BACK AND SPINE PROJECT

PROVINCIAL WORKING GROUP FORMED TO GUIDE AND MANAGE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW BACK AND SPINE HEALTH CARE MODEL

The Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute (ABJHI) is proposing to provide design, implementation and evaluation expertise for a new back and spine health care model that would be developed with physicians and other health care providers from across the province’s health regions.

The new model would encompass the entire continuum of care, from prevention through non-surgical and surgical care, as well as recovery, rehabilitation and ongoing wellness.  The proposal is being developed in response to a desire by the Alberta Orthopaedic Society and the health regions to make improved back and spine health care services a priority. 

A Provincial Spine Care Strategy Steering Group has been formed that includes back and spine physicians from Edmonton and Calgary, a senior representative from each of Alberta’s nine health regions, and a team from ABJHI.  Supported by the newly established Provincial Orthopaedic Advisory Committee, the Strategy Steering Group would guide and manage development of the new back and spine health care model.

The ABJHI team, led by Darlene Schindel, Senior Advisor – Knowledge Translation, has mapped out how back and spine health care is currently delivered in Alberta and is identifying evidence-based best practices around the world.

The Strategy Steering Group has reviewed the initial work and findings of the ABJHI and discussed the scope and magnitude of the project, and is developing plans for carrying out its mandate. The Strategy Steering Group intends to create a model of back and spine care that significantly improves access, quality and efficiency in the public system, and advances research and knowledge to ensure the care patients receive is effective.

Would you like to support the Institute’s work in back and spine health care?  For information on how to donate, please click on the link to the right.