Innovation Anthology #424:

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As the boomer generationages, the sheer numbers of patients with heart failure and other chronic diseases will overwhelm the health care system.

Medical researcher Dr. Alex Clark says this will force a shift towards more self-care and home care for heart patients.

DR ALEX CLARK: People with heart failure tend to use hospitals a lot. So in any one year somebody who’s been diagnosed with heart failure there’s a 30 percent chance they’ll be hospitalized within that one year When we’ve done research to look at how effectively people with heart failure manage their conditions at home, we find some really concerning trends. We find about a third of patients don’t know they have heart failure. We find the proportion of patients who don’t understand what they should do in terms of management to be very concerning indeed. So for example, people with heart failure should be watching their weight everyday in order to make sure their heart failure is not worsening. But perhaps less than 10 percent of patients actively do that.

Dr. Clark says the missing key is how to empower and support patients to care for themselves better at home to avoid hospitalization.

Thanks today to Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

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Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates (formerly Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions)

As the newly formed Alberta Innovates corporation, we still fund top quality, internationally competitive health research and innovation activities to improve the health and wellbeing of Albertans. We provide leadership for Alberta’s health research and innovation enterprise by directing, coordinating, reviewing, funding and supporting research and innovation.

Working with our many partners  in the health system, we ensure that research achieves innovation in care, policy and practice, and that the needs of patients and clinicians influence research.

Our background

Alberta Innovates consolidation was launched November 1, 2016.

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions was established as part of the Alberta Innovates system by an Act of Legislation of the Government of Alberta. It is a agency  of the Government of Alberta. We receive a yearly allocation from the Ministry of Health and report through the ministry to the people of Alberta.

Our Mandate and Roles document reflects our role and responsibilities and outlines the government statues and regulations with which we comply.

Alberta’s Health Research and Innovation Strategy (AHRIS) sets out Alberta’s health research agenda for the coming decade to ensure our considerable investments in research align with our priority—to improve the health of Albertans.

 

 

Program Date: 2011-09-13