Tracey Carr

University of Saskatchewan | U of S · Department of Community Health and Epidemiology

The purpose of this scoping review was to map the literature on the relationship between cultural continuity and health among Métis people as well as how this knowledge could be translated into cancer prevention initiatives. We included any Métis-specific literature evaluating connections between culture, health, and well-being. We conducted electr...

Background In Canada, the Public Health Agency surveillance of new HIV cases has demonstrated annual increasing rates since 2020. The rates of new HIV cases are highest in the province of Saskatchewan. Objectives The aim of the project was to conduct a resident-oriented realist evaluation of an innovative supportive housing programme, Sanctum, for...

Introduction The failed or partial implementation of clinical practices negatively impacts patient safety and increases systemic inefficiencies. Implementation of sepsis screening guidelines has been undertaken in many settings with mixed results. Without a theoretical understanding of what leads to successful implementation, improving implementati...

Background The Developmental Evaluation of a COVID-19 vaccination program was an early response to assess a complex emergent mass vaccination program to support learning and adaptation. Objective The primary objective of a multi-disciplinary team of researcher-evaluators was to facilitate organizational learning among key stakeholders to improve d...

Background Cancer incidence has increased for First Nations and Métis Peoples in Canada over recent years. Despite a growing cancer burden, there remain challenges to accessing culturally appropriate and quality care in Saskatchewan. Objective The study aimed to explore, from cancer survivors’ perspectives, the potential of Indigenous patient navi...

Background When the COVID-19 vaccination program started in Saskatchewan, Canada, there was a need to understand what worked or did not work during the vaccination pilot phase that took place in Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert to plan for improved vaccine uptake. This evaluation study had three objectives: a) to document the vaccination implem...

Background: Health care delivery shifted rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereby virtual consultations replaced many face-to-face interactions. We sought to gather patient perspectives on their experiences with virtual surgical consultation, the advantages and disadvantages of this delivery method and their overall satisfaction with virtual...

Background Vaccine hesitancy presents a challenge to public health, especially during a global pandemic. Understanding reasons for vaccine hesitancy in local populations may help policymakers and public health practitioners increase vaccine uptake. Objective We surveyed individuals receiving a COVID-19 vaccine and immunizers in Saskatchewan, Canad...

Introduction Evaluating a learning health system (LHS) encourages continuous system improvement and collaboration within the healthcare system. Although LHS is a widely accepted concept, there is little knowledge about evaluating an LHS. To explore the outputs and outcomes of an LHS model, we evaluated the COVID‐19 Evidence Support Team (CEST) in S...

In spring 2020, Indigenous communities in north-west Saskatchewan, Canada, experienced the first significant outbreak of COVID-19. Through the collective efforts of public health measures by local, provincial, federal, and community partners, COVID-19 impacts were mitigated, and the severity of the outbreak in north-west Saskatchewan was limited. T...

Purpose: Clinical Pathways (CPWs) are multidisciplinary, evidence-based, complex interventions designed to standardize patient care. In Saskatchewan, development, implementation and evaluation of the seven provincial CPWs (Hip & Knee, Spine, Pelvic Floor, Prostate Assessment, Fertility Care, Lower Extremity Wound Care and Acute Stroke) present sig...

Objective: To explore and catalog ways Indigenous Traditional Healing practices are supported within the mainstream healthcare system through policies and programs in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Data sources: A scoping review was conducted, guided by the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews. Databases for sources of information include C...

Given that the health care system for Indigenous people tends to be complex, fragmented, and multi-jurisdictional, their cancer experiences may be especially difficult. This needs assessment study examined system-level barriers and community strengths regarding cancer care experiences of Indigenous people in Saskatchewan. Guided by an advisory comm...

Much of the existing Indigenous cancer research focuses on First Nation populations or reports on pan-Indigenous data that include First Nations, Métis, and Inuit metrics together, which fails to capture the distinct lived realities, experiences of colonialism, and culture of each Indigenous group. The purpose of this scoping review was to summariz...

