Your Impact on Research and Innovation (R&I)

By encouraging unique and depthful collaborations between clinicians and researchers at North York General (NYGH), the R&I program aims to translate their insights into improved care, safety, and health outcomes for patients and families.

From preventing and detecting hidden health issues to improving support for patients in and out of the hospital — this is research that has the power to change lives.

Here are a number of pressing problems that are being solved at NYGH thanks to the generosity of our donor community:

Your Impact on Research and Innovation (R&I)

From preventing and detecting hidden health issues to improving support for patients in and out of the hospital — this is research that has the power to change lives.

Here are a number of pressing problems that are being solved at NYGH thanks to the generosity of our donor community:

Preventing and Detecting Hidden Health Issues

Not all health issues are easily detectable. These research projects are leveraging the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help identify and in some cases even prevent hidden health issues:

Detecting Hidden Heart Attacks

Dr. Ervin Sejdić, Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence for Health Outcomes at NYGH, collaborated with researchers from the University of Pittsburgh on a project that utilizes AI to identify patients who have had hidden heart attacks. By analyzing complex ECG tracing features, the team developed an AI tool capable of identifying heart blockages beyond the classic ST elevation, aiming to improve timely diagnosis and treatment in clinical settings.

Using Smartphones to Help Prevent Falls

Supported by the Exploration Fund and the TD Laboratory for Smart Technologies for Early Prediction and Prevention, Dr. Sejdić’s team is working on an application that draws on the built-in accelerometer in smartphones to identify people at a high risk of falling. The accelerometer sends data to the app, which uses advanced machine learning algorithms to predict potential falls in patients. The team is testing the app on elderly patients in the Charlotte & Lewis Steinberg Emergency at NYGH and collecting data to build and refine the model.

(Read Using Smartphones to Prevent Falls for more information)

Improved Support for Patients and Families

NYGH is always striving to implement knowledge and new tools to ensure that patients have the support they need while in the hospital and after discharge.

Innovative Self-Management Tool to Support Older Adults

Dr. Monika Kastner, Chair in Knowledge Translation and Implementation, and her team have developed an online self-management tool to support older adults living with multiple chronic health conditions called KeepWell. The tool has been evaluated in a randomized controlled trial with approximately 400 older adults across Canada. Findings indicate that the KeepWell tool significantly increased physical activity, quality of life and e-health literacy. Dr. Kastner will now be applying for further funding for the next stage of the research, which is to partner with the North York Toronto Health Partners to implement and evaluate KeepWell in primary care practices within our catchment.

Exploring the Experience of Refugee Patients in the Emergency Department to Improve Care

Refugee patients come to the Charlotte & Lewis Steinberg Emergency at NYGH each day for care. Given their cultural background and life experiences, they may perceive and experience care differently from patients who grew up in Canada. Emergency medicine physician Dr. Rohit Mohindra teamed up with Dr. Katie Dainty, Chair in Patient-Centred Outcomes, to explore how we could better deliver culturally sensitive care to these patients. The team is currently analyzing the data, with results to be shared with the ED team at NYGH, as well as other EDs across Canada

A Digital Health App to Support Cardiac Arrest Survivors, Families and Lay Responders

For cardiac arrest survivors, families and lay responders, life following the event can be fraught with anxiety, depression, and other challenges. Dr. Dainty connected with a group of individuals with this lived experience, and with the support of with the Centre for Therapeutics at University Health Network and Engineering students from the University of Toronto, an app was created that would support others in the same situation. The app will allow users to receive information, track appointments, and symptoms and connect with other survivors. Currently, the team is in the end-user testing phase, after which they will develop a prototype for implementation.

Using Simulated Video Chat to Reduce Agitation in Patients with Delirium

Dr. Nihal Haque, a Geriatric Medicine Physician and Hospitalist, is leading an innovative project to address the stressful occasion of patients experiencing delirium in a hospital setting. With funding from the Exploration Fund, his team is using an AI application that takes input from photos, audio and video of family members to create an artificial video chat for patients on a mobile device. Through the program, patients receive orientation to their surroundings, comforting messages and cognitive stimulation through interesting trivia. The research is in development stage and the app is being finalized for a pilot study.

Seanna Millar, President & CEO, North York General Foundation

“Make no mistake, this research has the power to change lives. Each of the Chairs brings a different lens and expertise to our R&I program. I’m always inspired by their vision and their work.”

Seanna Millar
President & CEO
North York General Foundation

Increasing Surgical Safety

These research projects focus on optimizing safety when patients undergo surgery and reduce the possibility of clinical errors.

New Black Box Research Identifies Factors in Surgical Safety

With initial donor funding and a multi-year grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Dr. Patricia Trbovich, Badeau Family Research Chair in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement, and her team are continuing research on the Steinberg Surgical Safety Program. While the team analyzes NYGH operating room (OR) Black Box recordings to identify safety issues leading to surgical errors, this past year they took a closer look at how surgical teams respond to unexpected challenges. This new research has just been published in the Annals of Surgery journal. Moving forward, Dr. Trbovich and her team will be launching a pan-Canadian survey in the summer of 2024 to assess the prevalence of risks identified from the OR Black Box analysis in other hospitals.

Implementing the Improved Surgical Safety Checklist at NYGH

In 2022, Dr. Trbovich and her team analyzed OR Black Box recordings at NYGH to examine factors affecting the completion of Surgical Safety Checklists. Dr. Trbovich’s team led three workshops with surgical team members to refine the checklist. Based on these discussions, her team streamlined and reformatted the Surgical Safety Checklist to encourage all surgical staff to fully engage with it. In 2023, the redeveloped checklist was implemented in all the ORs at NYGH. Observations of over 180 surgeries showed more team members participated in the checklist review and the number of items reviewed increased by 29%. These positive results represent enhanced safety for patients in the OR, which will lead to better health outcomes.

Moving Research into Practice Faster

It can take up to 17 years for research to make its way into practice, but the field of knowledge mobilization and implementation can reduce this time to one to five years.

Translating Diabetes Research into Practice Sooner

This past year, Dr. Kastner and her research manager, Julie Makarski, have been leading the Diabetes Action Canada (DAC) Network’s Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Program, aimed at building capacity and capability to translate DAC’s research findings into practice more efficiently. To this end, the pair developed resources for DAC, including five plain language educational videos covering the basics of knowledge mobilization. DAC researchers and trainees have embraced the learning opportunities, with the videos garnering hundreds of views on DAC’s various social media platforms. Dr. Kastner and Ms. Makarski are planning to enhance the DAC KM Program’s resources this coming year.

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