It has been a challenge to prioritize initiatives to meet the diverse needs of Northern BC communities – without a networked approach to planning and prioritization, health care service areas are placed in competition with one another instead of working in tandem. The Learning Health System (LHS) is a strategy to enable an evidence-informed health system.
The Institute of Medicine defines an LHS where “science, informatics, incentives, and culture are aligned for continuous improvement and innovation, with best practices seamlessly embedded in the delivery process and new knowledge captured as an integral by-product of the delivery experience”.1 One of the key pillars identified in this framework are networks and social arrangements within the LHS to ensure deep and active engagement of community members, patients, point-of-care providers, administrators and researchers.
Northern Health has been working to develop the theory and conceptualization of service networks for a number of years; these networks emphasize a strong focus on the planning, coordination and delivery of services to Northern BC residents and communities. Join us to learn about how this work, in collaboration with the First Nations Health Authority, continues through the development of a Learning Health System.
About the Presenters:
Vash Ebbadi-Cook
Interim Regional Director, Quality & Innovation
Northern Health
Julia Bickford
Regional Director, Research Evaluation & Analytics
Northern Health
- Institute of Medicine (US) Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine; Olsen LA, Aisner D, McGinnis JM, editors. The Learning Healthcare System: Workshop Summary. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2007. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53494/ doi: 10.17226/11903