Background Patient-oriented research affords individuals with opportunities to genuinely contribute to health care research as members of research teams. While checklists and frameworks can support academic researchers’ awareness of patient engagement methods, less guidance appears available to support their understanding of how to develop and main...

Background: There is an urgent need to inform decision-making and safe delivery of vaccines in a timely manner. Our objective is to describe the methods we used to perform a patient-oriented realist evaluation of COVID-19 vaccination implementation in Saskatchewan, Canada, in order to understand the underlying mechanisms and contexts of vaccinatio...

Background In Saskatchewan, Canada, Indigenous cancer care services at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels are intended to improve quality care but can result in a complex, fragmented, and multi-jurisdictional health care system. A multi-phase needs assessment project was initiated to document Indigenous cancer care needs. Guided by Indig...

Background: As rates of advanced imaging for lower back pain continue to increase, there is a need to ensure appropriateness of imaging. The goal of this project was to reduce the number of inappropriate MRI and CT requests for lower back pain patients and facilitate appropriate imaging by developing a combined imaging appropriateness checklist fo...

Introduction The COVID‐19 Evidence Support Team (CEST) was a provincial initiative that combined the support of policymakers, researchers, and clinical practitioners to initiate a new learning health cycle (LHS) in response to the pandemic. The primary aim of CEST was to produce and sustain the best available COVID‐19 evidence to facilitate decisio...

Introduction Housing instability and homelessness are significant barriers to medical treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. For these individuals, lack of stable housing and stigma is associated with insufficient access to care, poor adherence to medication and higher cost burdens to the healthcare system. This protocol reports on the efforts...

Background: despite the efforts of multiple stakeholders to promote appropriate care throughout the healthcare system, studies show that two out of three lower back pain (LBP) patients expect to receive imaging. We used the Choosing Wisely Canada patient-oriented framework, prioritizing patient engagement, to develop an intervention that addresses...

The COVID-19 Evidence Support Team (CEST) was a provincial initiative that combined the support of COVID-19 response partners, policymakers, researchers, and clinical practitioners to initiate a new learning cycle in response to the pandemic. The primary aim of CEST was to meet the urgent need for producing and sustaining the best available evidenc...

Background: Although disparities in cancer rates, later diagnoses and lower survival rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people have been documented, little is known about how Indigenous patients with cancer encounter the health care system. We explored perceptions and experiences of Indigenous patients with cancer and their families to und...

Introduction: As rates of advanced imaging for lower back pain (LBP) continue to increase, there is a need to ensure appropriateness of imaging. The goal of this study was to reduce the number of inappropriate MRI and CT requests for LBP patients and facilitate appropriate imaging by developing a combined imaging appropriateness checklist for lumba...

Background: In Saskatchewan, Canada, Indigenous cancer care services at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels are intended to improve quality care but can result in a complex, fragmented, and multi-jurisdictional health care system. A multi-phase needs assessment project was initiated to document Indigenous cancer care needs. Guided by Indi...

Background: In Saskatchewan, Canada, Indigenous cancer care services at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels are intended to improve quality care but can result in a complex, fragmented, and multi-jurisdictional health care system. A multi-phase needs assessment project was initiated to document Indigenous cancer care needs. Guided by Indi...

Introduction: The prevalence of cancer is increasing among Indigenous peoples in Canada. To enhance quality of life of those Indigenous people affected by cancer, their decision-making experiences must be understood. This article presents the findings of a qualitative study exploring the treatment decision-making practices among Indigenous peoples...

Background: The patient-oriented research (POR) discourse has been criticized as being fragmented, lacking consistent terminology and having few evaluative studies. Our research team will use rapid realist review methodology to generate broad, process-based program theory regarding how partnering patients with researchers in POR generates an impac...

Background: Shared Decision-making (SDM), a medical decision-making model, was popularized in the late 1980s in reaction to then predominate paternalistic decision-making, aiming to better meet the needs of patients. Extensive research has been conducted internationally examining the benefits of SDM implementation; however, existing theory on how...

