Ottawa Methods Centre (OMC)

Scientific Lead: 

Dr. Tim Ramsay

PhD scientists and MSc-level statisticians who provide the following services:

• Study sample size and power calculations
• Development of analytical plans
• Interim reporting for clinical trials
• Analysis of data sets
• Results interpretation and analysis
• Biostatistics Estimation Tool
• Statistical Analysis Plan - PDF, Word

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Scientific Lead: Dr. Justin Presseau

The Ottawa Method Centre’s (OMC) Behavioural and Implementation Science Service (BISS) provides support and expertise to internal and external requestors seeking advice and/or evaluative activities that draw upon knowledge translation (KT), implementation science, and/or behavioural science.  

BISS will operate as a hub-and-spoke model to enable in-house rapid responses and triaging to external partners when local capacity is more limited. The BISS mission is to provide rapid and rigorous service that includes guidance, support for multi-method research methods, and expertise to requestors interested in applying behavioural science or implementation science to planned or ongoing research activities aimed at improving health and healthcare outcomes.  

BISS also draws upon a broad network of research expertise from world-class researchers within the OMC and Centre for Implementation Research. BISS operates as a centre of expertise linking to a large extended network of contributors from across Canada (e.g. Evidence Synthesis Network – Canada).

Services offered

Research methods advice and guidance

• Initial guidance on approaches for incorporating behavioural, implementation and/or knowledge translation/knowledge mobilization approaches into planned or on-going projects.
• Advice on the use of qualitative (interviews, focus groups), questionnaires/surveys, evidence syntheses (rapid, scoping, systematic reviews or qualitative meta-syntheses) that are focused directly on questions of behaviour change or practice change.
• Advice on tools and frameworks that can be best suited to inform behavioural science or implementation science approaches.

Primary data collection and analysis

• Conducting all or parts of qualitative studies (interviews, focus groups) to establish theory-informed barriers and enablers to change (e.g., diagnosis/treatment behaviours of healthcare providers, patient adherence, care-taker support, decision-maker support).
• Conducting all or parts of surveys to identify theory-based factors associated with behaviours of interest.
• Process evaluation: Multi-method acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, and fidelity assessment of behavioural and implementation interventions alongside trials.
• Consultation on data collection and analysis to establish theory-based factors associated with behaviours of interest, or assessment of behavioural or implementation interventions.

Evidence synthesis (systematic, rapid, scoping reviews)

• Evaluation of theory-based factors associated with behaviours of interest.
• Assessment of acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, and fidelity of behavioural interventions.
• Investigation of content of behavioural or implementation interventions using state of the science taxonomies and ontologies.
• Consultation on related review protocol development.
• Consultation on related clinical practice guideline development methods.

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Scientific Lead:  Dr. Steven Hawken

Big Data Analytics – involves expertise on the processes of examining large data sets containing a variety of data types.

• Synergies with TOH Data Warehouse.
• Synergies with uOttawa ICES located at The Ottawa Hospital.
• ICES data is an inventory of coded and linkable health data sets; encompasses administrative health services records for the Ontario population eligible for universal health coverage since (>13 million people).

For those seeking information only about the process to access or request TOH Data Warehouse data, please contact datarequest@toh.on.ca. For those seeking information only about the process to access or request ICES data, please contact ICESuOttawaAdmin@ices.on.ca.

If you require scientific or methodological support for research using the TOH Datawarehouse or ICES databases, please request an Ottawa Methods Centre consultation.

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Scientific Lead:  Dr. David Moher

Mission:

• Provide support to researchers and personnel at The Ottawa Hospital.
• Keeping up to date on changes in scientific publishing.
• Resources and tools to ensure clear and transparent reporting.

Goal:

• Improve manuscripts.
• Get published quicker.
• Fewer revisions and resubmissions.
• Publication in the best-suited journal. 

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OMC's Data Management Services is a team of highly skilled web application developers, database programmers, web testers, and a dedicated data entry clerk.

