Background

CAHO launched the Adopting Research to Improve Care (ARTIC) Program in 2010 to foster better collaboration and establish a systematic approach to moving research evidence from the bench to the bedside. The aim of the program is to move research evidence into practice from one hospital across the CAHO community in order to drive quality improvement and benefit the health care system as a whole.

While creating health care innovations is a formidable task, what is often more challenging is the successful and rapid adoption of innovation into the practice of health care. Many in the health care sector have successfully shared best practices within their own organizations, professions and sometimes across communities of care such as paediatrics or mental health. However, as a health care system, Ontario has yet to realize the full potential of sharing best practices and systematizing efforts to move research evidence into practice. Too often, we have found pathways to improve care and drive quality improvement in the health care system, but that knowledge never leaves the organization that created it. The ARTIC Program is resolved to address this challenge, and build a strong health research enterprise in Ontario.

To read more about the ARTIC Program, click here.

Current ARTIC Projects

Since its inception, the ARTIC Program has successfully launched six projects, each addressing a critical health need. The CAHO ARTIC Projects include:

CAHO HandyAudit™ ARTIC Project: an innovative auditing tool that measures hand hygiene compliance in a more effective and efficient way
CAHO CCR ARTIC Project: through the use of a clinical decision tool for ED nurses this project aims to reduce ED wait times and increase patient satisfaction by quickly identifying patients who do not require immobilization
CAHO MOVE ON ARTIC Project: uses an interprofessional approach that focuses on early and consistent mobilization of older patients through their hospital stay
CAHO ASP Project: aims to optimize the use of antimicrobials in intensive care units
CAHO TDM ARTIC Project: supports the successful transition from hospital to the community for people diagnosed with a mental illness
CAHO iERAS ARTIC Project: uses an innovative knowledge translation strategy to implement a range of interventions for patients undergoing colorectal surgery