Purpose: The objectives of this quality improvement study were: a) to develop Checklists for healthcare professionals to improve appropriateness of lumbar spine imaging orders and referrals in concordance with Choosing Wisely recommendations and guidelines; and b) to trial the Checklists, assessing their impact on reducing inappropriate imaging ord...

Introduction: How shared decision making (SDM) works with indigenous patient values and preferences is not well understood. Colonization has affected indigenous peoples' levels of trust with institutions, and their world view tends to be distinct from that of nonindigenous people. Building on a programme theory for SDM, the present research aims t...

Workplace harassment, from a labour process theoretic perspective, is a consequence of the convergence of several historical trends that affect the way work is organized under contemporary capitalism. On this view, interventions such as communication skills training, complaint procedures, and workplace policies have limited chance of eliminating ha...

The availability of several treatment options for prostate cancer creates a situation where patients may need to come to a shared decision with their health-care team regarding their care. Shared decision-making (SDM) is the concept of a patient and a health-care professional collaborating to make decisions about the patient’s treatment course. Nur...

Background: The procedures for breast reconstruction (BR) after mastectomy frequently initiate a difficult recovery period. A better understanding of women's support needs after surgery would improve patient care. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify patients' support needs after BR. Methods: In a retrospective study design, 21 par...

Background: Although many women benefit from breast reconstruction after mastectomy, several studies report women's dissatisfaction with the level of information they were provided with before reconstruction. Objective: The present meta-synthesis examines the qualitative literature that explores women's experiences of breast reconstruction after...

Realist synthesis techniques can be used to assess complex interventions by extracting and synthesizing configurations of contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes found in the literature. Our novel and multi-pronged approach to the realist synthesis of workplace harassment interventions describes our pursuit of theory to link macro and program level theo...

Background The practicality of applying evidence to healthcare systems with the aim of implementing change is an ongoing challenge for practitioners, policy makers, and academics. Shared decision- making (SDM), a method of medical decision-making that allows a balanced relationship between patients, physicians, and other key players in the medical...

p>Attempts at resolution between former students of Indian residential schools and the non-Aboriginal Canadian population began with the signing of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement in 2006. The Settlement Agreement outlined provisions for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to document the stories of former students and for t...

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the palliative potential of home-based yoga sessions provided to women with advanced cancer. Method: Personalised 45-minute yoga sessions were offered to three women with advanced cancer by an experienced yoga teacher. Each woman took part in a one-to-one interview after the completio...

Assessing the current practices and learning and resource needs of primary health care professionals in regards to their alcohol risk assessment practices is an important step in providing optimal training and educational methods. Needs and current practices in alcohol risk assessment of pregnant women and women of child bearing years may vary acco...

While many community initiatives have attempted to assess the nature and determinants of their citizens’ quality of life (QOL), these initiatives have produced little about whether the key determinants of life quality differ by gender. Using both quantitative and qualitative data from a recent QOL research project in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada...

This paper undertakes an intra-urban comparison of quality of life (QOL) for three sets of neighbourhoods in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The objective of the paper is to determine how the characteristics of different neighbourhoods or locales influence QOL for persons of similar socioeconomic status (SES). It is part of a larger project that uses a mu...

This article describes a study designed to examine the coping behaviors, personality, and mood characteristics of 150 nonhospitalized adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Self-report questionnaires and interviews were used to collect the data. Coping responses were measured with the Jalowiec Coping Scale. The Eysenck Personality Questionna...

This article describes a study designed to examine the coping behaviors, personality, and mood characteristics of 150 nonhospitalized adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Self-report questionnaires and interviews were used to collect the data. Coping responses were measured with the Jalowiec Coping Scale. The Eysenck Personality Questionna...

A major purpose of this survey was to describe the impact of inflammatory bowel disease on the daily life of 150 nonhospitalized adults. A complementary purpose was to examine patient characteristics and their relationship to perceived impact. Self-report questionnaires and interviews were used to collect the data. Most patients reported a low to m...