The Growing Imperative for Patient and Caregiver Partnership.

This special edition of Healthcare Quarterly (HQ) has been developed through a novel partnership between the Ontario Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) SUPPORT Unit (OSSU) and Longwoods Publishing. The concept for this edition emerged from an alignment of interests between the partners. OSSU's mandate is to support patient-oriented health and health services research in Ontario and to facilitate the uptake of research evidence to improve health policy and decision making. HQ's mission is to recognize, nurture and champion excellence in the Canadian healthcare system by sharing leading practices in health services delivery and policy development. As we look toward the future of healthcare and health system transformation, leading practices will be increasingly defined by the degree to which they are designed and implemented in full partnership with patients and caregivers. This perspective, shared by both OSSU and Longwoods, is at the heart of this publication.