of Canada. Overall, we expect that this tool will improve the outcomes of patients who leave the ICU by facilitating the quality and exchange of information between ICU and 'receiving' doctors and establishing a standardized process for patients leaving the ICU.
We are excited to get these initiatives underway and work with our collaborators and partner organizations towards success.