Patients bring their direct experience and fresh perspectives to research. By involving them in health research, CANet is empowering patients to directly impact our Network initiatives surrounding cardiac arrhythmia care.
We believe that patients should play a key role in developing research agendas and conducting research. The Network involves patients in all aspects of decision-making, operations, and participation in research programs.
CANet maintains patient engagement across all network activities:
Patient partners share their valuable insights and first-hand knowledge of how arrhythmia and arrhythmia care impacts patients and their families. Across the Network, our patient partners are co-leads on research projects, and volunteer on all committees including the Patient Advisory Committee (PAC) and Board of Directors.
CANet’s patient partners are involved in and share their expertise in the following areas:
There are many opportunities to participate in our Network and patient partners are matched with their interest, experience, and availability.
Our Patient Advisory Council (PAC) consists of 10 patients, caregivers, or family members from across Canada.
All have been affected by cardiac arrhythmia and have significant experience in the healthcare system. Members of our PAC share their knowledge of living with arrhythmia and participate in the majority of our Networks’ activities and initiatives.
Each CANet-funded project and activity either has a PAC member or an arrhythmia patient as a fully integrated member of the research team.
Research leads to new discoveries. Participate today and be an agent of change.
A few days before CANet spoke to Diane Strachan, she had just finished a 3600-kilometre trip across Ontario on her motorbike. This would have been an insurmountable task a few years ago for her. “When I was first diagnosed with arrhythmia, I thought I would have to sell my bike,” Diane – an avid biker – recalls.
In his experience, CANet Patient Partner Hugh Winsor believes that patients need to combine their own lived experiences with a wider understanding of the cardiology and science involved in the proposed investigation.
Only then can patients fairly assess the potential patient benefit from any proposed study.
“Patient involvement at CANet is authentic at all levels of the organization — from governance to operations to actual field and on-ground research.”
– Mary Runte, Chair
Patient Advisory Committee (PAC)