CAN-RIST
The Canadian Rheumatology Implementation Science Team (CAN-RIST) is a team of researchers, providers and persons with lived experiences who have partnered with the ORA to generate actionable evidence to guide implementation, spread, and scale of interdisciplinary models of rheumatology care and other best practices in a sustainable manner across Ontario.
In 2023, under the Transforming Health with Integrated Care (THINC) initiative, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), in collaboration with various partners, invested $26.6 million to support 13 Implementation Science Teams (ISTs) and the Network for Integrated Care Excellence (NICE) Canada (a knowledge mobilization and impact hub to support amplifying key learnings and ensure transformative positive changes are made through the implementation of effective integrated care policies).
The ISTs that proposed the most promising solutions to transform integrated care models across Canada were selected across diverse areas (primary care, mental health, respiratory health, other clinical areas with complex care needs). Evaluating, implementing, spreading and scaling team-based models of rheumatology care was identified as a policy priority to improve integrated care.
CAN-RIST’s efforts are currently concentrated in Ontario, with the goal to share learnings to support the broader, equitable uptake of rheumatology-integrated care research and practices across Canada.
