Integrated Health Systems Research Lab

Lead Investigator: Dr. Nelly Oelke

This research lab focuses on integrated health systems and service delivery. We are interested in how services are integrated across the continuum of care and intersectoral collaboration with such areas as social services and education. We work in partnership with policy-makers, decision-makers, providers, patients and community members to understand the current state of integration, explore opportunities to facilitate integration, and use knowledge-to-action approaches to redesign health services delivery. Outcomes are measured at the patient, provider and system levels.

Current research focuses on primary health care service delivery and its connections with other components within and outside the health system. Ongoing research includes: a) tools and measurement approaches for health systems integration; b) care transitions from hospital to home; c) community-based mental health services and supports for adults 50 and over; and d) mental wellness in urban Aboriginal adults aged 50 and over.

Collaborators:

• Dr. Kathy Rush (Nursing, UBCO), Dr. Donna Kurtz (Nursing, UBCO), Dr. Susana Caxaj (Nursing, UBCO), Dr. Carolyn Szostak (Psychology, UBCO)
• Dr. Chantal Backman (University of Ottawa)
• Dr. Maria Alice Lima, Dr. Regina Witt, Dr. Clarice Dall’Agnol, Dr. Ana Maria Magalhaes (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)
• Dr. Patricia Marck (Nursing, University of Victoria)
• Dr. Billie Thurston (Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary)
• Dr. Esther Suter (Alberta Health Services)
• Mr. Joseph Savage, Ms. Betty Brown (Interior Health)
• Interior Health Regional SPOR Support Centre