As the leading source of objective and authoritative information to the health care community, IMS Health's mission is to provide reliable, high-quality information that meets the diverse needs of its clients and partners. To this end, IMS analyses health information from a variety of sources including health care professionals, hospitals, pharmacies and pharmacy chains, software suppliers, wholesalers, pharmaceutical companies and other public sources of information.
Our customers consist primarily of Canadian pharmaceutical companies, federal and provincial governments and health care agencies, public institutions and private medical research laboratories who use IMS Health data to develop medical education/information programs; to evaluate cost-effectiveness & patient outcomes; and to assess health policy.
IMS Health plays an active role in research aimed at improving the health of Canadians by providing data to researchers, universities and patient associations who clearly state the aim of their work. These partnerships contribute to the advancement of health care in the country and to the discovery of knowledge-based health care solutions. Over the years the company has provided data to numerous research initiatives at Canadian institutions including: Addiction Research Foundation, CCOHTA, Canadian Infectious Diseases Society, Montreal General Hospital, Toronto Hospital, McGill University, McMaster University, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia and many others. For more on IMS support of research projects in Canada, please consult Unlocking The Value of Health Information.
"I received data from IMS Health Canada on the most frequently-prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents across Canada for an article in a major medical journal to help other Canadian physicians to be aware of the potential interactions with other drugs, and to avoid them. To know about prescribing in individual provinces was also very helpful as there can be quite a variation across the country. The data IMS Health supplied was very useful, and they were most helpful to me."
Malcolm Brigdon, MD, FRCPC Hematologist
Health information has evolved significantly over the years. IMS Health is constantly innovating and dedicates substantial resources to support research initiatives and to develop the technology required to process the impressive quantities of data needed to meet the growing needs of its clients and partners.
IMS Health information is widely used by the health care community for a variety of research purposes. Here are some examples:
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A cost analysis of lupus therapy
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A study of the impact of prescribing practices with elderly patients
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A review of trends in the use of methylphenidate for Quebec school children
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A study of antibiotic resistance
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An update for CME purposes of data on the treatment of osteoporosis and hypertension
"Thank you ever so much for your tremendous effort in obtaining the most recent values for the estimated value of purchases, both wholesale and retail, for anorectal preparations in both Canada and the U.S."
Philip H. Gordon, M.D., Director Colorectal Surgery,
Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital,
Professor of Surgery, McGill University.
In short, IMS Health is an essential partner in helping stakeholders understand, shape and advance health care. We observe, measure and report on what actually is happening in the world of healthcare, enabling us to work with health professionals to determine what should be happening and to help make it happen. We see this role as central to strengthening health care delivery in Canada… and around the world.
Sharing Knowledge for Research
IMS Health is a proud partner, and the newest corporate member organization of the Coalition for Biomedical & Health Research (CBHR). Created in the fall of 1992, the Coalition for Biomedical and Health Research (CBHR), a non-profit corporation, works to ensure Canada's continued support of a globally competitive research community.
A PAACT with Health
In 1996 IMS Health, Canada partnered with the Pilot for Appropriate Anti-infective Community Therapy (PAACT), lead by Dr. John Stewart. The project's goal was to promote appropriate and effective use of antibiotics through extensive community-based education and awareness programs aimed at doctors, pharmacists and patients alike. IMS Health, Canada provided benchmarking data on antibiotic prescription activity for pre- and post-project measurement.
Do Bugs Need Drugs?
In 1999 IMS Health, Canada collaborated with the University of Alberta, Capital Health - Edmonton, Dynacare Kasper Medical Laboratories and the Alberta Lung Association on "Do Bugs Need Drugs", a community project for the wise use of antibiotics. The purpose of the project was to improve the use of antimicrobial agents in upper respiratory tract infections (RTIs) through professional education and community awareness. IMS Health, Canada provided dispensed prescription data and information from the Canadian Disease and Therapeutic Index (CDTI) which enabled them to compare specific respiratory antibiotic prescriptions between a project community, a control community and national data.
Independent Utilisation Review of Alberta's Triplicate Prescription Program Drugs
In spring of 1998, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta initiated a review of the Province's Triplicate Prescription Program. Dr. Paul Flynne, Assistant Registrar, contracted with IMS HEALTH, Canada to provide and analyse provincial and national drug use information for the ground-breaking study. Alberta is one of five Canadian provinces with a Triplicate Prescription Program which tracks the prescription of a designated list of drugs with a high potential for abuse, including certain narcotics and anabolic steroids. Prescribers use a three-part prescription pad, which is personalized and sequentially numbered. The data is collected and compiled by the College, allowing them to review the prescription and use of these drugs.
"The information the College had been compiling since 1986 was strictly related to Alberta," said Brian Carter, Director, IMS Health, Canada. "Using IMS databases, we provided them with information by province and by drug for the entire country, helping them to determine what impact, if any, a Triplicate Prescription Program has on the prescription of certain addictive drugs." The detailed report took several months to complete, and was presented to the college in December 1998.
Endowment Fund to Recognize Health Professionals
The Health Information Advisory Board (HIAB), founded by IMS Health, Canada in 1997 to oversee the appropriate use of prescriber-level data in Quebec, have established an endowment fund of $30,000 for the disbursement of several grants to medical and pharmacy professionals, in recognition of a body of work published in a medical journal on the appropriate and efficient use of medications.