The Unité de soutien au système de santé apprenant (SSA) Québec is a provincial unit of the national strategy for patient-oriented research (SPOR) network of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
What
The Unit accelerates the impact of research on Quebec’s healthcare system by bringing together the strengths of science, the field, and the public.
It helps teams across the health and social services network to base changes on evidence, use proven methodologies (continuous quality improvement, project management, research, innovation, etc.), and ensure that their projects contribute to improving the system in a sustainable way.
For whom
The Unit provides support to any person or organization working in health care and social services in Québec as well as the population.
How
Specifically, the Unit supports teams carrying out improvement projects within Quebec’s healthcare system by providing funding, expertise, and guidance.
It also makes this knowledge available free of charge through a virtual toolkit, training, and consultation.
These services are provided by its team of scientists, professionals, practice facilitators, and health partners (patients, caregivers, and citizens).
No research left on the shelf
We harness knowledge and facilitate its application in the field
Supporting our teams and those in the network
We support
- projects to improve patient pathways
- continuous quality improvement (CQI) projects
- teams within the Quebec health network that are leading improvement projects
- the next generation of researchers
Making knowledge accessible
We provide access to a toolkit, training, and a consultation service
Why the Unit?
All too often, research findings and experiential knowledge gather dust on the shelves. The Unit exists to change that. The Unit supports the development of a healthcare system that continuously learns and improves.
It is based on a key principle: to sustainably improve care, services, and management, we must measure the real impact of our actions, learn from them, and use those lessons to do better.
That is why the Unit’s mission is to contribute to achieving the quintuple aim: improving equity, population health, system efficiency, the patient experience, and the experience of those who work in the system.
This approach is part of a collective initiative: Quebec’s Learning Health System (LHS).
To achieve this, the Unit acts as a bridge between research and the field. It breaks down silos, supports partnerships, relies on science, and provides concrete support for change.
Through its team of scientists, professionals, practice facilitators, and health partners, it offers tools, training, and consultation to all individuals and organizations active in research, healthcare, and social services, so that every project contributes to improving the system in a sustainable way.
The Unit is supported by the pan-Canadian SPOR program:
- It obtains CIHR funding that is beneficial to Québec
- It has supported the integration of patient-oriented research (POR) since 2014
The Unit has been mandated by the Ministry of Health and Social Services to organize and implement continuous quality improvement (CQI) across the province.
- The goal is to establish initiatives focused on reflection, skill development, and support for changes in practice within community-based services.
- It coordinates the community of practice for CQI agents working in Quebec’s university family medicine groups (GMF-U)
- It provides support to non-university family medicine groups through regional CQI agents
- It works in partnership with the Académie Qualité Santé
The Unit administers a fellowship program in collaboration with the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ)
- Fonds de recherche du Québec fellows can enhance their careers by adding patient-oriented research and expertise in learning healthcare systems to their skills. Find out more
