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About the project
Clinical learning units (CLU) represent an innovative strategy to deal with complex health problems and bridge the gap between research and clinical practice. CLUs are regional multidisciplinary teams that bring together patients, doctors, health care professionals, managers, decision makers and researchers. They establish clinical best practices, foster a culture of continuous improvement and contribute to succession training. In 2019, the Vitalité Health Network established its first CLU, the objective of which was to identify and address the main shortcomings relating to seniors’ care. The aim of the project was to evaluate implementation process of the Healthy Seniors CLU and its impact on service options offered to seniors. 13 key stakeholders and members of the CLU were recruited to evaluate the implementation.
Conclusions and lessons learned
The findings of this study suggest that CLUs, in spite of implementation-related challenges, do have the potential to tackle actual and complex problems confronting health care networks. The Healthy Seniors CLU has enabled seniors to benefit from new programs and initiatives and has brought about a cultural shift, particularly by showing the importance of interdisciplinary and patient-partner collaborations.
Recommendations
- Encourage and integrate patient-partner participation in the decision making process relating to services and research.
- Integrate research and evaluation into the delivery of daily care.
- Foster collaboration and the alignment of priorities and objectives among patients, doctors, health care professionals, decision makers and researchers.
- Continue deploying a learning-based culture within the Vitalité Health Network.
To learn more read the complete project findings (PDF 121 KB)