Ottawa funds 22 new eHealth research projects

OTTAWA – The Minister of Health, Jane Philpott (pictured), the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains, and the Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan, have announced $13.8 million in funding for 22 innovative eHealth projects. The projects are based at sites across Canada and focus on youth mental health and seniors with complex care needs at home.

The 22 research projects are funded through the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) eHealth Innovation Partnership Program, which is providing $13.8 million. An additional $32 million is being provided by partners.

• List of projects focused on youth mental health
•  List of projects focused on seniors with complex care needs in their homes

“I am excited to see Canadian ingenuity at work to support the health of Canadians,” said Health Minister Jane Philpott. “These projects have the potential to make high-quality mental health services more available to the young Canadians who need them, and they are also making great strides for the delivery of increased home care services.”

In recent years, the field of eHealth has moved beyond basic electronic medical record databases. Today, eHealth innovations use sophisticated technology to create greater efficiency within the healthcare system, improved patient experience, and better coordination across different levels of care.

From the development of an app to enhance Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for youth being treated for anxiety and depression, to programs that allow doctors and nurses to monitor the health of seniors in the comfort of their homes – these projects will help to empower patients to be partners in their health care, support better health outcomes, and accelerate innovation in Canada’s health system and growing health information technology (IT) industry.

“Canada has no shortage of innovative health care thinkers, top-notch health researchers or vibrant entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Alain Beaudet, President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research. “Through eHIPP, these great minds are coming together to deliver creative eHealth solutions for some of our country’s most pressing healthcare needs.

“I am particularly proud of the ways in which these projects put patients first, often by empowering them to be partners in their own care.”

eHealth Innovation Partnership Program

The field of eHealth includes health services and information delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies. eHealth offers promising opportunities to improve the accessibility, coordination and affordability of health care.

To benefit from these opportunities, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) developed the e-Health Innovation Partnership Program (eHIPP) in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP).

The program is designed to stimulate collaborations between health researchers and Canadian innovative technology companies. By bringing academia and industry together, eHIPP is ensuring that eHealth innovations are being co-developed, tested with the people who will need them, and evaluated for their cost-effectiveness.

Through e-HIPP, CIHR and partners – including organizations from the private, public, and non-profit sectors – have funded 22 projects: 8 focused on youth mental health and 14 focused on seniors with complex care needs in their homes.