Best Practice Day 2006

Welcome to the post-conference web page of Best Practices Day 2006. This web page is designed to further promote the Best Practices Day objectives of knowledge transfer and dissemination. On this page you will find the presentations of some of the speakers. A special thank you to presenters for their permission to share their presentations here.

Overview of Best Practices Day 2006
Conference presentations
Favourites and feedback
Sponsors
Planning committee

Overview of Best Practices Day 2006

The sixth annual GTA Rehab Network Best Practices Day ~ Empowering Best Practices: Rehabilitation in a Changing System ~ was held on February 28, 2006 at the Old Mill Inn and Spa in Toronto, Ontario.

For the first time ever, the GTA Rehab Network partnered with rehabilitation leaders in Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Kingston and Sudbury to bring a provincial focus to the program. With over 315 clinical, research and policy management professionals in attendance from across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond, it was a successful day of information sharing, community building and learning.

Plenary sessions began with opening remarks by Ms. Tina Smith, Chair of the GTA Rehab Network, and included a keynote address by Ms. Cathy Fooks, Executive Director of the Health Council of Canada and Mr. Barry Monaghan, CEO of Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). Delegates had the opportunity to hear the perspective of a local hero, patient and advocate, Louise Russo. There was also an outstanding panel, entitled "From Transformation to 2020," consisting of Dr. Jim MacLean, MOHLTC Lead for the Family Health Teams, Mr. Matthew Anderson, Chief Operating Officer of the University Health Network, and Dr. Geoff Fernie, Vice-President, Research at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.

Best Practices Day 2006 featured 15 outstanding podium presentations which were selected from over 120 abstract submissions from across the province. The third annual People's Choice Award poster competition was held to recognize the best posters in the areas of research, innovation and knowledge transfer, as chosen by registrants of the conference. While only four posters could win a People's Choice Award, we would like to thank all poster submitters for helping to stimulate some great discussion.

Best Practices Day continues to be an opportunity for researchers, clinicians and policy and management professionals to meet and discuss issues that cross the traditional clinical practice/research boundary. With its 42 member organizations, the GTA Rehab Network is striving to be a potent catalyst for consensus-building, collaboration, coordination and communication in rehabilitation services, to the benefit of patients and providers.

Conference Presentations

Many of the presentations made at Best Practices Day 2006 are available below for personal use only. No other use of the presentations is authorized without the explicit consent of the authors.

Favourites and Feedback

Most Innovative and Useful Practices

In evaluating Best Practices Day 2006, delegates were asked to name the three most innovative or useful practices/initiatives learned at the conference. With 40 posters and 15 podium presentations to choose from, there was a large range of responses to this question. In fact, nearly all the podium presentations were cited at least once in delegates' responses to this question.

Presentation most frequently cited as favourites:

• London Stroke Rehabilitation Database: Impact of Stroke Severity, Age, Gender and Time to Rehabilitation ~ Dr. Robert Teasell, London Health Sciences Centre
• Modelling Early Recovery of Physical Function Following Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty ~ Ms. Deborah Kennedy, Orthopaedic & Arthritic Institute
• The Benefits and Challenges of Standardized Care Pathways ~ Dr. Nizar Mahomed, Total Joint Network, GTA Rehab Network, University Health Network
• Results of a Demonstration Project to Advocate for Low Tolerance Long Duration Stroke Rehabilitation ~ Ms. Gaye Walsh, Bridgepoint Health/GTA Rehab Network

Sponsors

The GTA Rehab Network gratefully acknowledges the following organizations, whose sponsorship helped to make the conference possible:

• Bridgepoint Health
• The Change Foundation
• Med e-care Healthcare Solutions
• Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation
• Ontario Rehabilitation Research Advisory Network
• Orthopaedic and Arthritic Institute of Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre
• Toronto Rehab

Planning Task Group

Dr. Gaetan Tardif, Director, Division of Physiatry, University of Toronto (task group chair)
Ms. Christine Anderson, Hamilton Health Sciences
Ms. Christine Bidmead, Queensway-Carleton Hospital
Ms. Susan Bisaillon, Trillium Health Centre
Ms. Jane Brenneman Gibson, Institute for Work & Health
Ms. Heather Brien, GTA Rehab Network
Ms. Debra Carson, Orthopaedic & Arthritic site of Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre
Ms. Marie DiSotto-Monastero, St. John's Rehab Hospital
Ms. Mary Fox, Baycrest
Dr. Gary Gerber, West Park Healthcare Centre
Ms. Sharon Jankowski, St. Joseph's Health Care, London
Ms. Andrea Lee, Sudbury Regional Hospital
Ms. Maureen McGuire, Providence Continuing Care Centre
Dr. Helen Polatajko, University of Toronto
Ms. Tina Saryeddine, GTA Rehab Network
Ms. Larissa Wisniewski, Bridgepoint Health