Creating a single provincial EMR database

Ontario’s provincial group of Networks, POPLAR, the Practice based Ontario Primary care Learning and Research Network is a program of INSPIRE-PHC, funded through the Ministry of Health of Ontario. Founded in early 2021, POPLAR is an initiative of PBLRNs at Ontario’s six University Departments/Sections of Family Medicine, including the MUSIC Network and the Alliance for Healthier Communities. POPLAR aims to combine and harmonize the collection, processing and curation of primary care EMR data into a single provincial EMR database. This secure, centralized provincial EMR data repository will allow a range of research studies and QI activities and aims to be representative of the province and allow better understanding of regional variations. The Canadian Adaptive Platform Trial of Treatments for COVID in Community Settings (CanTreatCOVID) is a randomized clinical trial that is using POPLAR member Networks to support practice and patient recruitment to test Paxlovid vs. usual care among COVID positive patients.