PHC CREST

The PHC Centre for Research Training for Nursing and Allied Health (CREST) supports evidence-informed clinical practice and ongoing patient care improvements by offering education, initiatives, programs, and awards that engage clinicians in research and knowledge translation. With roots in the Professional Practice at PHC, our aim is to create quality practice environments for staff by supporting professional development that positions nursing and allied health staff as leaders of clinically meaningful research and implementation to improve the way we provide care.

Our objectives include: 

• Develop and administer research capacity-building programs for point-of-care clinicians
• Provide opportunities (funding, training, resources, and mentorship) to point-of-care clinicians to conduct small-scale research projects, or to develop initiatives that move evidence into practice
• Provide expertise to allied health and nursing professionals in their research and/or knowledge translation projects
• Liaise with internal and external partners to promote and advance research, create partnerships, and raise the profile of nurse-led and allied health-led research at PHC and in the wider health care community

The annual PHC Practice-based Research Challenge, which started in 2011, is an award-winning competition open to point-of-care PHC staff. Aimed at those who are new to research, the Research Challenge provides the support and mentorship to develop a research proposal around a clinically relevant research question. Participants learn basic research skills alongside other teams and apply for funding to conduct a small-scale research project that investigates an issue in their day-to-day practice.

Evaluation of the Research Challenge has shown positive impacts on participants, including better adoption of evidence-based practice and employee engagement. In addition, PHC has adopted a number of practice changes that originally stemmed from the Research Challenge (see infographic). Evaluations have been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals.

The Knowledge Translation (KT) Challenge is designed to support point-of-care clinicians to move evidence into practice. Participants are provided training, mentorship, and funding  to develop contextually relevant and evidence-based implementation strategies to make a meaningful practice change. The KT Challenge has been offered at PHC since 2016, and has expanded into a joint collaboration with Vancouver Coastal Health, BC Cancer, Fraser Health, and Northern Health.

The goal of the KT Challenge is to offer health care professionals an opportunity to lead the practice change they wish to see in their health care setting.

Want to find out more about the impact of the KT Challenge initiative at PHC? Read our evaluation papers published in Implementation Science Journal and Journal of Advanced Nursing.

The PHC Practical Knowledge Translation series (formerly known as the PHC Knowledge Translation Community of Practice) welcomes clinicians, researchers, and other PHC staff members to learn about creative and effective ways to improve patient care through sharing research evidence and best practices.

Practical Knowledge Translation lectures are held three times a year, roughly in January, May, and October. All are welcome to join – either in-person or via Zoom. Past topics have included:

• Best Practices in Documentation: Using Cerner to Support Patient Care and Meet Professional Standards for Documentation
• Truth Telling Through Patient Journey Mapping - Looking Back to Improve the Path Forward for Indigenous Patients
• Diabetes in the Modern World: For Clinicians
• Promoting Mental Health through Exercise: Tips for Clinicians and Patients
• Indigenous Cultural Safety at the SPH Emergency Department
• An Ethical Approach to Supporting Choices When There are Potential Risks of Harm

CREST will offer dedicated awards and fellowships to support point-of-care clinicians to engage in research and implementation. These awards will be developed according to available funding and voiced needs of the organization. They will require application and will be administered through a review process.