Solutions
Collective Impact Focus Area
Health Research That Matters to Saskatchewan
About Solutions
At the core of all SHRF programs are four guiding principles that align with our strategic direction. These are: solving Saskatchewan health problems; responding to ecosystem needs; expanding partner dollars; and streamlining administrative duties.
The Solutions program aims to mobilize the research ecosystem to focus and coordinate diverse skills and perspectives to address timely Saskatchewan health challenges. This is achieved by providing peer reviewed, competitive funding to support direct research costs for interdisciplinary teams, including knowledge users, conducting projects with measurable impact in focused areas.
Rural and Remote Healthcare
The Challenge
Every Saskatchewan resident deserves the healthcare they need no matter where they live. Saskatchewan’s unique geography has long presented a challenge to provide access to health care to patients in their community. Furthermore, recruitment and retention of health care providers to rural and remote communities remains an ongoing challenge. Better health outcomes and quality of life for Saskatchewan families and communities depends on access to safe, integrated, quality health care as close to home as possible.
The Opportunity
SHRF and partners will support translational research projects focused on improving access to health care for Saskatchewan’s rural and remote residents. There is an opportunity to support research focused on implementing promising solutions to this challenge working in concert with continuous improvement underway in Saskatchewan’s healthcare system.
Technology continues to open doors for new and innovative ways of providing better access to health care for patients where they live as well as supporting, connecting and engaging health care providers located in rural and remote communities. Many innovative practices, programs, and technologies have been developed in recent years, both in Saskatchewan and elsewhere, and in healthcare as well as other sectors. How could these promising solutions be adapted and implemented to improve access, quality, safety in health care for Saskatchewan families and communities?
While recruitment and retention of new health care professionals to rural and remote communities remain important areas of focus, there are many health care providers who do chose to make their homes in Saskatchewan’s rural and remote communities. Health care providers such as pharmacists, social workers, paramedics, nurse practitioners, or individuals running community public health or chronic disease management programming, for example, may be a main point of contact for rural and remote residents. By empowering, connecting, training, supporting - and even expanding scope of practice for some - health care professionals, could we both improve recruitment and retention as well as make coordinated health care services more readily available to residents in their home community?
Both the innovative applications of technology and health human resources, and combined approaches, are timely opportunities for translational research to inform continuous improvement for a responsive, integrated, and efficient health system that puts the patient first.