HRDP-SK supports project-specific data linkages

Research teams can now request data from outside the Health Research Data Platform – Saskatchewan (HRDP-SK) for their research projects. This new option to bring outside data into the HRDP-SK builds significant capacity for research teams to include Saskatchewan data in their projects.

“The ability to link to external datasets in the HRDP-SK ecosystem will give researchers new flexibility to explore their research questions in Saskatchewan and across multiple provinces/territories,” says Carrie-Anne Whyte, DASH Program Lead at HDRN Canada.

To use external data, researchers can request data be integrated with HRDP-SK for one-time use in a specific research project. Many different sources of data are eligible for consideration, including patient-level surveys, socio-economic or geographical data or data from other organizations such as Stats Canada. All data requests are pending appropriate privacy and ethical review as well as project review.

This exciting new research feature builds on the research possibilities through the platform. The HRDP-SK currently offers five databases and will soon add three more: the Mental Health & Addiction Information System, Long Term Care and the Saskatchewan Cancer Registry.

 Want to get started with project-specific data?

Learn more

Interested in doing a multi-regional project?

Check out resources and support at www.hdrn.ca

SCPOR report: August 2024

Summer may be wrapping up, but there is so much just getting started with SCPOR and our partners in POR! Read about our new HRDP-SK site, traineeship opportunities, research success stories and more! Click here to read.

SCPOR report: July 2024

Enjoy a relaxing summer with stories of patient-oriented research! The July 2024 edition of SCPOR report it out! Click here to learn about the PGME traineeship opportunity, Patient Partner Advisory Council initiatives, exciting research taking place and more!

SCPOR report: June 2024

Start your summer reading with the June edition of SCPOR rePORt - learn about POR initiatives taking place across Saskatchewan and the rest of Canada! Click here to read.

SCPOR report: May 2024

Stay up to date with what’s going-on with patient-oriented research in Saskatchewan and across the country! http://mailchi.mp/9aef12ee8e95/scpor-newsletter-may2024

SCPOR report: April 2024

When it rains it PORs! Check out this month’s SCPOR report and learn what’s new in patient-oriented research at SCPOR and around the country!

SCPOR report: February 2024

Winter has returned - it’s a great time to stay inside! Grab a warm beverage and take in all the news and events at SCPOR in the February edition of SCPOR report.

Health Research Data Platform – Saskatchewan approves its first users, ringing in a new era for Saskatchewan Health Research

Saskatchewan health researchers are poised to take a leap forward in how they access data, transforming health research in our province. In January, a major milestone was achieved when two research teams were approved to begin conducting analysis through the Health Research Data Platform – Saskatchewan (HRDP-SK) for the first time.

The HRDP-SK is the first platform in Saskatchewan to integrate health data from multiple agencies. Partners have been working together over the past two years to develop a secure environment that enables secondary data users – those who use previously collected data for a new purpose, such as research – to access health data. The data is de-identified to ensure privacy and confidentiality.

Funded by the Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR) and Health Data Research Network (HDRN) Canada, work on the HRDP-SK is supported by seven partners, including Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations, eHealth Saskatchewan, 3S Health, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Saskatchewan Health Quality Council, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.

“HRDP-SK advancements are instrumental in improving health data access here in Saskatchewan. Researchers can now bypass several time-consuming steps and access more databases more efficiently,” says Christina Weise, SCPOR’s Executive Director and HDRN Canada board member. “Having a data access centre will better position and align Saskatchewan with other provinces and help to ensure not only that our data is represented in research, but that results from the research are based on relevant information, improving likelihood of implementation.”

HDRN Canada Scientific Director Dr. Kim McGrail said that enabling Saskatchewan to be part of multi-regional studies in Canada will be a great boost to the research in the province: "Researcher access to data through HRDP-SK is an incredible step forward and the result of great partnerships and a lot of consultation.”

Researchers can now request data via the HRDP-SK website. Additional data integration work is underway to increase the number of databases available, which will allow the HRDP-SK team to support a greater breadth of research requests.

Dr. Derek Jorgenson, a professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan and Principal Investigator of the project An Interprofessional Model for Chronic Pain Management, recently received approval for his team to access data through the HRDP-SK. “The HRDP-SK has created a process for researchers in Saskatchewan to access the health system data that is already being collected,” Dr. Jorgenson explains. “This opens the door to incredible opportunities to identify health system problems sooner and better measure the impact of the solutions to those problems.”

