RCCbc Research

Rural health research contributes to a collective understanding of rural healthcare challenges and solutions. It’s important for this research to be conducted in rural communities by those with a deep understanding of the context and an ability to ask the right questions. RCCbc partners with universities and health authorities to support research by rural doctors, residents and medical trainees. We offer grants, along with assistance in developing research proposals, methodologies and dissemination plans.

“The 10-15-minute [BCRHRx] presentation style met my needs! The quick rotation between the presentations kept me engaged as each presentation highlighted the key findings within an individual's research. The virtual Zoom format was a great option, as it allowed me to attend the conference without having to factor in travel and costs.”

BC Rural Health Research Exchange presenter

Achievements

Research success

The fourth annual, BC Rural Health Research Exchange (BCRHRx) was held in November 2023, and brought together 24 virtual presentations on rural research from across the province, and over 100 registered attendees. 

Watch the 2023 presentations below.

Clinical trials

Supported the establishment of a clinical research unit in Cranbrook, B.C., which has not been previously reported in a rural community. Dr. Denise Jaworsky, with the support of the RCCbc Interior Node, was successful in procuring funding from the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Portfolio Hospital program, which has allowed for the recruitment of clinical research coordinators to support clinical research at East Kootenay Regional Hospital. The unique model aims to engage community and build research capacity within the East Kootenay region. 

Co-creation of RTVS research

The research team built capacity for a sustainable and equitable healthcare workforce in rural, remote and Indigenous communities by implementing an innovative team-based hybrid care Team Grant Submission for funding to Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) funding.  The enthusiastic group from RCCbc made the daunting decision to co-create, write and submit a study looking at how RTVS supports care in rural.  The team successfully pulled together 29 people from across BC to develop a research question, write a proposal and go through the process of completing the many steps to applying for this prestigious and competitive Pan-Canadian grant. The grant team continues to meet in preparation for a decision from CIHR in the Spring of 2024. Regardless of if the research is funded, the success of this project is how well the team came together to draft this proposal -many of whom had not attempted this type of activity previously. 

Posters launched

Supporting the sharing of 17 rural research posters at the 2023 Rural Health Conference (RHC).  

Highlighting rural research

In partnership with Interior Health’s department of research, RCCbc supported rural research during IH Research Week 2023, highlighting four unique and exciting rural researchers in BC. 

Evaluation of Echo project

The Virtual Echocardiography project wrapped up in December. This was an evaluation study that captured the perceptions and experience of physician trainees, trainers and project leadership team of a two-day intensive training and then use of this training over a 12 month period. The finding of the study were shared at an online event in November 2023. The Project team is now in the process of writing a manuscript to share the results from this study more broadly.  

Transport and emergency health studies

Researchers from RCCbc made progress on studies into emergency transport and rural emergency health services innovation in 2023. For the transport study, 31 interviews were completed: 16 providers, 9 decision-makers, and 6 patients. The study into innovation was to better to understand current innovations, benefits, and challenges rural communities face, such as access to emergency care, transport, and related costs.

Explore the numbers

100+ BCRHRx registrations

The 2023 virtual BC Rural Health Research Exchange (BCRHRx) was received 100 registered attendees.

29 People

A group of 29 people co-created a research question in order to access Canadian Institute for Health Research funding for an RTVS study.

31 Interviews

31 interviews were completed for the transport study.

12 month evaluation

An evaluation study of the Virtual Echocardiography study looked at usage of skills over a 12-month period.

Making a Difference

Supporting rural health services through regional networks: Observations of a formalized model

System interventions to support rural access to maternity care: an analysis of the rural surgical obstetrical networks program

Real-time virtual supports improving health equity and access in British Columbia

Rural family physician use of point-of-care ultrasonography: experiences of primary care providers in British Columbia, Canada

Plans for the Future

The research team will continue to build capacity for rural health research. Opportunities for knowledge translation will continue to be developed. Plans include staging the BCRHRx in 2024 and the display of rural research posters at RHC in May 2024 in Whistler, BC. The group will also continue to increase alignment with the Rural Physician Research Grant Program to showcase RCCbc supported research.  Further funding grants, if successful, will expand the scope and reach of the East Kootenay Regional Hospital’s rural clinical research program. The site will soon welcome its first clinical trial in 2024. 