Machine learning predicts risk of death based on routine hospital tests

Machine learning predicts risk of death based on routine hospital testsComputer analysis can help health-care system “learn” by providing information vital to improving care If you’ve ever been admitted to hospital or visited an emergency department, you’ve likely had an electrocardiogram, or ECG, a standard test involving tiny electrodes taped to your chest that checks your heart’s rhythm and electrical activity. Hospital ECGs are usually…

Asthma rates rise in Alberta, but medication use flatlines

Asthma rates rise in Alberta, but medication use flatlinesDoctors and patients need to learn more about how to control symptoms and avoid severe disease University of Alberta researchers have uncovered a worrying trend in the dispensation of asthma medications that, if addressed, could improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital visits. In research published online, the team reviewed dispensation records for the 10 most…

Alberta has the highest rate of food insecurity in Canada

Alberta has the highest rate of food insecurity in CanadaCommunity-based participatory research is critical to uncover solutions Imagine running out of grocery money before month’s end and turning to the food bank for help, only to discover you don’t know how to cook anything that’s in the food hamper your family receives. This is just one example of the problems related to food insecurity…

Living well – and dying well – with schizophrenia

Living well – and dying well – with schizophreniaResearcher pushes for better palliative care for people with chronic mental health conditions A University of Alberta nursing researcher is working to change the way people with schizophrenia and other chronic mental health conditions in Canada are cared for at the end of their lives. One in five Canadians experiences a mental health issue in…

Machine learning may help predict opioid prescription risk for patients

Machine learning may help predict opioid prescription risk for patientsCurrent guidelines to determine which patients are at higher risk don’t catch everyone Researchers at the University of Alberta are using a form of artificial intelligence to help doctors better predict which patients are at risk of adverse outcomes from opioid prescriptions. In newly published research, the collaborative team created a machine learning model to…

Indigenous patients with autoimmune liver disease face worse outcomes

Indigenous patients with autoimmune liver disease face worse outcomesSearch for the cause and better treatments continues, researcher says First Nations, Métis and Inuit people with primary biliary cholangitis – a debilitating autoimmune liver disease – have more advanced symptoms at diagnosis and worse long-term outcomes than others in Canada, according to research from a nationwide monitoring project. “This autoimmune liver disease joins the…

Researchers one step closer to reversing the effects of MS

Researchers one step closer to reversing the effects of MSMolecule appears to trigger the repair of brain damage caused by multiple sclerosis A University of Alberta researcher is one step closer to demonstrating the potential of a brain molecule called fractalkine to halt and even reverse the effects of multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the…

Fifteen per cent of Canadians have long COVID symptoms

Fifteen per cent of Canadians have long COVID symptomsThe stigma attached to being a Covid long-hauler has the potential to negatively impact patient outcomes High levels of stigma experienced by some COVID long-haulers are associated with more intense symptoms, reduced physical function and loss of employment due to disability, according to newly published research from a Lancet medical journal. Specialists working in Edmonton’s…

Program offers homeless emergency patients permanent homes

Program offers homeless emergency patients permanent homesHomeless make more than 26,000 visits to Alberta emergency departments each year Edmonton emergency department patients who lack housing will soon get a chance to find permanent homes following their hospital stay, thanks to a new transition housing program. “No one should leave emergency without a place to go and a roof over their head,”…
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