Patients, their families, and caregivers are best placed to know what is important when receiving health care services. Through their personal experiences, patients bring valuable perspectives to research and pave the way for new and better ways to deliver care that will improve the health of all people in Canada.

“To provide Canadians with high-quality health care, we need research evidence to tell us what works. Patients, caregivers, and families help get at this evidence by adding their lived experience to the research process. Through this collaboration with the Unité de soutien SSA Québec, we continue to strengthen health care systems in Quebec and improve patient care.”

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Health

“Our work at CIHR has made patient-oriented research no longer just a concept in Canada; patients and researchers are working together to produce measurable improvements in service delivery and health care practice across the country. Patient-oriented research wouldn’t be where it is today without the ongoing support and contributions from all SPOR-funded entities and their steadfast commitment to patient-oriented research in each of their jurisdictions.”

Dr. Michael J. Strong
President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research

“Partnership is the driving force behind our vision of Québec's learning health system. In order to succeed and sustain change and rely on science to make the right decisions, we must engage everyone working in health care and social services and the public.”

Dr. Antoine Groulx
Scientific Director, Unité de soutien SSA Québec

• SPOR is a pan-Canadian coalition of the federal government, provinces, territories, philanthropic organizations, academic institutions, and health charities with the goal of achieving better patient outcomes through patient-oriented research.

• SPOR is about moving scientific discoveries to the bedside and producing the information that decision-makers and health care providers need to improve care.

• SPOR SUPPORT Units are patient-oriented research centres in the provinces and territories that improve patient outcomes by enabling equitable access to data for health research, applying knowledge to improve health care practices, systems, and patient outcomes, providing training to conduct and use patient-oriented research, and engaging patients as active partners throughout the entire research process.

• SPOR SUPPORT Units develop tools and provide opportunities for researchers, policymakers, and patients to work together to foster a research culture and environment that addresses inequitable health outcomes and access to health care in Canada

• There are also SPOR SUPPORT Units located in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, the Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Yukon. Discussions are underway to establish a SUPPORT Unit in Nunavut.

• The Government of Canada, through the CIHR, and its provincial partners the Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux, Fonds de recherche du Québec and Réseau 1 Québec are providing an investment of more than $80M over five years to help l’Unité de Soutien SSA Québec continue its important work.

Associated links

• Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR)
• Unité de Soutien SSA Québec
• SPOR SUPPORT Units

Marie-France Proulx
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Health
613-957-0200

Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada's health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.