You’ll love what’s inside February’s Data Points!

What's Up @ HDRN Canada?

A hand holding a pen over a form. Text reads: Applying for CIHR's Spring Project Grant? DASH can help! Logos for Health Data Research Network Canada and Data Access Support Hub logos are at bottom.

DASH support for CIHR Spring Project grant

Researchers interested in using multi-regional health data in their CIHR Spring Project Grant applications have until February 18 to get support from HDRN Canada’s Data Access Support Hub (DASH) Team, including cost estimates, feasibility confirmation and letters of support. Learn more about how DASH can help.

Dr. Kim McGrail, a smiling white woman with long brown hair and glasses. Claire Bertan, a smiling white woman with dark brown hair. Text reads: Putting Patients First. Thursday, March 3. Logos for Putting Patients First and Health Data Research Network Canada are at bottom.

Don't miss HDRN Canada at Putting Patients First

HDRN Canada CEO Dr. Kim McGrail and Public Advisory Council member Claire Bertran will present on advancing multi-regional health research as part of the SPOR community and the unique perspectives brought by patients and the public to uses of health data at Putting Patients First on March 3 in Vancouver and online.

Get free expert advice for your research project!

Planning a multi-regional research project? Connect with HDRN Canada data scientists during Office Hours for expert advice at the planning stage of your work. Review your research question, explore available datasets, receive guidance on study design and learn how HDRN Canada can support your research. Book a session today!

Just announced! Health Data for All of Us keynote

Teri Price, co-founder of Greg's Wings, has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for HDRN Canada's public forum, Health Data for All of Us: Our Health Data Journey, taking place on April 21 in Ottawa and online. Teri will share the tragic story of her brother Greg, who died as a result of critical health information not being shared.

International Day of Women & Girls in Science

HDRN Canada marked International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11 by celebrating women leaders, including Dr. Lisa Lix and Robyn Kydd, whose work is strengthening health data research across Canada. Learn more about their work advancing pan-Canadian data harmonization and embedding equity into health data.

Upcoming Events

Unlocking Research Potential with SK Healthcare Data | FEBRUARY 27 | Virtual

Discover how the Saskatchewan Health Research Data Platform is transforming the health research landscape. Check out this webinar to learn more about the province's first fully integrated, multi-agency data access platform, which opens new pathways for collaboration, innovation and access to multi-regional health data.

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Learning from Ontario’s success
MARCH 4 | Virtual

Join the upcoming BC Policy Solutions webinar to learn how Ontario's Community Health Centres demonstrate a successful local, not-for-profit primary care model that combines medical care with prevention-focused and community-based social supports to address service gaps by offering multiple services in one place.

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Dr. Amy Freir, a smiling white woman with blonde curly hair and glasses. Text reads: Patient Engagement Lunchtime Learning. Public Engagement and Data Equity. Approaching inclusion in administrative data studies. March 10.

Public Engagement & Data Equity
MARCH 10 | Virtual

How do we meaningfully connect with communities while working with health data? Join HDRN Canada's IDEA Team Lead, Dr. Amy Freier, at this upcoming webinar hosted by the George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation to explore how public engagement and data equity intersect.

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Admin data & substance use disorder
MARCH 26 | Virtual

How do social and institutional factors influence the coding of hospital administrative data for populations with substance use disorders? Jeffrey Morgan will explore how power relations, institutional priorities, and everyday "data work" influence what is recorded in the patient record.

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Publications

Did virtual care change drug prescribing practices?

HDRN Canada CEO and Scientific Director, Dr. Kim McGrail, co-authored a scoping review in PLOS Digital Health that examined whether doctors' prescribing practices have changed since 2020. Whether doctors saw patients in-person or virtually, it didn't change the number of prescribed antibiotics and other medicines.

Rise in prevalence and incidence of autism in Manitoba

Using linked, whole-population administrative and clinical data, a study co-authored by HDRN Canada Executive member Dr. Nathan Nickel found statistically significant year-over-year increases in both prevalence and incidence rates of autism in children and adolescents in Manitoba from 2011-2022.

News from Across the Network

Decline in organ donation & transplant activity

New data from CIHI's Canadian Organ Donation and Transplantation Data System show that in 2024, organ donation and transplant activity across the country declined for the first time in five years. There was a 6.3 percent decrease in organ donation compared to 2023, with 4,044 Canadians waiting for a transplant.

Equity-oriented health workforce planning

New research from DataNB shows how population-based data sources, like national census data, can be used to monitor health workforce imbalances by geography, gender and other equity-oriented characteristics to inform evidence-informed planning by health leaders and organizations.

Neighbourhood income influences surgical outcomes

A cohort study from ICES using linked health administrative data shows how the social determinants of health, including neighbourhood income, affect surgical outcomes. Patients living in the lowest-income neighbourhoods were 43 percent more likely to die within 30 days of elective surgery than those living in high-income areas.

L'Unité de soutien SSA Québec annual report

What are the priorities, programs and future vision of Unité de soutien SSA Quebec? Check out their interactive 2024-2025 Annual Report to learn more about their achievements in training, mentoring and tool building as well as their role in bridging science, experience, practice and public policy.