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TRANSFORMING LONG-TERM CARE WITH REAL-TIME DATA
Colleen Webber, PhD sees how OnSPARK’s data can drive change
- Long-term care is an essential part of the health care system and an integral place of care for older adults. Home to thousands of older adults with complex healthcare needs, and high rates of cognitive and functional limitations, long-term care has its share of challenges, and difficult questions are faced every day.
How can unnecessary trips to the emergency department be avoided? Who would benefit from a palliative approach to care? What policies best protect residents' health? How can staffing strategies improve the quality of care?
“Data to answer those questions is at our fingertips,” says Colleen Webber, PhD, Investigator with the Bruyère Health Research Institute and the Research Lead of OnSPARK. “We can transform the sector by continuously identifying opportunities to strengthen care delivery.”
The forefront of health system change
- Health care generates an enormous amount of information. The challenge is transforming that information into practical insights that improve care.
At the centre of this work is OnSPARK, a collaborative data platform developed by Bruyère Health Research Institute, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Health System, and leading long-term care organizations. OnSPARK brings together electronic medical records, routine assessments, and staffing data from more than 200 long-term care homes across Ontario.
The platform offers near real-time insights into how care is delivered and where it can be improved, making it a powerful tool for quality improvement, research, and innovation in the sector.
“We can do more than manage residents’ needs,” says Webber. “We can improve care, reduce inequities, and ensure all decisions are informed by evidence and guided by the best available data.”
“We can do more than manage residents’ needs. We can improve care, reduce inequities, and ensure all decisions are informed by evidence and guided by the best available data.”
Colleen Webber, PhD
Investigator, Bruyère Health Research Institute
Research Lead, OnSPARK
Addressing the sector’s top priorities
- Working closely with long-term care providers and health system leaders ensures that research reflect real-world priorities.
Webber’s own research explores access to and quality of palliative care in long-term care, including the development of quality indicators that homes can use to guide improvement efforts and support future research.
She is also committed to better understanding the experiences of older adults living with serious mental illness, who often face barriers to high-quality care. By identifying these gaps, she hopes to help ensure that care is responsive to the needs of all residents, particularly those who have been historically overlooked.
“Long-term care is at a turning point in Canada,” says Webber. “By combining high-quality data with strong partnerships and a shared commitment to improvement, we can build a future where data supports smarter decisions, continuous learning, and better care for every resident.”
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