Health Research Projects Funded in 2005
Projects Approved June 2005:
Anticipated Completion Dates for Projects: June 30, 2007
| Total Projects Funded: 20 |
| Total Commitment: $2.2 million over two years |
EDMONTON
| 1. What kind of rehabilitation services do children with cerebral palsy receive? | |
| Children with cerebral palsy have difficulty with movement and require physical and occupational therapy. Dr. Johanna Darrah will assess rehabilitation services in Alberta to determine how they fit with the principles of recent legislation for children with disabilities. | |
| Title: | Evaluation of rehabilitation services for children with cerebral palsy in Alberta |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Johanna M. Darrah, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | |
| 2. What factors influence the use of health research evidence? | |
| Dr. Carole Estabrooks and her research team believe the use of health research evidence improves care. They want to determine what factors influence the use of research evidence in teaching hospitals in Alberta. | |
| Title: | Utilization of health research in acute care settings in Alberta |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Carole A. Estabrooks, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | University of Calgary, McMaster University, Alberta Health and Wellness, Calgary Health Region, Capital Health |
| 3. How has bike helmet legislation affected cycling habits? | |
| This project will investigate whether bike helmet use has increased since legislation was adopted in spring 2002, whether people are cycling less, and whether cycling injuries have decreased. | |
| Title: | The effect of bike helmet legislation on helmet use head injuries and cycling habits |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Brent E. Hagel, Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research, Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Stollery Children’s Hospital |
| 4. What are the nutrition and fitness practices of Alberta adolescents? | |
| This study will examine food, physical activity, and general health behaviours in Alberta adolescents using an internet-based survey. | |
| Title: | Web-survey of physical activity and nutrition (Web-SPAN) |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Linda J. McCargar, Department of Agricultural Food and Nutritional Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics, University of Alberta |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Alberta Education |
| 5. What are the effects of HIV drug therapies on HIV-infected inner city residents in northern Alberta? | |
| New drug therapies have reduced AIDS-related illness and death. Dr. Duncan Saunders will examine the effectiveness of these drugs among inner city residents in northern Alberta. | |
| Title: | Process and outcomes of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-infected patients in northern Alberta |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Duncan J. Saunders, Department of Public Health sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Streetworks |
| 6. How do we help children and their families cope with cancer? | |
| 75% of children diagnosed with cancer survive but most of these children and their families experience high stress levels during treatment and while dealing with post-treatment health problems. This study will develop and evaluate a technology-based, distance program of psychological services for children with cancer. | |
| Title: | Evaluation of a psychosocial distance treatment program for pediatric oncology patients |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Adrienne Witol, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Dalhousie University |
CALGARY
| 7. How do we compare different treatments for early psychosis? | |
| This study will compare the effects of treatment in the Calgary Early Psychosis Treatment Service with that of other treatment centres across Canada. | |
| Title: | Risk adjusted outcome measures in early psychosis treatment |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Donald Addington, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Calgary Health Region |
| 8. Do people with severe chronic pain require more healthcare provider hours? | |
| In Canada, chronic pain treatment costs the health system up to $9 billion a year. This project will help plan appropriate care for those suffering from chronic pain. | |
| Title: | Patient severity of illness as a predictor of human resource utilization in an adult ambulatory multidisciplinary chronic pain treatment program |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Pamela Barton, Calgary Health Region |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | University of Calgary |
| 9. Can telephone consultations between doctors help chronic pain sufferers? | |
| Dr. Ted Braun will assess whether family physicians can better manage their patients' chronic pain if they discuss diagnosis and treatment over the telephone with chronic pain specialists. | |
| Title: | Physician to physician telephone consultation for chronic pain patients: a pragmatic randomized trial |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Ted Braun, Calgary Health Region |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | University of Calgary |
| 10. How can we better determine the cause of respiratory infection? | |
| Respiratory disease outbreaks in elderly residents in long term care can lead to hospitalization and even death. Current lab tests identify the cause of these outbreaks in only half the cases. This project will assess whether other detection methods can provide better information about the causes. | |
| Title: | Application of nucleic acid detection methods to improved etiological diagnosis of respiratory outbreaks |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Julie Fox, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | University of Alberta, Calgary Health Region, Capital Health |
