In a learning health system, patients, their families, community members, health care providers and researchers work together to improve health care. In a learning health system, information is collected from people about their health and care experiences, and then teams of health care providers, researchers, patients, caregivers, community members and leaders come together to study that information along with other evidence to co-create possible solutions. These teams then try out their solutions, collect feedback and data about their impact, and use what they learn to improve care for everyone.
Researchers at the Institute for Better Health brought together a group of patients, caregivers and community members from across Canada to create an easy-to-understand comic strip that explains what a learning health system is and how it connects to common health care journeys. The team held two virtual workshops where we brainstormed ways to explain learning health systems in simple language, explored accessible ways to share this information and co-designed the comic strip shown above that can be used to share the concept with the public.
The co-development of this resource is described in “Co-creating an everyday language illustration of learning health systems alongside patient, caregiver, and community partners” in the Learning Health Systems journal.
Anyone is welcome to download and use this comic strip to support conversations about learning health systems. To get in touch with the team who created it, please contact us.
Simple Key Points:
- A learning health system learns as it goes: Every time someone visits a care provider, gets a test, receives treatment or shares their experience, information is used to understand what works best and where improvements are needed.
- A learning health system shares what it learns: The knowledge gained is shared quickly with health care providers and leaders so they can make better decisions.
- Everyone benefits: Patients get care that is always improving, and health systems learn how to be more effective, efficient and person-centred.
- A learning health system is a team effort: Patients, caregivers, community members, health care providers and researchers, all work together to improve care and health outcomes.
The figure above illustrates how a learning health system can be centred on the priorities and experiences of patients and families. Health care providers, leaders, researchers, and patients and caregivers work together to study problems and improve care.
From: Greene, SM, et al. 2019 We’ve Only Just Begun – Insights from a 25-Year Journey to Accelerate Health Care Transformation Through Delivery System Research. eGEMs (Generating Evidence & Methods to improve patient outcomes), 7(1): 19, pp. 1–6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/egems.310
To learn more, you can read about a Learning Health System Action Framework co-created by researchers and a patient partner at the Institute for Better Health and Ontario Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Support Unit.
This work was supported by:
And produced in partnership with:
We would like to acknowledge and thank the thirteen patient, caregiver and community partners from across Canada who collaboratively co-designed the comic strip.