Engaging in
Patient-Oriented Research
Patient Engagement & Research Link (PEARL)
PEARL is the Patient Engagement and Research Link - a platform that brings patients and health research teams together to connect and collaborate on topics they care about. PEARL makes it easier for patients and researchers to find each other and work together in patient-oriented research.
PEARL provides patients - who are passionate about improving our healthcare systems - with an opportunity to volunteer* on research teams aiming to do just that! Researchers who wish to collaborate with patients on health research projects can post engagement opportunities on PEARL. Patients can review the opportunities and volunteer for the ones that match their interests and life experiences. PEARL brings patients and researchers together to facilitate positive change in Saskatchewan healthcare.
Explore PEARL to find opportunities that match your passion, share your ideas and learn more about patient-oriented research here in Saskatchewan and Canada!
*Patient Partner volunteers often receive honoraria (payment as a token of appreciation for time and service provided) or other recognition for their contribution to research projects.
Linking up through PEARL
PEARL offers solutions to patients, who wish to share the expertise they have gained through lived experience, as well as researchers, who want to engage patients in their research projects.
Patient Partner Opportunities:
Families who have at least one child with cerebral visual impairment
Understanding family perspectives on cerebral visual impairmentOlder Adults with Caregiving Experience
Recruiting Dementia Caregiver Patient Partners for Research Team - SHRF Impact Grant Application 2025Experience with Dementia (as a patient or caregiver)
A reward-feedback device for physiotherapy walking training in people living with Dementia.Diabetes and Cancer Treatment
Diabetes and CancerStem Cell Transplant
Patient partner for brain research wanting to improve stem cell transplants for childrenPatients or Family Members of those experienced with ICU Care
Evaluation of Patient, Family, and Provider Perspectives on Family Rounds and Patient and Family Centered Care in a Regina ICU (Patient Partner)Thyroid Cancer:
Development and Validation of a Deep Learning-Based Infrared Thermography Model for Detection and Differentiation of Thyroid Nodules
A patient is someone who has had recent personal experience with a health issue, whether as a patient or an informal caregiver to a patient, such as a family member or friend.
Patients may be involved as Patient Partners or as participants. Patient Partners are equal research team members, while participants contribute to the study, but are not members of the team.
If you’re looking for opportunities to share your lived experience and improve our healthcare system, check out the opportunities below!
Participant Opportunities:
Received care from an SHA service in last 12 months
Share your health care experience to help us build a better health care systemUndergone surgery requiring anesthetics
Identifying Saskatchewan-based considerations for the implementation of an electronic medical charting system in anesthesia carePre-Operative Assessment Clinic Experience or Interest
Harnessing the value of an electronic medical record (EMR) in implementing virtual pre-surgery assessments across SaskatchewanOvarian Cancer
Research recruitment on high grade serous ovarian cancer patients and HRD testingPatients or Family Members of those experienced with Regina ICU Care
Evaluation of Patient, Family, and Provider Perspectives on Family Rounds and Patient and Family Centered Care in a Regina ICU (Participant)Healthy adult (middle aged):
Can Video Priming Improve Healthy, Middle-Aged, Saskatchewan Patients’ Informed Consent for Resuscitation Goals?
National Opportunities:
Admitted to a Canadian ICU for longer than 24 Hours
Exploring the needs and preferences of ICU survivors for post-hospital rehabilitationPatients & Caregivers receiving or supporting physical rehabilitation:
Telerehabilitation Project Surveys
Other Opportunities:
Anesthesiologists/anesthesia residents, surgeons, internal medicine physicians, operating room/PACU nurses, and anesthesia assistants that are practicing/training in Saskatchewan, as well as Patient Family Partners residing in Saskatchewan are invited to take part in a virtual workshop to inform the selection of a comprehensive provincial electronic medical record system for Saskatchewan. Click here to learn more or contact Maria Cruz at 306.966.8305 or maria.cruz@usask.ca.
Patient-oriented research answers questions that matter to patients and aims to improve healthcare.
If you’re ready to find the right patient for your project, start your search here!
Are you looking for a Patient Partner to join your research team? Do you have an opportunity for patients to participate in your study? Patient Engagement and Research Link (PEARL) provides a platform where research teams can share their opportunities and recruit Patient Partners and participants.
By submitting your opportunity to PEARL, patients, their family members, friends and other informal caregivers will be able to view your opportunity and express their interest in your project. There are three categories of research opportunities on PEARL:
Patient Partner Opportunities: Patient Partners are equal members of the research team and may be engaged at any or all stages throughout the research process. Patient Partners have expertise gained through their lived experience with a health issue. They contribute their unique expertise as equal members on the research team, which helps ensure the research is relevant and meaningful to patients.
Participant Opportunities: Participants are patients that contribute to research by participating in studies and providing input in specific areas, however they are not members of the research team.
National Opportunities: These occur when researchers outside of the province of Saskatchewan seek input from Saskatchewan patients for patient-oriented research projects.
Are you ready to recruit a patient to your project?
Here are a few important things to note:
Please ensure that all applicants, whether they are selected to join your team or not, are contacted by a member of your team. You will be expected to communicate with each individual who expresses an interest in your opportunity.
When posting an opportunity, keep in mind things that will increase the likelihood of finding the right patient for your project. Opportunities that are posted for longer periods of time (we recommend no less than 6 weeks) will receive more views from potential Patient Partners and participants. Additionally, providing narrower or restrictive parameters of skills and experience being sought will make finding a match more difficult. Research teams are encouraged to share the link to their opportunities with their own networks.
Submitted opportunities will be approved prior to being posted. If questions arise or clarification is required, the contact person listed in the submission will be notified as soon as possible.
You will receive an email notification when your opportunity has been posted and it will be removed on the deadline indicated in the submission form. You will not receive a notification when the posting has been removed.
Should you wish to extend the deadline, please contact SCPOR’s Patient Engagement Team at scpor.pe@saskhealthauthority.ca