From the Netherlands to Canada: Incorporating Resource Stewardship Around the World

Jul 27, 2018 - News

An overview of research from the Netherlands on resident-led initiatives to reduce overuse and create awareness on resource stewardship.

From the Netherlands to Canada: Incorporating Resource Stewardship Around the World

Jul 27, 2018 - News

An overview of research from the Netherlands on resident-led initiatives to reduce overuse and create awareness on resource stewardship.

Choosing Wisely Canada has developed a robust collaboration with researchers and clinicians leading efforts to reduce overuse in the Netherlands.

Marlou Kerssens, a Masters in Global Health student at Maastricht University has spent 4 months at the Choosing Wisely Canada central office as part of an exchange to Canada. Kerssens’s research with Choosing Wisely Canada has been on the spread of the STARS (Students and Trainees Advocating for Resources Stewardship) campaign to the United States, New Zealand, Japan, Norway, Italy, and the Netherlands.  She is being co-supervised by Dr. Karen Born, the campaign’s Knowledge Translation Lead and Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto and Dr. Brian Wong, Medical Education Lead and Associate Professor at the Department of Medicine, University of Toronto.

Kerssens previous research has focused on initiatives in the Netherlands to expose residents and trainees to implementation strategies on reducing overuse and creating awareness about resource stewardship. An overview of her research, a summary of  170 resident-led initiatives set up between 2014-2016, is in the below infographic.

Download the infographic

“The infographic provides an excellent overview of the creativity and breadth of resident-led projects in support of Choosing Wisely and resource stewardship,” says Dr. Born, “Residents around the world are increasingly expected to demonstrate competencies of resource stewardship in practice and this research helps identify how to support training programs and residents alike.”

Kerssens has also presented results from the infographic in Hamilton Ontario to Dr. Deepak Dath, Surgeon in the Juravinski Hospital and Professor of Surgery at McMaster University. “Residents are already busy. But given the opportunity, they can find ways to get involved and learn more about using resources more judiciously. Residents can use these projects to make the range of CanMEDS Intrinsic Role learning more explicit” says Dr. Dath.

Kerssens is committed to engaging in impactful research on how core competencies of resource stewardship can be embedded into medical training. “I hope my infographic inspires residents to get involved in reducing unnecessary tests and treatments while also showing medical educators the importance of offering trainees these types of opportunities to work and thrive in this area,” says Kerssens.

If you’re interested in learning more about the infographic or similar initiatives taking place in the Netherlands, visit the website Bewustzijnsproject for more information!