In my travels across the country and around the globe as Academic Chair of the Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation, it has become clear that there are many impressive innovations emerging in every health system. However, it is also clear that there is no easy way for health professionals, policy makers or administrators to learn about innovations making an impact across the country, across the ocean or even across the street. This health system myopia is stifling our progress in achieving system transformation.
To overcome this challenge, the students and staff at the Centre reached out to stakeholders across sectors to acquire input into what an effective sharing platform might look like. The result was the creation of Innovatexchange, an interactive, user-generated map of innovations in health care across Canada and from around the world. This tool was designed to give health care stakeholders a snapshot of projects, trends and achievements in health systems innovation from across the country and around the world, and to provide an open forum for discussion.
Once an idea is populated to Innovatexchange, there is room for comments, suggestions, conversation and collaboration. The platform is designed to accommodate ideas that span the innovation life cycle, from ideas, to research, to deployment, to impact. Innovatexchange already houses more than 100 examples of innovations, and the momentum continues to build as health care stakeholders visit the site to contribute new projects and ideas, and learn from others.
Canada’s health care system is vast, and arriving at widespread innovation sharing among stakeholders requires more than one approach. The creation of multiple new tools that advance the sharing and adoption of innovation in Canada’s health system is something to be celebrated, which is why we are pleased to also be supporting the Health Council of Canada’s recently launched Health Innovation Portal. Our two complementary tools take different approaches, but have the same goal – to facilitate the sharing of innovation and improve Canada’s health care system.
To ensure sustainability, we must innovate by re-designing health services to achieve greater quality and efficacy. However, it is also essential that we do more than just innovate; we need to measure the impact of innovation at the health system level, and disseminate our findings broadly. At the International Centre for Health Innovation, it is our hope that through the creation of new knowledge sharing platforms, such as Innovatexchange and the Health Innovation Portal, we will create opportunities to connect with others and to encourage dialogue and potential partnerships between groups.
To submit an innovation or learn more about achievements already on the platform, visit: www.innovatexhchange.ca
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