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Oncopole, the product of a unique co-creation process led by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and made possible by an initial $15M investment from Merck Canada, brought together key players in the innovation, research and health and social services sectors in order to develop the Innove-Onco Program. As a result, Oncopole has partnered with the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), the Bureau de l’innovation and the Programme québécois de cancérologie du ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux in collaboration with l’Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux (INESSS) to set up this competition.
Oncopole is proud to announce today the Innove-Onco winners. Two promising projects bringing together the improvement of clinical practices, the integration of innovation and oncology research, will thus benefit from a substantial amount over 2 years. Thanks to an additional contribution of $200,000 from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the total budget for the competition reached $1,700,000.
The Innove-Onco Competition
The Innove-Onco funding program, launched in the fall of 2019, is aimed at optimizing the adoption – within the public health and social services system – of innovations in oncology.
Both funded projects use innovations of a technological and organizational nature, implemented within various healthcare facilities in Quebec that meet a clearly demonstrated need in oncology. This research will notably be used to improve the organization of care and patient management. The projects will also provide an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the factors that facilitate or limit the introduction of innovations, to measure their performance in a real care context and to judge the relevance of their implementation on a broader scale.
The integration of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in cancer care: learning from real-world implementation in cancer centres across Quebec
[Sylvie Lambert, Ph.D., McGill University, St. Mary’s Research Centre and Peter Nugus, Ph.D., McGill University]Cancer patients can suffer from serious side effects as a result of their treatment that are not always identified and treated by clinicians. Completing a questionnaire about their symptoms whenever they consult their healthcare professional can improve the process of care, their quality of life and even their survival. Regular screening of symptoms, particularly distress, remains seldom used in Quebec cancer centres.
Bearing that in mind, the team has developed an innovative symptom screening program, called e-IMPAQc. Beginning in the fall of 2020, this technology will be used in five adult cancer centres in Quebec: St. Mary’s Hospital Centre (SMHC), McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé (Cité), and Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (HMR). The study proposed is to identify the factors favoring and limiting the integration of this innovation into the healthcare system. The data will make it possible to create a guide to help deploy the application in other facilities across Quebec. The ultimate goal is to reduce the needless suffering of patients who can be better treated if their symptoms are identified.
About Oncopole
Oncopole is a Quebec hub for research, development and investment to accelerate the fight against cancer. Created in February of 2017, it is the product of a unique co-creation process led by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and made possible by an initial $15M investment from Merck Canada. Oncopole’s mission is to act as a catalyst leveraging actions made by the key players in Quebec’s oncology and innovation research ecosystem. As a result, it aims to position the province as a leader in the field. Its priorities of action, namely research, entrepreneurship, commercialization and integration of innovation, as well as clinical relevance, are orchestrated in order to foster the mobilization of stakeholders, the discovery of innovative approaches to fight cancer and, ultimately, a positive impact for the benefit of patients.
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