Using the "Surprise Question" in Nursing Homes: A Prospective Mixed-Methods Study.

Background: The "Surprise Question" (SQ) is often used to identify patients who may benefit from a palliative care approach. The time frame of the typical question (a 12-month prognosis) may be unsuitable for identifying residents in nursing homes since it may not be able to differentiate between those who have a more imminent risk of death within a cohort of patients with high care needs.

Objective: To examine the accuracy and acceptability of 3 versions of the SQ with shortened prognostication time frames (3 months, 6 months, and "the next season") in the nursing home setting.

Level of Need, Divertibility, and Outcomes of Newly Admitted Nursing Home Residents.

Objectives: To describe the level of need and divertibility of newly admitted nursing home residents, describe the factors that drive need, and describe the outcomes of residents across different levels of need.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: A total of 640 publicly funded nursing homes (also known as long-term care facilities) in Ontario, Canada.

Research impact of systems-level long-term care research: a multiple case study.

Background: Traditional reporting of research outcomes and impacts, which tends to focus on research product publications and grant success, does not capture the value, some contributions, or the complexity of research projects. The purpose of this study was to understand the contributions of five systems-level research projects as they were unfolding at the Bruyère Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation (CLRI) in long-term care (LTC) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The research questions were, (1) How are partnerships with research end-users (policymakers, administrators and other public/private organisations) characterised? (2) How have interactions with the CLRI Management Committee and Steering Committee influenced the development of research products? (3) In what way have other activities, processes, unlinked actors or organisations been influenced by the research project activities?

Methods: The study was guided by Kok and Schuit's concept of research impacts, using a multiple case study design.

Designated specialized units: How Ontario's long-term care homes fill a gap in care.

Ontario has eight designated Specialized Units (SUs) located in Long-Term Care (LTC) homes. Each unit serves a well-defined group of residents whose needs go beyond what regular LTC homes can offer but do not require the complexity and range of care provided in hospitals. An applied qualitative research project looked at the realities of designated SUs, explored their role in health system capacity planning, and created a tool kit to help stakeholders navigate the designation process.

Barriers and facilitators to recruitment of physicians and practices for primary care health services research at one centre.

Background: While some research has been conducted examining recruitment methods to engage physicians and practices in primary care research, further research is needed on recruitment methodology as it remains a recurrent challenge and plays a crucial role in primary care research. This paper reviews recruitment strategies, common challenges, and innovative practices from five recent primary care health services research studies in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: We used mixed qualitative and quantitative methods to gather data from investigators and/or project staff from five research teams.

Riding the wave of primary care research: development of a primary health care research centre.

Problem Being Addressed: Family medicine departments and primary health care research centres across the country are growing in size and complexity and therefore require increasingly sophisticated management strategies. Conducting effective and relevant research relies on a stable and efficient organization. OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAM To focus on the needs of individuals, teams, and the organization in order to ensure the success of research projects.