U of A professor says COVID-19 crisis has provided much-needed public education in how vaccines can prevent deadly viruses
A pharmacy researcher predicts more of us will roll up our sleeves for the influenza vaccine this fall thanks to the crash course we’ve all had recently on viruses and how to prevent them. “Because of COVID-19, people are becoming a lot more aware of how susceptible they are to viruses and virus-caused infections, especially…
Alberta researchers identify gradients of risk for preterm births, small and large size at birth, smoking and drug use by mothers
The highest concentration of adverse birth outcomes and related maternal risk factors occur in rural areas of Alberta with the lowest socio-economic status, according to new research from the University of Alberta. “When it comes to perinatal health, postal code can be as important as your genetic code,” said perinatal epidemiologist Maria-Beatriz Ospina, assistant professor of obstetrics…
U of A designer, emergency room doctor work on award-winning projects that show how to stop the spread
As citizens cope with a barrage of public health information about how to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, University of Alberta researchers are working to make it more accessible and easier to understand. “All of your functions are impaired in an emergency,” said Gillian Harvey, an assistant professor of design studies and a member of the international…
Ophthalmologists encouraged to take extra precautions while working with patients who have conjunctivitis
A case of pink eye is now reason to be tested for COVID-19, according to University of Alberta researchers. Coughing, fever and difficulty breathing are common symptoms of the illness, but a recent case study involving an Edmonton woman and published in the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology has determined that conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctivitis can also be primary symptoms. In…
Welfare reform in the 1990s provides a starting point for reforming health care today
By Jake Fuss and Bacchus Barua The Fraser Institute On Wednesday, Alberta’s Fair Deal Panel issued its report detailing 25 policy recommendations to expand the province’s influence within the Canadian federation and enhance provincial autonomy. However, one crucial policy option was not discussed at length – the potential shift of health-care decision-making powers to the…
The industry will now be popping champagne: no Alberta nicotine cap, no flavour ban
The government of Alberta finally proposed legislation regulating vaping last week. But its Bill 19 is quite simply a cop-out. In the name of protecting children and youth, the bill mainly protects industry, and not children and youth. Alberta is the last Canadian province to regulate vaping and now makes minimal proposals: restricting advertising and…
The health-care system in theory exists for the benefit of Albertans. We pay the bills, yet we’re not at the table
By Charlie Fischer and Judy Birdsell IMAGINE Citizens Collaborating for Health It’s positive that the government of Alberta and physicians have created a working group to find a way to reach common ground in the current dispute over the doctors’ cancelled contract. Yet, IMAGINE Citizens Collaborating for Health, a citizen-led organization that aspires to support Albertans…
Increased spending has entrenched an inefficient system that has inflated the cost of getting the same outcomes. It’s time for change
Canada has doubled health care spending since 2005 – and what did we get? We certainly haven't improved access to care, nor improved health outcomes. Increased spending has, instead, entrenched an inefficiently organized system that has inflated the cost of getting, at best, the same access and outcomes. The alternative to spending to meet rising…
Spending continues to rise but Albertans have diminished access to care and face above-average wait times
By Bacchus Barua and Jason Clemens The Fraser Institute Albertans, like all Canadians, spend comparatively high amounts on health care but only receive modest performance from the system compared to other universal care countries. Thankfully, there’s much the province can (and should) do to improve its health-care system. According to the Canadian Institute for Health…
Sometimes it’s not enough to heal the body. Art also has a role in health care. But funding for programs that bring art to patients is in short supply in Alberta
For centuries, art has been used in healing ceremonies, although the formal art therapy profession has only been recognized for the past several decades. The history of art in hospitals dates back to the Renaissance, yet we still too often consider art an add-on to healing. That's changing rapidly. Art is becoming prominent as an adjunct…
A pharmacy researcher predicts more of us will roll up our sleeves for the influenza vaccine this fall thanks to the crash course we’ve all had recently on viruses and how to prevent them. “Because of COVID-19, people are becoming a lot more aware of how susceptible they are to viruses and virus-caused infections, especially…
