The research institutes at UHN signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). DORA is a set of recommendations developed in 2012 by a group of editors and publishers of scholarly journals at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco.
The declaration aims to improve the ways in which the output of scientific research is evaluated, and it outlines general recommendations, as well as specific guidelines for funding agencies, institutions, publishers, researchers and organizations that supply metrics. One main recommendation is to eliminate the use of journal-based metrics—traditionally used by many—as surrogate measures of the quality of individual research articles in hiring, promotion or funding decisions.
Dr. Brad Wouters, Executive Vice President, Science and Research, signed DORA on Monday January 6, 2020 on behalf of the UHN Research Council Executive and research institutes. The commitment marks an important step in determining how research impact at UHN should be measured—one of the key initiatives towards the implementation of the UHN 2019–23 Strategic Research Plan. The research institutes will make a commitment to take more responsibility for evaluating their researchers’ works in a more holistic and transparent manner.
The research institutes at UHN now join more than 1,500 institutions worldwide as signatories of DORA. Other notable signatories include the following:
The UHN Office of Research Trainees (ORT) is proud to announce the release of the latest issue of The ORT Times!
The ORT Times is UHN's monthly trainee-focused newsletter. It highlights news and editorials about trainee life, articles to help developing researchers get the most out of their training experience at UHN, tips on career development, and research training opportunities within and outside of UHN.
Feature Stories:
● UHN Takes on Cancer Immunotherapy
● Brief History of Epilepsy & Seizures
● How to Avoid the Thesis Time Crunch
● From Postdoc to Professor - Part 3
Conference Reports: Read conference reports from Dr. Parinaz Mehdipour and Dr. Terunaga Inage.
Read and download the full issue now!
To see past issues of The ORT Times, please visit ORT’s website.
The language of health, disease and wellness—which comes with its own vocabulary—can seem like a foreign language to many patients. However, for those with limited English proficiency who are admitted to anglophone hospitals, the barriers to understanding may be so great that health outcomes may be affected.
This was the key finding of a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
A team of UHN researchers led by Drs. Shail Rawal and Angela Cheung, Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, found that patients admitted for heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with limited English proficiency were more likely to be readmitted to the emergency department than those who were proficient in English.
Specifically, around 22% of those with limited English proficiency were readmitted to the emergency department within 30 days of discharge, while only 15% of those who were proficient in English were readmitted. The study included over 9000 patients that were admitted for chronic conditions at the Toronto General Hospital or the Toronto Western Hospital.
While previous findings have found that English proficiency does not affect hospital readmission rates for patients admitted for hip fracture, pneumonia or acute heart attack, the current study reveals that this may not be the case for all diseases.
“The demands on patients with chronic heart failure and COPD are high. Upon discharge, they are required to follow detailed instructions, manage medication regimens and oversee transitions in their care between different providers,” says Dr. Cheung “Chronic heart failure and COPD may be more communication sensitive than other conditions that have simpler treatment plans.”
While preliminary, these findings suggest that certain health conditions may require more rigorous communication strategies and support after discharge to ensure equal access to care.
This work was supported by the HoPingKong Centre for Excellence in Education and Practice, and the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation. AM Cheung is the Betty and KY Ho Chair in Integrative Medicine and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Musculoskeletal and Postmenopausal Health.
Rawal S, Srighanthan J, Vasantharoopan A, Hu H, Tomlinson G, Cheung AM. Association Between Limited English Proficiency and Revisits and Readmissions After Hospitalization for Patients With Acute and Chronic Conditions in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. JAMA. 2019 Oct 22;322(16):1605-1607. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.13066.
Welcome to the latest issue of Research Spotlight.
As Canada’s largest research hospital, UHN is a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. This newsletter highlights top research advancements across UHN and from over 1000 researchers appointed at our institutes.
Stories in this month’s issue:
● The Language of Health: For certain conditions, patients with limited English proficiency may be readmitted more often.
● Home Advantage: Study finds that home dialysis is linked to lower healthcare costs and better patient outcomes.
● Making Cells to Treat Diabetes: Researchers identify an improved strategy to help make more insulin-producing cells in the lab.
● UHN: #1 Research Hospital in Canada: RE$EARCH Infosource Inc. releases its annual ranking of Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals.
Read these stories and more online here. To read previous issues, see the newsletter archive.
Research conducted at UHN's research institutes spans the full spectrum of diseases and disciplines, including cancer, cardiovascular sciences, transplantation, neural and sensory sciences, musculoskeletal health, rehabilitation sciences, and community and population health.
Learn more about our institutes by clicking below:
