Life as a Healthcare CIO: Introducing Snapchart: Check out this game changer - Snapchart deletes patient information as soon as it’s viewed. What could be more secure than an empty EHR? ...
I am just copying and pasting and posting this article and giving all credit due. I am thinking however along these same lines for an article on researching health records, big data analytics, and consent for the use of patient records for research. Mostly I have been studying research data management plans and the trend towards sharing research data on well preserved data library repositories. I'd like to find out where the health data repositories are and I don't just mean with organizations like ICES.
Sharing your patient record can help researchers save and improve lives
The NHS is creating a new system to share information from patient
records to improve care and research, while protecting each person's
confidentiality. Everybody in England can choose how information from
their patient record is shared in this new system.
As you make up your mind about sharing your records, more than 40
medical research charities and organisations have joined together to
tell you more about how your information can be used for medical
research and help you find out more about how your information will be
kept safe.
Every time you visit an NHS hospital or your GP, information about
your health is recorded and stored in your patient record. The NHS uses
this information to help provide the best clinical care for you.
Because your patient record contains personal information about your
health, it must be handled very carefully and accessed safely and
securely, protecting your confidentiality.
Information from your record can also be used to improve healthcare
delivery for all patients, and by health researchers who use it to help
them understand the causes of disease and to find better treatments.
Update
NHS England
has announced
that it plans to delay the collection of data from GP surgeries until
the autumn and that it will work with patients and professional groups
to ensure information is accessible and reaches all sections of the
community in order to build confidence in the initiative.
We understand this decision as we believe that, whilst sharing
information from medical records is important for medical research and
healthcare delivery, the systems for achieving this need to be trusted
and understood by everyone. This delay should allow for fuller
communications that ensure people are aware of how their data will be
collected and used, the safeguards that are in place, and how to
exercise their right to object.
Your choicesThe NHS is contacting you now with information about the changes and your options
More than several news stories are reporting about Health Informatics projects coming out or going into Hamilton in the last week or so. The first story was about CareKitHealth, which was a start-up company at The Forge and McMaster Innovation Park. This story broke for me when I read that the company was bought by the British Columbia based mHealth group Moseda.
The second story that really caught the attention of all Hamiltonians was IBM moving into six floors of the seemingly derelict Stelco Tower. The reason why is to do Health Informatics research. I would really like to find out what kind of Health Informatics research IBM will do there but it sounds like Watson Big Health Data Analytics to me. There will probably be many jobs and co-op opportunities for McMaster and Mohawk Health Informatics students, as IBM is partnering with Hamilton Health Sciences.
Then to top that off McMaster Health Sciences researchers scored a very large grant and funding:
A Hamilton team of researchers led by McMaster is receiving a total of $12.3 million to advance a remote monitoring and care system, called SMArTVIEW, for post-operative patients.
The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) today announced a $750,000 grant for the project through its eHealth Innovation Partnership Program (eHIPP).
An additional $11.6 million of in-kind support is coming from industry and other partners for the development and testing of the SMArTVIEW technological system that could save people facing life-threatening complications after surge
Now every time I hear about another Health Hackathon I wish I could have participated more!
Research
March 3, 2016
Innovations in wireless patient monitoring and care attract federal support
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2
0
Google +
3
A Hamilton team of researchers led by McMaster is receiving a
total of $12.3 million to advance a remote monitoring and care system,
called SMArTVIEW, for post-operative patients.
The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) today announced a
$750,000 grant for the project through its eHealth Innovation
Partnership Program (eHIPP).
An additional $11.6 million of in-kind support is coming from
industry and other partners for the development and testing of the
SMArTVIEW technological system that could save people facing
life-threatening complications after surgery.
Tens of thousands of seniors undergo cardiac and vascular surgeries
in Canada and the United Kingdom each year, but studies have measured
chronic postoperative pain in up to 40 per cent of patients at three
months after surgery and hospital readmission at up to one in five
patients.
Current systems for monitoring those patients after surgery are
“inadequate,” says Michael McGillion. An associate professor of the
School of Nursing, McGillion is principal investigator for the project.
Co-principal investigator is P.J. Devereaux, professor of clinical
epidemiology and biostatistics and medicine for McMaster’s Michael G.
DeGroote School of Medicine.
With SMArTVIEW, a wireless information system connects
specially-trained nurses to patients through tablets and other wireless
devices. The nurses will monitor patients remotely and keep track of
vital signs and provide education to improve patients’ recovery.
THE SMArTVIEW stands for TecHnology Enabled remote monitoring and Self-MAnagemenT: VIsion for patient EmpoWerment.
The research, to take place in Ontario and the U.K., will focus on
remote, continuous monitoring and recovery support for eight weeks post
hospital discharge. Several studies over four years will measure the
effectiveness and efficiencies.
The Hamilton-based research team includes members of McMaster,
Hamilton Health Sciences, the Population Health Research Institute and
Mohawk College, along with members from the University of Toronto and
Coventry University in the U.K.
“With SMArTVIEW and this research, we’ll be able to move from
futuristic concepts to real-life care that’s in widespread use, based on
evidence of real-world impact,” said McGillion.
“We are fortunate to be working with drivers of eHealth innovation
including our lead technology partner, Philips Canada, along with QoC
Health, a patient-engagement platform; XAHIVE, a secure communications
service, and mPath, a mobile application developer.
“Looking ahead, we have the opportunity to reduce the global risk of
serious complications following cardiac and vascular surgery by making
continuous patient monitoring and virtual support, from hospital to
home, a reality.”
The CIHR eHIPP was established to identify patient-oriented eHealth
solutions that will improve health outcomes, patient experience and
lower health costs, as well as foster partnerships between researchers
and industry. - See more at:
http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/article/innovations-in-wireless-patient-monitoring-and-care-attract-federal-support/#sthash.DYvts11Q.g8hE1sD3.dpuf
Research
March 3, 2016
Innovations in wireless patient monitoring and care attract federal support
share this article
2
0
Google +
3
A Hamilton team of researchers led by McMaster is receiving a
total of $12.3 million to advance a remote monitoring and care system,
called SMArTVIEW, for post-operative patients.
The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) today announced a
$750,000 grant for the project through its eHealth Innovation
Partnership Program (eHIPP).
An additional $11.6 million of in-kind support is coming from
industry and other partners for the development and testing of the
SMArTVIEW technological system that could save people facing
life-threatening complications after surgery.
Tens of thousands of seniors undergo cardiac and vascular surgeries
in Canada and the United Kingdom each year, but studies have measured
chronic postoperative pain in up to 40 per cent of patients at three
months after surgery and hospital readmission at up to one in five
patients.
Current systems for monitoring those patients after surgery are
“inadequate,” says Michael McGillion. An associate professor of the
School of Nursing, McGillion is principal investigator for the project.
Co-principal investigator is P.J. Devereaux, professor of clinical
epidemiology and biostatistics and medicine for McMaster’s Michael G.
DeGroote School of Medicine.
With SMArTVIEW, a wireless information system connects
specially-trained nurses to patients through tablets and other wireless
devices. The nurses will monitor patients remotely and keep track of
vital signs and provide education to improve patients’ recovery.
THE SMArTVIEW stands for TecHnology Enabled remote monitoring and Self-MAnagemenT: VIsion for patient EmpoWerment.
The research, to take place in Ontario and the U.K., will focus on
remote, continuous monitoring and recovery support for eight weeks post
hospital discharge. Several studies over four years will measure the
effectiveness and efficiencies.
The Hamilton-based research team includes members of McMaster,
Hamilton Health Sciences, the Population Health Research Institute and
Mohawk College, along with members from the University of Toronto and
Coventry University in the U.K.
“With SMArTVIEW and this research, we’ll be able to move from
futuristic concepts to real-life care that’s in widespread use, based on
evidence of real-world impact,” said McGillion.
“We are fortunate to be working with drivers of eHealth innovation
including our lead technology partner, Philips Canada, along with QoC
Health, a patient-engagement platform; XAHIVE, a secure communications
service, and mPath, a mobile application developer.
“Looking ahead, we have the opportunity to reduce the global risk of
serious complications following cardiac and vascular surgery by making
continuous patient monitoring and virtual support, from hospital to
home, a reality.”
The CIHR eHIPP was established to identify patient-oriented eHealth
solutions that will improve health outcomes, patient experience and
lower health costs, as well as foster partnerships between researchers
and industry. - See more at:
http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/article/innovations-in-wireless-patient-monitoring-and-care-attract-federal-support/#sthash.DYvts11Q.g8hE1sD3.dpuf
Research
March 3, 2016
Innovations in wireless patient monitoring and care attract federal support
share this article
2
0
Google +
3
A Hamilton team of researchers led by McMaster is receiving a
total of $12.3 million to advance a remote monitoring and care system,
called SMArTVIEW, for post-operative patients.
The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) today announced a
$750,000 grant for the project through its eHealth Innovation
Partnership Program (eHIPP).
An additional $11.6 million of in-kind support is coming from
industry and other partners for the development and testing of the
SMArTVIEW technological system that could save people facing
life-threatening complications after surgery.
Tens of thousands of seniors undergo cardiac and vascular surgeries
in Canada and the United Kingdom each year, but studies have measured
chronic postoperative pain in up to 40 per cent of patients at three
months after surgery and hospital readmission at up to one in five
patients.
Current systems for monitoring those patients after surgery are
“inadequate,” says Michael McGillion. An associate professor of the
School of Nursing, McGillion is principal investigator for the project.
Co-principal investigator is P.J. Devereaux, professor of clinical
epidemiology and biostatistics and medicine for McMaster’s Michael G.
DeGroote School of Medicine.
With SMArTVIEW, a wireless information system connects
specially-trained nurses to patients through tablets and other wireless
devices. The nurses will monitor patients remotely and keep track of
vital signs and provide education to improve patients’ recovery.
THE SMArTVIEW stands for TecHnology Enabled remote monitoring and Self-MAnagemenT: VIsion for patient EmpoWerment.
The research, to take place in Ontario and the U.K., will focus on
remote, continuous monitoring and recovery support for eight weeks post
hospital discharge. Several studies over four years will measure the
effectiveness and efficiencies.
The Hamilton-based research team includes members of McMaster,
Hamilton Health Sciences, the Population Health Research Institute and
Mohawk College, along with members from the University of Toronto and
Coventry University in the U.K.
“With SMArTVIEW and this research, we’ll be able to move from
futuristic concepts to real-life care that’s in widespread use, based on
evidence of real-world impact,” said McGillion.
“We are fortunate to be working with drivers of eHealth innovation
including our lead technology partner, Philips Canada, along with QoC
Health, a patient-engagement platform; XAHIVE, a secure communications
service, and mPath, a mobile application developer.
“Looking ahead, we have the opportunity to reduce the global risk of
serious complications following cardiac and vascular surgery by making
continuous patient monitoring and virtual support, from hospital to
home, a reality.”
The CIHR eHIPP was established to identify patient-oriented eHealth
solutions that will improve health outcomes, patient experience and
lower health costs, as well as foster partnerships between researchers
and industry. - See more at:
http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/article/innovations-in-wireless-patient-monitoring-and-care-attract-federal-support/#sthash.DYvts11Q.g8hE1sD3.dpuf
Research
March 3, 2016
Innovations in wireless patient monitoring and care attract federal support
share this article
2
0
Google +
3
A Hamilton team of researchers led by McMaster is receiving a
total of $12.3 million to advance a remote monitoring and care system,
called SMArTVIEW, for post-operative patients.
The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) today announced a
$750,000 grant for the project through its eHealth Innovation
Partnership Program (eHIPP).
An additional $11.6 million of in-kind support is coming from
industry and other partners for the development and testing of the
SMArTVIEW technological system that could save people facing
life-threatening complications after surgery.
Tens of thousands of seniors undergo cardiac and vascular surgeries
in Canada and the United Kingdom each year, but studies have measured
chronic postoperative pain in up to 40 per cent of patients at three
months after surgery and hospital readmission at up to one in five
patients.
Current systems for monitoring those patients after surgery are
“inadequate,” says Michael McGillion. An associate professor of the
School of Nursing, McGillion is principal investigator for the project.
Co-principal investigator is P.J. Devereaux, professor of clinical
epidemiology and biostatistics and medicine for McMaster’s Michael G.
DeGroote School of Medicine.
With SMArTVIEW, a wireless information system connects
specially-trained nurses to patients through tablets and other wireless
devices. The nurses will monitor patients remotely and keep track of
vital signs and provide education to improve patients’ recovery.
THE SMArTVIEW stands for TecHnology Enabled remote monitoring and Self-MAnagemenT: VIsion for patient EmpoWerment.
The research, to take place in Ontario and the U.K., will focus on
remote, continuous monitoring and recovery support for eight weeks post
hospital discharge. Several studies over four years will measure the
effectiveness and efficiencies.
The Hamilton-based research team includes members of McMaster,
Hamilton Health Sciences, the Population Health Research Institute and
Mohawk College, along with members from the University of Toronto and
Coventry University in the U.K.
“With SMArTVIEW and this research, we’ll be able to move from
futuristic concepts to real-life care that’s in widespread use, based on
evidence of real-world impact,” said McGillion.
“We are fortunate to be working with drivers of eHealth innovation
including our lead technology partner, Philips Canada, along with QoC
Health, a patient-engagement platform; XAHIVE, a secure communications
service, and mPath, a mobile application developer.
“Looking ahead, we have the opportunity to reduce the global risk of
serious complications following cardiac and vascular surgery by making
continuous patient monitoring and virtual support, from hospital to
home, a reality.”
The CIHR eHIPP was established to identify patient-oriented eHealth
solutions that will improve health outcomes, patient experience and
lower health costs, as well as foster partnerships between researchers
and industry. - See more at:
http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/article/innovations-in-wireless-patient-monitoring-and-care-attract-federal-support/#sthash.DYvts11Q.g8hE1sD3.dpuf
I got this email from Dr. Greg Koski and the ACRES group the other day. Dr. Koski is working in area which I have alluded to in a few previous blog posts on clinical research informatics.
Follow us on Twitter @acresglobal The Alliance for Clinical Research Excellence and Safety (ACRES),
the global public-interest collaboration building a comprehensive
system to transform clinical
research, today announced a major second step toward full
implementation of a multi-stakeholder shared information technology
platform.
Technology
solutions to enhance clinical trial performance are multiplying
rapidly, but their usefulness is limited by their lack of connectivity
and inter-operability. The new platform, dubbed
Apollo, provides a shared infrastructure to support the functional
integration of existing technologies, including electronic health
records (EHRs), electronic data capture (EDC) systems and clinical trial
management systems (CTMS), and to enable data exchange
and aggregation critical for development and implementation of “big
data” analytics essential for next-generation methods for remote
monitoring and auditing, real-time pharmacovigilance, and continuous
quality improvement enterprise-wide.
The first
phase of the ACRES global IT platform, built on the
BlueCloud®
2.0
Networking Technology developed by ACRES’ Austin-based strategic ally
HealthCarePoint, provided a common platform for users worldwide to share
vital research study documents, including
training documentation and verifiable professional credentials
essential for study start-up.
With
nearly 1,000,000 current member-users in healthcare, research, and
industry globally, the BlueCloud® is already benefiting sponsors, CROs,
investigators, research sites, regulatory agencies
and ethics committees worldwide. Now, the second phase of this global
collaborative platform, spearheaded by ACRES strategic partner
HealthIDx, includes initial roll-out of a federated trust framework for
secure enterprise-wide identity management and single
sign-on access to multiple end-user applications on the ACRES Apollo
platform. Apollo utilizes a proven cloud-based integration
platform—originally developed by Detroit-based Covisint to support the
complex supply chain, distribution and marketing logistics
of the automotive industry—to enable seamless connectivity and
inter-operability of multiple applications across the industry’s diverse
stakeholders, including sites, sponsors, CRO/SMOs, regulatory agencies
and supply chain providers and ethics committees.
“We
are delighted to be working with ACRES and its many allies in this
important effort,” said J. Scott Lowry, Founder and CEO of HealthIDx.
“In this next phase, which includes secure cloud-based
data exchange, aggregation, visualization, and analysis, we are
addressing critical challenges of security, multi-user identity
management, and fine-grain access control.” Lowry further noted that
several technology applications, including the BlueCloud®,
have been integrated via open APIs onto the ACRES Apollo platform and
more such integrations are planned, including platforms of other
organizations, thereby extending their power, connectedness and
effectiveness.
“The
ability to acquire and exchange data seamlessly among a wide array of
EHR, EDC and CTMS platforms within a secure cloud-based environment and
move them into shared data vaults where they
can be used in real-time will support clinical research performance,
quality, safety and oversight as never before,” said Greg Koski, ACRES
co-founder and CEO. “Apollo provides the ability to achieve true
connectivity among the many applications already in
use, as well as new applications being developed, across the entire
drug development and clinical trials endeavor, saving time and money for
all, while creating innovative opportunities for creativity, efficiency
and effectiveness.”
“This
is a collaborative effort,” added ACRES COO Matt Whalen. “Rather than
create a proprietary platform, ACRES is deploying a robust integration
platform that can connect all stakeholders,
whatever applications they currently use, in a timely and
cost-effective manner. The power of this approach lies in what can be
done through the application of soft systems engineering and the use of
standards developed by organizations like OASIS, ICE, CDISC,
GS1 and SAFE Biopharma.”
The
Apollo platform also incorporates an “app store” to take advantage of
the several technologies and point solution capabilities available to
users, working in parallel with second-level integrations
of EHR, EDC, CTMS and data management systems. A live demonstration of
the Apollo’s robust systems capabilities for multiple high-value
use-cases is planned in the second quarter of 2016.
Click
here
to obtain a diagram of the ACRES Global System supported by the Apollo
platform or to submit information regarding integration of your
application into the system.
---
The
Alliance for Clinical Research and Excellence (ACRES)
is a
non-profit leveraging the expertise of stakeholders worldwide to
collaboratively build a shared global system for clinical trials that
are responsibly conducted according to the highest standards of safety,
quality and efficiency, based in principles of Accountable
Research™. Adapting lessons from industries that have successfully
implemented principles of systems and safety engineering, this global
system will employ integrated information technologies as well as
interoperable standards, policies and practices to enhance
clinical research safety, quality and efficiency worldwide. For more
information, please contact
Dr. Mary F. Tobin or call +1 (844) 60-ACRES (22737).
iiBIG
(International Institute for Business Information & Growth LLC) is a
boutique conference organization dedicated to producing
business-to-business conferences and seminars for senior-level
executives in three (3) business verticals: (1) Financial
services/Investment;
(2) IT/Cloud technology; and, (3) Life sciences/Clinical research
sectors. We provide learning and networking settings for BIG thinkers –
those who occupy the highest levels in their companies and
organizations. iiBIG is also proud to be an ACRES Strategic
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C'etait tres interesant pour moi d'apprend que "Cristal-Net" devoir la seule EHR dans la province de Quebec! La seule! It started as a home grown system at the University of Laval and their affiliated hospital. I think they also had help from a programming group from France. Makes a lot of sense to have french language programmers. I am all in favour of home grown systems.
It is remarkable that the Province of Quebec government was able to pass legislation making this Hospital EHR system the only one that will be used in all the hospitals in the province! How is that possible? This is a very interesting story, one that could probably never be played out in Ontario. I remember a few years back after an eHealth Ontario scandal when the McMaster OSCAR EMR was being offered as an open source solution for healthcare records at vastly lower costs. Of course, business and project management interests seem to drive the EHR solution in Ontario more than the government regulated healthcare system. Quebec definitely has a different culture! Smaller countries like Denmark where able to achieve 100% EHR integration for all their citizens very early. By culture I mean "the way of doing things".
“The decision to deploy a single solution for Electronic Medical Record is part of our efforts to standardize practices within our health and social services, clinically and financially and administratively,” said Barrette. “This will benefit clinicians and all users.”
Patient portals are meant to conveniently connect patients
and providers, but adoption of these tools lags despite a mounting
demand from patients for this very capability.
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questions about linking, please email editorial@beckershealthcare.com.
I posted this link automatically after the story turned up in my google search RSS feed. The website with this Kaiser Survey story had over 280 reference (or Add This ) RSS icon links for sharing the story. I often share stories to my Twitter feed which also has an eHealth theme. My Facebook feed is mostly for personal stories. I can remember before Facebook when RSS was just developing, what a liberation it was from the inbox. Some email programs had a way to receive RSS feeds into a local folder or there was a browser navigation item where one could store the RSS links, kind of like bookmarks. These days I am told that the younger kids don't even read email - they are just message chatting on their smartphones or other social media sites. I still think RSS - Real Simple Syndication - is the greatest technological invention since newspaper publishing. In fact, I have "health informatics" set in a google search feed, which is just an RSS program.
RSS is programmed in XML. I took a course in XML once and started creating my own RSS feeds on the websites I had created. It was not that difficult. XML is also the basis for the HL7 standard for health records and interoperability. It is too bad that more personalized RSS "news" doesn't come into our google or other email accounts in terms of our own personal health records. I personally don't see the interoperable difficulty in doing that. Add to that developments in "web services", API, and inter-database sharing platforms like REST, and there are a lot of open doors for data sharing.
This eHealth enabled browser blog is dedicated to eHealth. Personal health records are a major interest that I like to share with others. After doing research for 5 years on PHR I still think they have many decades to go before they will be widely used. I could be mistaken here, but I just don't think the technology is ripe for wide spread PHR use. It is just not the technology, it is also the social awareness of health and wellness that is lacking. Newer forms of technology might enable an evolution of this awareness - hard to say. A friend of mine who I follow on Facebook recalled the time in his university in 1990 when he and a colleague decide to get email accounts so they could stay in touch. They could not convince anyone else to use email because no one could see the reason for using a technology that no one else was using.
To get back to this story about the Kaiser Survey that showed that people thought that their health was improving because of using a PHR, I think that there is a need to find more evidence that PHRs can be a technological tool physicians may ultimately prescribe to help their patients.
I volunteer with McMaster Family Medicine in the Tapestry program. We visit seniors who have volunteered to be in this research study. We bring an iPad and take a health survey. We also ask if they want to sign in to the McMaster Personal Health Record, which is integrated into the OSCAR EMR. Many of the clients we have met have had falls.
Just saw this article on the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal about fall prevention. Because I have practiced Tai Chi for more several decades, and because I value the work of the Portal and the plain language systematic reviews and evidence based research they present to the public, I will post this here. It would be great if more people, both citizens and health professionals, could subscribe to the Portal.
Steady on your feet: New ways to improve balance and avoid falls
Dec 18, 2015
When it comes to keeping your feet safely on the ground – metaphorically and literally – it’s all about balance. But like many other things we take for granted when we’re young (strength, endurance, bone density, a full head of hair...) our sense of balance declines as we age. That’s one reason why older adults are at greater risk of falling and potentially becoming seriously hurt or even dying as a result (1).
Past research has shown that regular physical activity can help prevent falls, particularly when it includes exercises and movements designed to improve balance (2). Tai Chi for example, is recommended for its various benefits, including improving strength and balance through slow, controlled movements (3,4).
But if Tai Chi isn’t for you, there are other options you many want to consider. One recent systematic review of six studies measured the benefits of Pilates, a mind-body exercise program that has been popular since the early 20thcentury. Like Tai Chi, it involves controlled movements and concentrates on flexibility, strength, posture and breathing (5). Each study included older adult participants who took part in group Pilates sessions. The exercises varied (mat exercises as well as exercises using elastic bands, weights or other equipment), and included at least 2hrs of Pilates each week. The study participants were compared with a control group who kept up their usual daily activities but did not take Pilates.
Another emerging form of balance training that is gaining attention for its novel approach is “perturbation-based balance training” or balance recovery training. It focuses on improving people’s reaction time and helping them better recover from a loss of balance (6). Training can include equipment (such as moving platforms), or manual interference (such as nudges by a therapist) to enhance your ability to react and stop yourself from falling.
A recent systematic review of eight randomized controlled trials examined whether perturbation-based balance training lowers the risk for falls in older adults as well as people with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (6). More than 400 people between the ages of 50 and 98 took part in perturbation-based balance training and were compared with those in control group who participated in other types of balance enhancing exercises.
What the research tells us
Both Pilates and perturbation-based balance training appear to be promising strategies for helping older adults avoid falls and the resulting serious consequences.
Despite limitations in the quality of the Pilates studies the results suggest that Pilates is a promising way to help improve balance (5). So far the evidence on perturbation-based balance training is also encouraging: participants completing the training reported fewer falls and were less likely to fall, compared with those in the control groups (6). Further research is needed but there is cautious optimism that this approach may help people react and recover their balance more quickly so that a slip or trip doesn’t necessarily have to end in a fall.
Not sure which balance training exercises are best for you? Ask your doctor or physical therapist, or give these activities a try! At the same time, be aware of hazards and take the necessary precautions (e.g. good lighting, clear pathways, secure handrails etc.) so that you remain surefooted and safe as you enjoy an active lifestyle (7).
The Bottom Line
Older adults have a greater chance of falling and experiencing serious injury or even death.
Exercises aimed at improving balance have been shown to help prevent falls.
Initial studies of Pilates exercises (involving controlled movements to build flexibility, strength and posture) suggest it has the potential to improve balance.
Balance-recovery training aims to improve reaction time after a loss of balance and also appears to help lower risk of falls.
More high quality studies are needed to learn more about the benefits of Pilates and balance-recovery training.