What we can do for you

• Design and implementation of web-based database driven applications (web-EDCS)
• Design, validation, and implementation of regulated research trial databases
• Design and implementation of various types of web-based randomization systems
• Design and implementation of customized web-based eConsent
• Design and implementation of patient-oriented web-based questionnaire
• Design and implementation of research trial data collection forms (CRFs)
• Development of Web-based Adjudication platforms
• Data verification, data validation, and data entry for clinical registries, research trials
• Design and implementation of iOS applications
• Provide consultation for TOH REDCap projects
• Design and implementation of TOH REDCap projects

OMC's data management team has tremendous experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining various types of studies and randomized controlled clinical trials. We have successfully managed over 150 multicenter studies, including numerous regulated FDA and Health Canada trials. OMC's web-EDCS platform is validated and fully in compliance with the FDA CFR Part 11 guidelines and Good Clinical Practice (GCP).

OMC's team is fully committed to the quality of research data and privacy. The web servers and the database servers are physically and virtually protected. All registry and research trial data are stored in the secure data centre of the Ottawa Hospital (TOH) along with other Ottawa Hospital clinical data. Only authorized TOH IT personnel have access to the server physically and only DMS IT staff have access to the research database data.

In summary, we provide an end-to-end solution for all clinical research data management needs from simple, secure web based eConsent platform to portable Adjudication platforms or a more complex yet customizable and validated web based EDCS for regulated clinical trials.

Please contact us for more information, a consultation for your project, or other samples of our work. 

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Scientific Lead: Dr. Kednapa Thavorn

OMC offers the following:

• Systematic reviews of cost effectiveness
• Cost effectiveness analysis
• Budget Impact Assessment
• Decision-analysis support

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Scientific Lead:  Dr. Manoj Lalu

OMC is able to provide the following services:

• Systematic review design, conduct and reporting
• Updating systematic reviews
• Rapid reviews
• Scoping reviews/evidence mapping
• Search strategy development
• Meta-analysis/ Network Meta-analysis

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OMC researchers are able to provide the following services:

• Methods support for various study designs:
  • Clinical trials (Statistical Analysis Plan - PDF, Word)
  • Observational studies (cohorts/case-controlled etc.)
  • Systematic reviews & other knowledge synthesis studies
• Survey design, focus groups, key informant interviews, Delphi (consensus) exercises etc.
• Expertise in protocol development
• Expertise in research ethics submissions

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• Open Access publishing: Assistance with navigating Open Access journals and platforms.
• Preprints: Guidance on preprint submissions.
• Compliance: Ensuring adherence to Tri-Agency Open Access policies.
• Copyright permissions: Help with obtaining and managing copyright permissions. 

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Scientific Lead: Dr. Dean Fergusson

The Ottawa Methods Centre (OMC) is one of twelve members of the Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit (OSSU) funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to provide the necessary methodological expertise to investigators pursuing patient-oriented research.

This strategy aims to transform how health research is conducted in Ontario and Canada by ensuring patient engagement throughout the process. Locally, we are tasked with providing methodological guidance to Ontario-based investigators conducting Patient-Oriented Research (POR).  

This guidance involves providing methods consultations on research protocols to Ontario researchers who will be applying to CIHR or OSSU-specific calls for funding. We will be providing methods training related to POR both in-house and externally with the aim of developing a suite of training materials across the vast area that POR encompasses. Moreover, we will be identifying gaps in evidence through the consultation and training process and a POR methods research agenda will be developed and prioritized with two POR-related methods projects completed annually.

The Ottawa Methods Centre also has a partnership with The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) Patient and Family Advisory Program (PFAP) in the form of the Office for Patient Engagement in Research Activities (OPERA). It is a research and clinical collaboration between stakeholders with an interest in patient-informed high-quality research methods and efficient dissemination. OPERA supports patient-oriented research through consultations, training, resources, and additional research to advance the body of knowledge in this area.

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