Integrated Client Care Project Trial: Wound Care Evaluation (ICCP-WC)

This study will use a randomized control trial design to compare wound care clients who receive "integrated care" versus "usual care" in Community Care Access Centres (CCAC) in Ontario. Data will be collected by existing administrative databases and linked by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). The researchers will analyze these databases and report findings.

The researchers are interested in finding out whether the intervention ("integrated care") helps to improve patient outcomes. A randomized control trial of wound care clients in Ontario CCACs will show the effects of the intervention (integrated care) versus "usual care" clients. The researchers will also examine the financial system costs associated with providing "integrated care" to clients versus "usual care". The researchers expect to answer the research question of whether there is difference in patient outcomes between "integrated care" versus "usual care clients." The researchers also would like to formulate a response for whether there will be financial system cost difference between "integrated care" and "usual care" clients. The goal of this evaluation is to help decision-makers in the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC), in the Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) and among provider organizations to improve the quality of care and patient outcomes for wound care clients, by evaluating innovations in the delivery of care.

Inclusion Criteria: receives wound care from Community Care Access Centre provider adults over age 18 in Ontario Exclusion Criteria: patients who do not receive wound care from Ontario Community Care Access Centres

Zwarenstein M, Shariff S, Mittmann N, Stern A, Dainty KN. A large cluster randomized trial of outcome-based pathways to improve home-based wound care. Trials. 2017 Aug 29;18(1):393. doi: 10.1186/s13063-017-2082-5.