Harper Government Invests in eHealth Innovation
New technologies aim to empower patients, assist health care providers, and monitor population health
OTTAWA, May 27, 2013 /CNW/ - During a keynote speech at the 2013 e-Health: Accelerating Change conference, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced funding from the Harper Government to support research projects focused on developing innovative new electronic health (ehealth) technologies. These technologies will capitalize on advances in electronic patient records, internet technology and mobile devices.
"Our Government continues to invest in and promote health care innovation to improve the health of Canadians and increase the efficiency of the health care system," said Minister Aglukkaq. "These research projects aim to develop products that empower patients, assist health care providers, and enable better population health monitoring."
eHealth is an essential enabler of health care in Canada. Through its investment of $2.1 billion, the Harper Government is supporting Canada Health Infoway in its work with the provinces and territories and many other stakeholders to increase the availability of electronic health records and other ehealth technologies that benefit Canadians through improvements in patient access to service, the quality of health care and the efficiency of the system.
The funding announced today will support 16 new research projects through the eHealth Innovation Catalyst Grant program, led by the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research. The program focuses on promoting the development of innovative technologies that enable patients to self-manage their conditions via eheath applications, support health professional decision-making and enable enhanced population health monitoring.
The funded projects include:
- Dr. Samina Abidi at Dalhousie University will develop a smartphone application to help people with diabetes manage their condition and a web-based decision aid for clinicians that will assist them in the care of their diabetic patients.
- Dr. Steven Grover at McGill University Health Centre will evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based ehealth program designed for people at risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Dr. Jennifer Stinson at the Hospital for Sick Children will develop and test an online communications tool for adolescents and young adults with cancer and their care providers.
- Dr. Henry Stelfox at the University of Calgary will develop and test an electronic decision and communications tool to facilitate the safe discharge of patients from intensive care units.
- Dr. Linda Li at the University of British Columbia will develop an online decision aid to help people with rheumatoid arthritis make treatment decisions.
"We are delighted with the response to our ehealth initiative and will continue to promote research in this important area," said Dr. Robyn Tamblyn, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research. "Innovative new technologies are changing our approach towards chronic disease prevention and management. By capitalizing on the transformative potential that technology can bring to health care, we can increase the satisfaction of patients and health care providers and improve the accessibility and efficiency of the health care system."
CIHR designed the eHealth Innovation Catalyst Grant program to stimulate the development of new health technologies and foster partnerships between researchers and the private sector to commercialize these technologies for widespread use. CIHR plans to relaunch the program in July 2013.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened health care system for Canadians. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
Fact Sheet
eHealth Innovation Research Projects
eHealth is an essential enabler of health care in Canada. Through its investment of $2.1 billion, the Harper Government is supporting Canada Health Infoway in its work with the provinces and territories and many other stakeholders to increase the availability of electronic health records and other ehealth technologies that benefit Canadians through improvements in patient access to service, the quality of health care and the efficiency of the system.
The Harper Government is providing $1.6M to support 16 new ehealth innovation projects across Canada. The projects were funded through a strategic research initiative led by the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research. The initiative was designed to stimulate ehealth innovations by integrating, augmenting and evaluating novel health information technologies to empower patients as partners in their care, create a new generation of decision tools for health professionals to enable individualized care, and monitor population health. The overall aim is to improve the efficiency of patient and population-centered care and enhance Canada's competitive position in the ehealth sector.
The list of funded projects follows below.
| Nominated Principal Investigator | Project Title | Funding |
|
Dr. Samina Abidi Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS) |
D-WISE - A Diabetes Web-Centric Information and Support Environment: An E-health Solution Operationalizing Behaviour Change Models and Clinical Guidelines for Patient-centered Diabetes Self-management | $99,905 |
|
Dr. Farah Ahmad York University (Toronto, ON) |
Interactive Computer-assisted Screening (iCAS) for Depression in Primary Care | $89,933 |
|
Dr. François Boudreau Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (Trois-Rivières, QC) |
Feasibility and efficacy of a computer-tailoring physical activity intervention to promote self-management of CVD risk factors: a pilot randomized control trial | $99,800 |
|
Dr. Joseph Cafazzo University Health Network (Toronto, ON) |
Design and Evaluation of an mHealth Behavioural Intervention for the Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus | $99,350 |
|
Dr. Steven Grover Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (Montreal, QC) |
Evaluating a Multidisciplinary E-Health Program to Promote Regular Physical Activity Among Individuals at Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease | $99,390 |
|
Dr. Anne Holbrook McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) |
Electronic Tools to Improve Anticoagulant Therapy for Individuals and Populations | $98,776 |
|
Dr. Dawn Kingston University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB) |
Mental Health E-Screening in Pregnant and Postpartum Women | $99,902 |
|
Dr. David Kreindler Sunnybrook Research Institute (Toronto, ON) |
Mental Health Telemetry for Self-Management in Major Depression | $96,207 |
|
Dr. Linda Li University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) |
ANSWER-2: A biologic decision aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis | $96,661 |
|
Dr. Elsa Marziali Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care (Toronto, ON) |
Development and Evaluation of an Internet Technology Platform for the Delivery of Evidence-based Intervention Programs to Adults with Chronic Disease | $99,925 |
|
Dr. Erin Michalak University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) |
Quality of life in bipolar disorder: e-health engagement to move evidence into action. | $100,000 |
|
Dr. Katherine Morrison McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) |
Family-Centred E-Health in Pediatric Weight Management: A Pilot Study | $95,918 |
|
Dr. Henry Stelfox University of Calgary (Calgary, AB) |
Developing an Electronic Decision Support and Communication Tool for Intensive Care Unit Discharge | $98,460 |
|
Dr. Jennifer Stinson Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, ON) |
My Team of Care-Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer (myTOC-AYAC): Development and Usability Testing of an Online Communication Tool for Collaborative Care in AYAC | $99,972 |
|
Dr. Jennifer Stinson Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, ON) |
Virtual Peer-to-Peer (VP2P) Support Mentoring for Adolescents with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Feasibility Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial | $99,987 |
|
Dr. Christy Tomkins-Lane Mount Royal University (Calgary, AB) |
The Spinal Stenosis Pedometer and Nutrition e-Health Lifestyle Intervention (SSPANLI) Randomized Trial | $98,968 |
| TOTAL | $1,573,154 |
Image with caption: "The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, delivers an opening address at the e-Health 2013: Accelerating Change Conference on May 27 in Ottawa. Minister Aglukkaq announced funding of $1.6M to support 16 new e-health technology research projects across Canada. (CNW Group/Canadian Institutes of Health Research)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130527_C2316_PHOTO_EN_27097.jpg
SOURCE: Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Cailin Rodgers
Office of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq
Minister of Health
613-957-0200
David Coulombe
Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
613-941-4563
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