| 11. How common are alternative medicines for osteoporosis? | |
| This study will examine how frequently complementary and alternative medicines are used to treat osteoporosis and which medicines are used. | |
| Title: | Prevalence and correlates of complementary and alternative medicine use for osteoporosis |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. David A. Hanley, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Calgary Health Region |
| 12. How cost-effective are the different tests for cancer of the large intestine? | |
| Cancer of the large intestine (colorectal cancer) is the 2nd most common cause of cancer death among Canadians. This economic evaluation will compare the costs and effectiveness of the various tests for this type of cancer. | |
| Title: | Societal costs of colorectal cancer screening in Alberta |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Robert J. Hilsden, Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Alberta Cancer Board, Pincher Creek Medical Clinic, University of Alberta, Alberta Society of Gastroenterology |
| 13. Is wireless capsule endoscopy a cost-effective method of diagnosing gastrointestinal bleeding? | |
| A new technology developed for patients with gastrointestinal bleeding involves the patient swallowing a small capsule containing a video camera (wireless capsule endoscopy). This study will assess the relative cost and effectiveness of this new treatment. | |
| Title: | Economic evaluation of capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Robert J. Hilsden, Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Calgary Health Region, University of British Columbia |
| 14. How is private well water contaminated with E. coli? | |
| This study will determine the risk factors for contamination of private water wells with antibiotic-resistant E. coli. | |
| Title: | Consumption of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli contaminated well water: human health impact in Alberta |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Marie Louie, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Alberta Health and Wellness, David Thompson Health Region, University of Guelph, University of Montreal |
| 15. What are aboriginal women’s experiences with the health system when they suffer fractures? | |
| Recent research suggests there is a higher rate of bone fractures among First Nations people than in the general population. This study will examine the causes of this increased rate and the current state of treatment and prevention for fractures among aboriginal women. | |
| Title: | Social and cultural contexts of bone health and secondary fracture prevention for aboriginal women |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Lynn M. Meadows, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | University of Toronto, Calgary Health Region |
| 16. Is medical followup by phone, fax, and web as effective as physician visits for people with type 1 diabetes? | |
| Frequent medical visits are recommended for people with type 1 diabetes, however increased physician case loads can make this difficult. Dr. Pacaud will assess a new model of care which compliments physician visits with information through fax and web, and telephone followup with a nurse educator. | |
| Title: | Assessment of an alternative model using telemedicine for medical follow-up of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Daniele Pacaud, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Alberta Children's Hospital |
| 17. What type of surgery is most effective in improving women's urinary control? | |
| Problems controlling urination are common in women, particularly older women and those who have given birth. This study will examine the effects of two different surgeries to correct for this problem. | |
| Title: | Evaluating the health gain and cost of two surgical operations for female stress urinary incontinence |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Susan J. Ross, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Calgary Health Region, University of Alberta |
| 18. What is the best way to educate university students on the risks of excessive alcohol? | |
| Binge drinking is the number one health hazard for North American college students. This study will compare methods of prevention and education about binge drinking. | |
| Title: | Utilizing social norming and personalized feedback strategies to reduce binge drinking and drinking related consequences on university campuses |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Shervin Vakili, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | |
| 19. What do Albertans know about depression? | |
| Depression takes a significant toll on the lives of Canadians yet mental health service use is low in Canada. Collecting information about the public's knowledge about depression will lay the foundation for mental health education and depression prevention efforts. | |
| Title: | Assessing depression literacy in the general population |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Dr. Li Jian Wang, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | Alberta Mental Health Board |
| 20. How can nurses more effectively meet patients’ needs in a busy hospital setting? | |
| It has become increasingly difficult for nurses to meet patients' needs in the current climate of physician and nurse shortages. This project will test a resign of nurses’ roles to see if it allows them to spend their time more effectively. | |
| Title: | Enhancing nursing role effectiveness through job redesign |
| Principal Investigator: | Dr. Deborah E. White, Calgary Health Region |
| Affiliated institutions / organizations: | University of Toronto |