SAR PEP is Quebec’s (and Canada’s) first early psychosis learning health system that continually collects and uses data to improve services. This project started in 2019. But, learning health systems started gaining traction much later, with Quebec and Canadian health and research agencies identifying these as a top priority.
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SAR PEP, funded initially by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé and now supported by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), unites Quebec’s early intervention services for psychosis; patient and family partners; clinicians and researchers; and the MSSS (through the involvement of the MSSS-appointed implementation advisor for early psychosis programs in the province). SAR PEP started with 11 programs and has since been scaled up to include more and more of the province’s 33 programs.
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SAR PEP serves as a platform for identifying gaps and initiating actions to address prioritized gaps. A fantastic example of this is PAIR-PEP, launched in 2023, whereby patient and family peer support is being embedded into the original 11 programs that were part of SAR PEP. This is exciting because peer support was offered by less than a handful of early psychosis programs in Quebec until this project. PAIR PEP also represents a rare, ambitious attempt at integrating and fostering peer support across an entire system.
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Together, SAR PEP, MAP and MAP-PRO are helping mobilize partners across the country towards a pan-Canadian learning health system for early psychosis. They are also seen as Canadian exemplars in an emerging international movement around measurement-based care and learning health systems in early psychosis.
Partners & Collaborators
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AQPPEP
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Réseau des diplomés et des donateurs de l’UdeM
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Fondation du CHUM
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Centre de recherche du Douglas
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MEDTEQ+
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Centre de recherche CERVO
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Centre de recherche sur les soins et les services de première ligne de l’Université Laval
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Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux Québec (MSSS)
Investigators
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Amal Abdel-Baki, MD, FRCPC, M.Sc. CHUM Research Centre (Principal investigator)
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Srividya Iyer, PhD (co-principal investigator), Douglas Research Centre
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Manuela Ferrari, MHSc, PhD (co-principal investigator)
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Marc-André Roy, MD, FRCPC (co-principal investigator)
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Annie Leblanc, PhD (co-principal investigator)
Funders
Fonds de soutien à l’innovation en santé et services sociaux