As a part of the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, BRIC NS is committed to research that engages patients and citizens, improves their health outcomes and focuses on the priorities they identify.

BRIC NS uses the term ‘patient’ or ‘patient partner’ to refer to a person with lived experience of the healthcare system, either directly as a patient or indirectly as a caregiver. Patient Partners actively participate as a member of a health research team.  We encourage patients to join BRIC NS, which can be done through our membership form.

BRIC NS has co-developed a series of Patient Partner Orientation Guides for patients and caregivers who are interested in becoming involved in healthcare research.  They can be found here.

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Patient’s Driving Research Priority Setting in SPOR

For SPOR, the term patient is overarching and is inclusive of individuals with personal experience of a health issue and informal caregivers, including family and friends.

A central tenet of SPOR is to put patients first – meaning that the patients themselves (and their families) are at the centre of the discussion on health. The idea is for patients, researchers, health care providers and decision makers to actively collaborate to build a sustainable, accessible, and equitable health care system to bring about positive changes in the health of people living in Canada. Enaging patients is thus an integral component in the development and implementation of all elements of SPOR, including the SUPPORT Units and research networks.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research, What is Patient Engagement?

Read more SPOR patient engagement information and access resources here.