Dr. Haizen Mou is a University of Saskatchewan researcher whose project Evaluating the Cooperative Community Clinic Model has also received access approval. “For health researchers in Saskatchewan,
having access to health data via HRDP-SK is a major milestone,” Dr. Mou says. “The platform allows our team to develop a comprehensive understanding of the utilization, costs and effectiveness of the primary care system in Saskatchewan. With this research, we will be able to make evidence-based policy recommendations that improve the health and healthcare of people in Saskatchewan.”

Over the past 18 months, the HRDP-SK has consulted with over 30 research teams to support their data inquiries and they are currently working with another ten teams to complete data access requests. The demand for access to health data through the HRDP-SK continues to increase.

Heather Dyck, a Patient Partner engaged with SCPOR, summarizes the significance of recent HRDP-SK accomplishments, stating, “The people of Saskatchewan require access to the health system data necessary to plan system changes that benefit patients, do research that matters to patients and have government programs that meet the health needs of all people; rural, urban, remote, First Nations and Métis. That is why we need the HRDP-SK.”

Learn more about the HRDP-SK and accessing health data for research purposes.

SCPOR report: January 2024

It’s a new year and new things happening at SCPOR! Learn more at http://mailchi.mp/17dcafec030f/scpor-newsletter-january-9600450.

SCPOR report: November 2023

Meet some of the SCPOR team and learn more about what’s new in patient-oriented research around the country! Click here to access the November SCPOR report.

SCPOR report: October 2023

Check out the news and noteworthy events and stories at SCPOR and in patient-oriented research across the country! Read the October edition of the SCPOR report at https://mailchi.mp/fbedb31665d3/scpor-newsletter-october-9390794

SCPOR rePORt: September 2023

Keep up with everything going on at SCPOR and in patient-oriented research! Click here to read the September 2023 Newsletter

SCPOR rePORt: June 2023

Stay updated with what’s going on at SCPOR and in patient-oriented research! Check out the June 2023 edition of SCPOR rePORt

SCPOR rePORt: May 2023

Learn what’s new in patient-oriented research across the country and here at SCPOR! Click here to access the full newsletter.

SCPOR rePORt: January 2023

Learn about our Patient-Oriented Research Learning Health System Projects, share your thoughts on the data you’d like to see in the Health Research Data Platform - Saskatchewan, find a research project that matches your lived experience and more! Check out January’s SCPOR report here.

SCPOR rePORt: December 2022

It’s a new year, fresh with new opportunities for grants, traineeships and learning! Take a walk through SCPOR’s past fiscal year and learn about upcoming events in this month’s SCPOR rePORt! Visit
https://mailchi.mp/e196a059f02d/scpor-newsletter-december-9328957

Expression of Interest for Patient Partners

The Long COVID Registry/Community of Practice is recruiting four to six Patient Partners that want to be directly involved in the project. Patient Partner input is being sought for all aspects of the research project and they will play an influential role in shaping these platforms for the betterment of those living with long COVID. We are seeking Patient Partners that are either:

• A patient with past/present lived experience of Long COVID (greater than four weeks of ongoing symptoms)

• A family member or caregiver for someone living with Long COVID

Click here to read the full Expression of Interest. 

Health Data Research Network Canada: HDRN Data Points

Learn what’s up @ HDRN Canada in their December 2022 newsletter.

SCPOR rePORt: November 2022

Want to learn about measuring the level of engagement on your patient-oriented research projects? What about new opportunities for Patient Partners to join research teams? Or traineeship opportunities for grad students? Find these and more in this months edition of the SCPOR rePORt!

CHEP 990 Seminar Series with Dr. Charles Plante

Professorships aren't all that: The present and future of research outside of the University system

Dr. Charles Plante, Research Scientist
CHEP 990 Seminar Series
Monday, December 5, 2022, 12 - 1pm, CST (Saskatchewan, GMT -06:00)
HLTH GA80 and Zoom

Zoom: https://usask-ca.zoom.us/j/97810944742?pwd=aHJ3Uit5dW9GMEdyOTE5RGt2b2Vwdz09