TY - JOUR
AU - N. Shahid
AU - J. Nadigel
AU - R. Boateng
AU - R. H. Glazier
AU - M. McMahon
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: Integrated care is a promising strategy to advance system transformation, care coordination, equity, and better health outcomes. Health services and policy research can drive evidence-informed health system improvements but is often underutilized. To optimize the relevance and impact of integrated care research as a transformative lever for better health and system outcomes, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (CIHR-IHSPR) designed a large-scale, evidence-informed, community-engaged research funding initiative. This paper outlines the approach and methods used by CIHR-IHSPR and describes how they informed the design and development of Transforming Health with Integrated Care (THINC), a large-scale, impact-oriented research funding initiative that promotes the adoption and proliferation of integrated care in Canada. METHODS: A multi-method qualitative, community-engaged approach was used to inform the design of a research funding strategy. Key features of the approach included multiple evidence inputs (retrospective and prospective information from primary [key informant interviews, focus groups, and a workshop] and secondary [CIHR funding data and literature review] sources), pan-Canadian reach of community engagement, involvement of diverse interest-holders, iterative data collection and analysis, and a commitment to identifying shared priorities through a community-engaged process. FINDINGS: There was consensus across the evidence inputs that implementing, adapting, and scaling evidence-informed integrated care interventions is crucial for real-world impact. Strategies found important for improved research relevance and impact include implementation science, rapid response, embedded research, and knowledge mobilization, along with key initiative design elements such as co-leadership, cross-jurisdictional and interdisciplinary teams, and a focus on the Quintuple Aim. Priority populations were also identified for maximizing the potential benefit and impact of the research. These findings informed the design of THINC, resulting in a multi-program initiative aligned to a shared goal of evidence-informed integrated care transformation. A collaborative design approach fostered shared objectives, commitment from multiple partner organizations, and resources to increase the initiative's size and scope. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates the feasibility of using an evidence-informed, community-engaged approach and the influence and benefits of the approach in designing a large-scale research funding initiative that aims to be transformational and impactful.
AD - CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada. nshahid.ihspr@ices.on.ca.; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, , 155 College Street, Suite 425, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3M6, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Suite 425, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3M6, Canada. nshahid.ihspr@ices.on.ca.; CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada.; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, , 155 College Street, Suite 425, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3M6, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Suite 425, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3M6, Canada.; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, V Wing, V1-06, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada.; MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada.; University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine, 500 University Avenue, 5th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1V7, Canada.; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, 6th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3M7, Canada.
AN - 40817323
BT - Implement Sci Commun
C5 - Education & Workforce
CP - 1
DA - Aug 15
DO - 10.1186/s43058-025-00760-7
DP - NLM
ET - 20250815
IS - 1
JF - Implement Sci Commun
LA - eng
N2 - BACKGROUND: Integrated care is a promising strategy to advance system transformation, care coordination, equity, and better health outcomes. Health services and policy research can drive evidence-informed health system improvements but is often underutilized. To optimize the relevance and impact of integrated care research as a transformative lever for better health and system outcomes, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (CIHR-IHSPR) designed a large-scale, evidence-informed, community-engaged research funding initiative. This paper outlines the approach and methods used by CIHR-IHSPR and describes how they informed the design and development of Transforming Health with Integrated Care (THINC), a large-scale, impact-oriented research funding initiative that promotes the adoption and proliferation of integrated care in Canada. METHODS: A multi-method qualitative, community-engaged approach was used to inform the design of a research funding strategy. Key features of the approach included multiple evidence inputs (retrospective and prospective information from primary [key informant interviews, focus groups, and a workshop] and secondary [CIHR funding data and literature review] sources), pan-Canadian reach of community engagement, involvement of diverse interest-holders, iterative data collection and analysis, and a commitment to identifying shared priorities through a community-engaged process. FINDINGS: There was consensus across the evidence inputs that implementing, adapting, and scaling evidence-informed integrated care interventions is crucial for real-world impact. Strategies found important for improved research relevance and impact include implementation science, rapid response, embedded research, and knowledge mobilization, along with key initiative design elements such as co-leadership, cross-jurisdictional and interdisciplinary teams, and a focus on the Quintuple Aim. Priority populations were also identified for maximizing the potential benefit and impact of the research. These findings informed the design of THINC, resulting in a multi-program initiative aligned to a shared goal of evidence-informed integrated care transformation. A collaborative design approach fostered shared objectives, commitment from multiple partner organizations, and resources to increase the initiative's size and scope. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates the feasibility of using an evidence-informed, community-engaged approach and the influence and benefits of the approach in designing a large-scale research funding initiative that aims to be transformational and impactful.
PY - 2025
SN - 2662-2211
SP - 86
ST - An evidence-informed, community-engaged approach to designing a large-scale, impact-oriented research funding initiative to foster the implementation of transformative integrated care: a multi-methods qualitative study
T1 - An evidence-informed, community-engaged approach to designing a large-scale, impact-oriented research funding initiative to foster the implementation of transformative integrated care: a multi-methods qualitative study
T2 - Implement Sci Commun
TI - An evidence-informed, community-engaged approach to designing a large-scale, impact-oriented research funding initiative to foster the implementation of transformative integrated care: a multi-methods qualitative study
U1 - Education & Workforce
U3 - 10.1186/s43058-025-00760-7
VL - 6
VO - 2662-2211
Y1 - 2025
ER -