Universit de Montral establishes disease management research group

Montreal, QC – A new disease management research group has been formed by the Universit de Montral’s faculties of medicine and pharmacy, in collaboration with the Canadian Council for Research in Disease Management.

The Canadian Council for Research in Disease Management is providing Universit de Montral with a $4-million start-up grant over five years to establish the group.

Disease management research measures the value and effectiveness of therapeutic interventions in the treatment regimens of real patients. Research initiatives determine and close the gap between optimal and usual care, by creating links that help incorporate the latest and best research knowledge into usual clinical practice. This approach involves sharing knowledge of discoveries to help improve the health of patients.

Because disease management projects run for relatively long periods and involve relatively large numbers of patients, program partners are able to measure the efficacy of treatment in specific, real life situations and correlate these with economic data. Research results provide powerful decision- making tools for health-care professionals, administrators and policy-makers throughout the health-care system.

“Health-care interventions today are complex, and the data available is often fragmented,” says Dr Jean Rouleau, dean of the Faculty of Medicine. “Everyone recognizes that factors such as diagnosis, prescription and patient compliance with therapy are among the variables that influence whether or not treatment is successful. Disease management is key in managing these variables and in closing gaps in care.”

“The pharmaceutical industry has been actively involved in disease management programs for many years and has developed substantial experience and expertise in creating and running disease management programs,” says Jean- Franois Leprince, president of the board of the Canadian Council for Research in Disease Management. “The university will become a key partner in disease management and develop new knowledge that will profit all the stakeholders in the health-care system, patients in particular.

Efforts are currently underway by the university to have a director for the new group in place by spring 2005. The research team is currently being formed and has already begun the process of determining the group’s initial scientific programs.