At the David Braley Primary Care Research Collaborative, we support work that advances and strengthens primary care locally, nationally and internationally. Below are just a few examples of the many projects our experts are leading to impact the health of our communities through innovative systems of primary care.
Indigenous Teaching Through Art
The Indigenous Teaching Through Art (ITTA) program, was created by McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine in collaboration with local Indigenous colleagues to fill a knowledge gap about the history of Indigenous people in Canada.
It is based on peace, friendship and respect which are the values of the Two Row Wampum agreement between the Haudenosaunee people and white settlers which set the stage for an equal and collaborative relationship to be honoured by all those who inhabit Turtle Island.
Prison Health Research Program
Each year, over 40,000 people are incarcerated in Ontario’s jails and prisons– many with significant medical and psychiatric conditions like mental illness, hepatitis C infection, and addictions.
In Canada, access to health care during incarceration is a human right, and health care can support people who experience incarceration in improving their health and well-being, says family physician Fiona Kouyoumdjian, adding that many of the social determinants of health directly overlap with the social determinants of incarceration.
Community Paramedicine at Clinic
(CP@Clinic)
In Canada, many seniors live in subsidized or social housing. It’s been proven that healthcare conditions that come with age coupled with poverty often lead to more trips to the emergency room, and more calls to 911.
The Community Paramedicine at Clinic (CP@clinic) program aims to address some of these challenges, by putting community health programming into subsidized housing across Ontario — having specially trained paramedics hold drop-in sessions where seniors live.
Team Approach to Polypharmacy Evaluation and Reduction (TAPER)
For many older Canadians, taking multiple medications is a routine part of daily life. Studies have shown that while they’re prescribed with purpose, taking five or more medications daily, also known as polypharmacy, often causes unintended adverse effects, resulting in an estimated 70,000 preventable hospital admissions per year.
Through the Team Approach to Polypharmacy Evaluation and Reduction Program (TAPER), researchers at McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine are studying how to reduce the number of unnecessary medications a patient takes.
Health TAPESTRY
Health TAPESTRY brings together people, communities and health care teams.
In this innovative program, trained volunteers visit people where they live. In these visits, they learn about what matters most to that person and their health. They also learn more about a person’s health needs. The stories people tell our volunteers are recorded and sent to their health care team using special technology. This helps the team learn more about that person’s life, health needs, goals and how they can better work together to achieve goals and meet needs.
