Evidence2Practice Ontario
In 2021, the Ontario government launched Evidence2Practice (E2P) – an innovative program aimed at improving patient outcomes and supporting health providers by introducing easy-to-use, standardized digital tools embedded with the latest clinical evidence.
E2P will make it easier for health providers to access the information they need, when they need it, to guide how they treat patients. For example, E2P tools will guide physicians and nurse practitioners through the process of selecting the most appropriate medications to treat heart failure, which will contribute to better recovery and overall quality of life.
Funded by Ontario Health, E2P is part of the Ontario Government’s Digital Health First Strategy.
The program is co-led by North York General Hospital (NYGH) for acute care (hospitals), and the Centre for Effective Practice and the eHealth Centre of Excellence for primary care (e.g. physician and nurse practitioner clinics, family health teams).
North York General Hospital is the Acute Care Leader of E2P
Named by Newsweek as Canada’s number one community academic hospital and one of the World’s Best Smart Hospitals, North York General Hospital is proud to be the hospital lead for the E2P program in Ontario. We are collaborating with hospitals across Ontario to design and implement easy-to-use digital tools embedded with the latest evidence to improve patient care and the overall patient and family experience for some of the most common and debilitating health conditions.
Some examples of how E2P will improve patient care:
- Development of new, electronic screening tools for mental health professionals to assess and measure a patient’s symptoms of depression or anxiety disorders, then track their progress after each treatment/intervention (e.g. medication).
- New automatic prompts – based on the latest evidence – will guide physicians and nurse practitioners through the decision-making process when selecting the most effective medications to treat heart failure.
- Early identification of patients at risk for prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, followed by individualized patient education information and referral to a health provider.
- Supports the transfer of patient information (through a comprehensive summary of their treatment and follow-up care) to the hospital’s patient electronic health record.
Since the E2P program was introduced, 19 hospitals in Ontario (ranging in size and location) have implemented the standardized, digital tools to support the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure; type 2 diabetes and prediabetes; and depression and anxiety disorders.
Although the adoption of E2P is still very recent, several health providers and patients are already seeing positive changes.
Here’s what some hospitals have to say about E2P:
The current challenge is that it takes months, or even years, to bring new evidence generated through research, into clinical guidelines, and then put it into practice. Because of this lengthy process, some patients may not receive the best possible care based on the latest research. By embedding standardized tools that reflect the latest evidence into our information system, E2P shortens this process ensuring health providers have access to the latest information to guide their treatment.
— Dr. Ilan Lenga, Chief Information Officer at Lakeridge Health and Regional Chief Medical Information Officer with the Central East Ontario Clinical Information System
We recently had a patient who scored very high for symptoms of depression and anxiety. After several weeks of attending outpatient group therapy for depression, we were surprised to see that this patient’s score for anxiety was increasing which meant that her anxiety was getting worse. Because of E2P’s digital tools and having easy access to compare her scores, we were able to connect with the patient and her psychiatrist much earlier and re-assess her diagnosis. After she was given a different diagnosis, we were able to develop a new treatment plan. We were pleased to see that her anxiety score went down fairly quickly.
— Dr. Danielle Rice, Clinical and Health Psychologist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
We were excited to sign on to E2P because we saw this project as an opportunity to enhance the patient experience, which is always our top priority. [Through E2P], we have enhanced our discharge plans to make them more patient friendly. Now patients know exactly when to take their medications, when their follow-up appointments would be and what they need to do to remain healthy. We believe these changes introduced by E2P are empowering patients with their self-care and building confidence in their treatment plan, which in turn translates into better patient care.
— Rio Anzolin, Operations Manager in the Mental Health Department at Windsor Regional Hospital