CPSI working to better identify patient safety issues in Aboriginal communities
Request for applications issued to develop research paper
Tuesday March 2, 2010 -- Deron Hamel
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) is commissioning a research paper to help better identify patient safety issues in First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, with the main goal of determining ways to deliver safer healthcare to Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples.

On Feb. 22, CPSI issued a request for applications from stakeholders interested in participating in the project, with the winning application to be announced April 2.

“The purpose of this request for applications is to invite interested researchers and not-for-profit organizations to submit a detailed proposal that will enable CPSI to select the most qualified organization, individual or team of researchers that they determine are best suited to complete the project according to the provided criteria and objectives,” CPSI says in the request posted on its website.

To date, CPSI has conducted preliminary meetings and stakeholder interviews, which have helped identify “research and knowledge” gaps in the understanding of patient safety issues in Aboriginal communities.

“CPSI has discussed the perceived current gaps in research and knowledge prevalent for patient safety in this care sector and agreed to partner to explore and address the need for the creation of new knowledge in this field through a co-ordinated, collaborative and consultative approach,” says CPSI.

“It is intended that the research findings will help to inform system practices, policies, research priorities and care delivery across Canada to provide safer care for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.”

Representatives from CPSI and some of its partner organizations, Aboriginal groups, researchers and other experts on Aboriginal health issues will help guide the process of creating the research paper.

This process will also see investigation of patient safety initiatives developed in other countries with indigenous populations, such as the United States and Australia, to discover best practices.

CPSI is a not-for-profit corporation collaborating with healthcare professionals and organizations, in an effort to produce the safest possible Canadian healthcare sector.

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