PROTOCOL: In-person interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness: An evidence and gap map.

This is the protocol for an evidence and gap map. The objectives are as follows: This EGM aims to map available evidence on the effects of in-person interventions to reduce social isolation and/or loneliness across all age groups in all settings.

Understanding collaborative implementation between community and academic partners in a complex intervention: a qualitative descriptive study.

Background: Community-academic partnerships (CAPs) can improve the relevance, sustainability, and uptake of new innovations within the community. However, little is known about what topics CAPs focus on and how their discussions and decisions impact implementation at ground level. The objectives of this study were to better understand the activities and learnings from implementation of a complex health intervention by a CAP at the planner/decision-maker level, and how that compared to experiences implementing the program at local sites.

Health TAPESTRY Ontario: A Multi-Site Randomized Controlled Trial Testing Implementation and Reproducibility.

Purpose: Health Teams Advancing Patient Experience: Strengthening Quality (Health TAPESTRY) is a complex primary care program aimed at assisting older adults to stay healthier for longer. This study evaluated the feasibility of implementation across multiple sites, and the reproducibility of the effects found in the previous randomized controlled trial.

Methods: This was a pragmatic, unblinded, 6-month parallel group randomized controlled trial.

Community Volunteers and Primary Care Providers Supporting Older Adults in System Navigation: A Mixed Methods Study.

Introduction: Primary care providers and community volunteers have important roles in supporting patient system navigation and utilization of community-based health and social services (CBHSS). This study aimed to explore the experiences and impacts of system navigation in a complex intervention supporting older adults.

Methods: We used a convergent mixed methods design.

Understanding volunteer retention in a complex, community-centred intervention: A mixed methods study in Ontario, Canada.

Volunteers are critical to supporting health care systems worldwide. For organisations that rely on volunteers, service to clients can be disrupted when volunteers leave their roles. Volunteer retention is a multi-layered phenomenon.

Health TAPESTRY Ontario: protocol for a randomized controlled trial to test reproducibility and implementation.

Background: Health TAPESTRY (Health Teams Advancing Patient Experience: STRengthening qualitY) aims to help people stay healthier for longer where they live by providing person-focused care through the integration of four key program components: (1) trained volunteers who visit clients in their homes, (2) an interprofessional primary health care team, (3) use of technology to collect and share information, and (4) improved connections to community health and social services. The initial randomized controlled trial of Health TAPESTRY found promising results in terms of health care use and patient outcomes, indicating a shift from reactive to preventive care. The trial was based on one clinical academic center, thus limiting generalizability.

Sociodemographic data collection for health equity measurement: a mixed methods study examining public opinions.

Monitoring inequalities in healthcare is increasingly being recognized as a key first step in providing equitable access to quality care. However, the detailed sociodemographic data that are necessary for monitoring are currently not routinely collected from patients in many jurisdictions. We undertook a mixed methods study to generate a more in-depth understanding of public opinion on the collection of patient sociodemographic information in healthcare settings for equity monitoring purposes in Ontario, Canada.

'About time!' Insights from Research with Pride: a community-student collaboration.

Research with Pride (RwP) was a community-student collaborative initiative to promote and build capacity for community-based research exploring health and wellness in lesbian, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) communities. The event took place at University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) in September 2009, and engaged over 100 students, community members and academic researchers in a full day of discussion, learning and networking. RwP was initiated by a group of graduate students in Health Promotion who identified a gap in resources addressing LGBTQ health, facilitating their further learning and work in this area.