Research data management

Covenant is a partner in Alberta’s health system which includes healthcare service providers, while other RDM-required organizations are primarily part of the post-secondary education sector. A large proportion of the research conducted by our facilities is in partnership with post-secondary education institutions. Our work towards tri-agency eligibility is not to supplant this partnership and the research of those institutions but to enable Covenant-driven research interests and initiatives. This is particularly important for our areas of focus and vulnerable populations, regardless of whether there is university-based interest or capacity.

Our clinicians, practitioners and staff are interested in conducting research to transform the health system through innovation, collaboration, growth and sharing learnings to respond to the strengths and needs of our communities, especially those most vulnerable as outlined in our strategic plan. Therefore, we expect that our approach to RDM will differ from other strategies.

We will:

• continue to participate with our partners, sharing common resources and further identifying resources
• raise awareness, identify champions (leaders and staff) and engage clinician-researchers, teams and others as part of this important work

Using the Maturity Assessment Model in Canada (MAMIC) template, we will conduct a full review, including interviews with relevant departments, to provide information required in the areas of institutional policies and processes, IT infrastructure, support services and financial support. As a health system partner and provider, we can make use of robust structures already in place. We may choose resources outside Covenant to meet our researchers’ needs.

We will use the MAMIC outcomes to inform a workplan.

We anticipate that a formalized RDM strategy will come from a combination of internal and external resources to support best practices and provide a full suite to assist researchers. Covenant staff, physicians, partner-principals and researchers will be able to access these resources.