Evaluating the Patient Family Advisor Experience in Patient-Oriented Research.

As part of the Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR)'s commitment to improving the experience of patient and family advisors (PFAs) who engage with local patient-oriented research teams, one of the supports offered is an evaluation that assesses the experiences and effectiveness of PFAs as research team members. In a recent evaluation project, SCPOR used an academically validated questionnaire and a survey co-designed by local PFAs. The results showed that PFAs wanted more frequent updates throughout the research project and greater role clarity. They also reported that the best part of their engagement was feeling like a valued team member.

Bringing Together Research and Quality Improvement: The Saskatchewan Approach.

Improving health and health services requires both better knowledge (a key function of research) and better action to adapt and use what is already known (quality improvement). However, organizational and cultural divides between academic research institutions and health system organizations too often result in missed opportunities to integrate research and improvement. The Saskatchewan Health Quality Council's experience and relationships, from linking research, quality improvement and patient engagement in its leadership of the province's healthcare quality improvement journey, provided core support and leadership in the development of Saskatchewan's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research SUPPORT Unit. The vision is for the SUPPORT Unit to integrate research and quality improvement into a continuous learning health system.

Improving coordinated responses for victims of intimate partner violence: law enforcement compliance with state-mandated intimate partner violence documentation.

New York State law mandates specific intimate partner violence (IPV) documentation under all circumstances meeting the enumerated relationship and crime criteria at the scene of a domestic dispute. Law enforcement compliance with this mandate is unknown. We reviewed law enforcement completion rates of Domestic Violence Incident Reports (DVIRs) and assessed correlations with individual or legal factors. Law enforcement officers filed DVIRs in 54% of the cases (n = 191), more often when injury occurred (p < .01) and the defendant had prior court contact (p < .05). The discussion explores policy implications and potential means to rectify the gap between mandated processes and implementation.

Mental and physical health symptoms of family court intimate partner violence petitioners.

This paper explores the impact of intimate partner violence on victim health and proposes interdisciplinary coordination between legal and mental health services as a means to assist victims. Data was collected from 95 female petitioners at an upstate New York Domestic Violence Intensive Intervention Court (DVIIC). Study participants completed surveys on physical health, mental health, and social functioning. Survey results demonstrated decreased mental health and social functioning as well as a strong willingness to utilize court-based mental health services if offered. Findings from this study support court-based settings as appropriate sites for addressing mental health needs through collaborative efforts between legal and mental health professionals.