Research on caring for patients with complex health needs

“Our current system is organized around providing care for one disease, condition, or part of the body at a time. But more and more, people are living with chronic illnesses that need to be managed on an ongoing basis,” says Dr. Ross Upshur, Scientific Director of the Collaboratory, part of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute. “This is not just because of the aging population. More people across all age groups are living with one or more chronic conditions. We need to rethink current practices and the design of our system in order to be able to provide high quality care.”

How can research help?

The research at the Collaboratory addresses questions such as:

• How do patients with multiple chronic conditions move through the health care system and into the community? How can this be improved?
• How can clinicians across health care disciplines work together to provide better care for patients and their families?
• How can clinicians and organizations work together to support the well-being of older adults and people with complex health needs?

Find out more about researchers at the Collaboratory

Dr. Carolyn Steele Gray, Scientist, is developing and testing a mobile app to help patients with chronic conditions manage their health with their health care providers.

Dr. Michelle Nelson, Scientist, is charting a new course in research on stroke rehabilitation and community reintegration – including strategies for intersectoral collaboration.

Dr. Ross Upshur on receiving prestigious Hastings Fellowship.

Dr. Abhimanyu Sud discusses safer opioid prescribing on Dr. Upshur’s Conversations in Complexity podcast.