Health Tech
Emerging research, products, and human factors
Canada has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis in the world. In 2009, Italian physician Paolo Zamboni published an explosive paper about a new treatment for MS, which became known as MS “liberation therapy.” For the
… READ MORE“I’d drive 1,000 miles for an experience like this.” Harrison Markin, 6 yrs, experiences a giant snow globe and visits Santa and Mrs Claus at Southcentre Mall in southwest Calgary on Sunday, December 3, 2017. The mall hosted a
… READ MOREWe finally did it last year. In 2016, we hit the 20-week mark for the average wait time for treatment by a specialist (across 12 medical specialities) after referral from a general practitioner. Canada’s national shame had reached a
… READ MOREErin Kelly, a writer with cerebral palsy, reflects on the mental aspects of an ordinary morning. I woke to the sight of a dull-orange sun bleeding through my bedroom window. I stirred under my covers for a moment before I noticed an
… READ MOREMore than one injection of botulinum toxin A in children with cerebral palsy (CP) was seen as less effective over the long term and had fewer gait benefits compared to patients injected once or not at all, according to a new
… READ MORE‘To me it’s unacceptable,’ says study author Julie Gaudet. ‘We’re not living in a Third World country here.’ Kathleen Leger says a limited income has left her scrambling, trying to pay for rent,
… READ MORECalgary Interprofessional Challenge encourages student solutions. Typically, students are ensconced within their respective faculties and programs. Possibly they will take electives that broaden their education. The Calgary
… READ MOREUniversity of Calgary research study benefits people with severe essential tremor. Zelma Kiss, University of Calgary neurosurgeon and professor, with patient Elias Pharaon. The 85-year-old suffers from a movement disorder called
… READ MOREMotion-based lab technology can help physical therapists, clinicians and athletic trainers analyze how we move—it also is very expensive. Some motion labs can cost upward of $100,000. Now, a team of University of Missouri
… READ MORERandomized clinical trial shows improved motor function in children infused with own cells. An infusion of cells from a child’s own umbilical cord blood appears to improve brain connectivity and motor function in children with
… READ MORENew study shows genetic variations are a factor in 20 per cent of hemiplegic CP cases. What was thought to be an almost entirely environmental disorder has a significant genetic component. – Stephen Scherer, Hospital for Sick
… READ MORE‘OurNotes’ has potential to improve relationships with doctors, and cut documentation demands on clinicians. Encouraging patients to help write and add notes to their personal medical charts — a task typically handled
… READ MOREOur findings suggest that there is substantial room for improvement in providing consumers with ready access to health care prices online. Policy makers should consider mandating that payers and providers make these prices available
… READ MOREWatching the rhythm of your heart is getting quite a bit easier. AliveCor, the originators of the to-go ECG smartphone market, have announced FDA clearance of the KardiaBand single-lead ECG device for the Apple Watch. MedGadget
… READ MOREA New Hampshire judge has denied an 84-year-old doctor’s request to regain her license to practice, which she had surrendered partly over her inability to use a computer. Dr. Anna Konopka stands in front of her tiny office where
… READ MOREA study of human skeletons housed in the vaults of US museums is providing a unique historical perspective on the prevailing wisdom that knee osteoarthritis (OA) is primarily a disease of aging and overweight, factors that are
… READ MORE“She found her niche, right. What she was called to.” Calgary swimmer Morgan Bird has been to two Paralympic games and currently has her name on nine Canadian records. Excelling in the pool is still her passion, but as Brendan
… READ MORE‘If you take those obstacles away, you no longer need help,’ Mike Dummer says. Calgary’s first fully automated assisted living apartment building, Inclusio, will feature 45 studio apartments with common living spaces for
… READ MORE“People with disabilities have become an afterthought.” Leah McRorie, a mother of two adult children with disabilities, is calling on the Notley government to deliver on its promise to review the Program for Persons with
… READ MOREPlaying a video game that rewards participants for holding various “ninja” poses could help children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) improve their balance, according to a recent study in the Journal of Autism and
… READ MORESeveral studies investigating the clinical effectiveness of valgus bracing have reported that patients experience significant reduction in pain and improvement in physical function. Significant reduction of pain during activities of
… READ MOREIt’s a looming five-year anniversary Kamila Kitzul is loath to ponder. On Dec. 12, 2012, her eight-year-old son Nicholas donned a hall pass dangling from a non-breakaway lanyard for a trip to the boys’ washroom at Bearspaw School,
… READ MOREUC Davis Department of Pediatrics has received a $2 million, five-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to fund a new telemedicine program for children in remote communities. The School-Based
… READ MOREWe want innovation to improve our patients’ lives and protect their safety. Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, of the Royal College of GPs, is worried about ‘twin-track approach to NHS general practice’. Photograph: Sam Friedrich for
… READ MOREAmong children with cerebral palsy, 42% have not received any common spasticity management therapies, including orthotics, casting or orthopedic surgery, according to a press release from Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Inquiry into
… READ MOREThe new Whitemud Equine Learning Centre officially opened in October. Indoor washrooms, a roof that doesn’t leak and above-freezing temperatures allows for year-round riding. Little Bits Therapeutic Riding Association. Programs for
… READ MORE‘It would be a disservice not to try and help whoever you can, in whatever way you can. Will Wilson is a neuroscience grad student working on epilepsy research. He also does a ton of community work and has won multiple scholarships
… READ MOREAlex Lytwyn is calling for changes after a decade-long battle to get home-care hours increased. A Manitoba man living with cerebral palsy is calling for changes to the province’s Vulnerable Person’s and Home Care acts to
… READ MORECustom bikes make cycling dreams come true. Jerzee Wasylnuk’s mobility was achieved thanks to Freedom Concepts, a Winnipeg company where a team custom designs and builds bikes for people — mostly children — who would never
… READ MOREEvery doctor I know has been complaining about the growing burden of electronic busywork generated by the E.M.R., the electronic medical record. And it’s not just in our imaginations. Illustration by Craig Frazier, The New York
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