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| Pat McGrath. |
The survey also suggests while MPs appreciate the importance of health research, they don鈥檛 see it as a vote-grabber among their constituents.
鈥淚t seems MPs are generally in favor of more health research, but they don鈥檛 really know that much about it, and they also feel it isn鈥檛 a way to get votes,鈥� says Patrick McGrath, one of the authors. Dr. McGrath is the vice-president of research at the IWK Health Centre and professor of psychology, pediatrics and psychiatry at 麻豆传媒.
The survey stems from student Daniel Clark鈥檚 undergraduate honours research project. Mr. Clark, who graduated from 麻豆传媒 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in the spring, surveyed members of Parliament last fall about their knowledge and attitudes toward health research, health research funding and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
An article on the survey was published as a special report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal earlier this week.
While all MPs were invited to participate, only one-third of MPs or their designated senior aides responded. Interviews were conducted with 101 MPs either in person, by phone or over the Internet.
鈥淢Ps thought health research was a good thing, absolutely,鈥� says Mr. Clark, who is now working toward his MBA at Queen鈥檚 University. 鈥淏ut what they knew was pretty limited. They鈥檙e very focused on research as leading to new treatments for disease.鈥�
MPs 鈥済enerally did not appreciate鈥� the impact of health research on the economy or its role in promoting healthier lifestyles and improving health-care delivery, he adds.
The establishment of CIHR, Canada鈥檚 major federal funding agency for health research, in 2000 resulted in increased funding for health research in Canada. But in the seven years since its creation, funding increases for CIHR have been minimal. CIHR is only able to fund聽20 per cent of the proposals it assesses as high quality through a peer-review process, notes Mr. Clark.
Eighty-four per cent of the survey participants were aware of CIHR, but 32 per cent of them admitted they knew nothing about its role.
鈥淚 think the survey best explains the pattern of funding for CIHR and other research bodies (such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Canada Research Chairs, Genome Canada). It鈥檚 not bad but it鈥檚 not what it could be,鈥� says Mr. Clark. 鈥淭here are brilliant ideas out there that just aren鈥檛 being developed and supported.鈥