Dr. William Connors (Division of Infectious Diseases) receives 2023 VCHRI Innovation and Translational Research Award

Awards are open to health care professionals, clinicians and researchers throughout VCH and PHC’s health care and research facilities.

The intent of this competition is to fund innovative research that will:

• have an impact on patient care at VCH and/or PHC
• provide savings for the health system at VCH and/or PHC
• create a medical device and/or commercial opportunities from pre-existing research outcomes

Taking innovative research from concept to application is critical for improving health care systems and the well-being of patients. VCHRI is proud to support investigators and their groundbreaking health research with the Innovation and Translational Research Awards. This year’s recipients are using new techniques and emerging technologies to advance patient outcomes and enhance patient-practitioner connectedness in the era of COVID-19. 

For all award winners, please visit VCHRI

Improving health system outcomes with an out-patient parenteral antibiotic therapy outcome registry

Dr. William Connors, Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases
Study: Out-patient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy – Clinical Outcomes Registry and Evaluation (OPAT-CORE)
Funded by: Providence Research and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute

Out-patient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) programs have produced a safe and cost-effective way to administer intravenous antibiotics in outpatient or community-based settings. To further maximize patient and health system benefits, the research team is developing an OPAT clinical outcome registry across St. Paul’s, Lion’s Gate, and Vancouver General Hospitals.

This registry will capture clinical data and standardized outcome measures from CST-Cerner across OPAT programs, and will be used to analyze overall trends in participant characteristics and outcomes, predictors of outcomes, and comparisons between program sites. 

“The OPAT-CORE study will provide reliable infrastructure for quality improvement and clinical research projects across sites,” says Dr. Connors. “The resulting registry will have positive impacts on patient safety and outcomes, and contribute to effective health system development, resource allocation and future health care and industry collaborations.”