The latest scientific evidence on this topic was reviewed by the McMaster Optimal Aging team. Blog Posts are written by a professional writer, assessed for accuracy by Dr. Maureen Dobbins, an expert in interpreting and communicating the scientific literature, and edited by a professional editor. There are no conflicts of interest.
These are interesting times for the visual impaired, technologically speaking at least. The number of advances in technologies for the eyes and the eye-brain interface, because a lot of the impairment is in our heads, has really started to amaze me, and they seem to be occurring every day. An idea to write a blog post on this has been brewing for sometime. This post was sparked by a story I read today about a little girl of seven years of age who was blind almost since birth because of a stroke and who was not allowed to carry her white cane (that is a technology too!) to school. Not such an interesting time for her because it is a health and safety concern?
Also today I read about a bionic lens made by Ocumetrics that will return better than 20/20 vision by 3 times. That is in clinical trials but the promise is an 8 minute out patient "surgery". Just a couple of weeks ago I heard about a technology discovery that could replace our weak eye lenses with an LCD equivalent - liquid crystal sight - like having a smartphone camera lens implanted in our eyeballs and connected through the nervous system to the brain. That would really help, maybe even cure, older folks with presbyopia.
The idea that technology was rapidly moving ahead to aid the visually impaired occurred to me more than several years ago when I was made aware of a research study involving smartphones and the blind. In there was the idea that crowdsourcing could help the blind in a very simple way - especially those times when they were in a bit of a bind. All they have to do is use their smartphone to take a picture of the object of thing they can't identify, for example, a soup can, upload the picture to a crowdsourcing website, and wait for one of the minions who make working there a 24/7 enterprise. After a short wait in the kitchen they get a text to speech email spelling out for them the "tomato soup can" they wanted to open for lunch.
What if they could even eliminate the crowdfunding middle person? Yes, let's impoverish those already impoverished Mechanical Turks working for pennies again! Why not just upload the image to a search engine that can identify images? It would have to be one customized to return a text to speech SMS. Then again we would have to trust in the artificial intelligence of the image recognition software. There is an ethical dilemma there, because that might not be a can of tomato soup for lunch! Another way to look at that is computer image recognition software that could read braille and translate it into text to speech? Google informs me via Wikipedia that that might be called "optical braille recognition". That idea occurred to me today when I saw a potentially new prothesis that can sense touch.
Of course, one of the great pioneers of all of this, Ray Kurzweil, was inspired to invent in order to help the visually impaired. He developed many text to speech products, like a Reading Machine that advanced Optical Character Recognition, Flatbed Scanners, and Text to Speech. One of his customers was the truly great though blind musician Stevie Wonder who got him into music apparently, and the Kurzweil synthesizers followed.
One of the most breath taking of the smartphone app devices to help the visually impaired is the KNFB reader. This is an app for a smartphone that allows the blind to pick up text off of virtually anything. This youtube video illustrates how it is used very well:
I have a personal interesting in the technology for visual impairments because I have amblyopia, or lazy eye. I have blogged a little about the video game intervention research that is so exciting as a novel and interesting way for kids to potentially fully regain vision in their lazy eye. The game technology devices are getting more customized (sort of binocular suppression- see Hess, McGill University) as researches learn more about how the brain works. I have been in a clinical trial to see if adults can regain visual ability in the lazy. Not that much success for me but I am still keenly interested in it. I am especially interested given the fact that Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a certain area of the brain and at a certain frequency will restore perfect vision in adults with lazy eye, but only for 45 minutes! See, it is really all just in our heads! Eventually the bridge will be made there, I am hoping, without having to shock ourselves under that infinite loop coil of the TMS device more than several times a day.
Another smartphone development by a group called Peek Vision offers promising low cost diagnostic or comprehensive eye exam software on a smartphone. Needless to say, because it is mobil, remote villages in Kenya and elsewhere can now intercept patients with potentially serious eye or other health conditions: http://www.peekvision.org/about-us
New patient portals launched, but lots more needed
October 21, 2015
SAULT
STE. MARIE, Ont. – The Group Health Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.,
has joined the ranks of healthcare organizations offering a patient
portal with secure access to test results and much more.
The Group Health Centre has launched myCARE, a secure online patient
portal that provides patients with the ability to send messages to their
healthcare team, request prescription renewals, manage appointments,
and review lab test results online.
A survey of the more than 1,500 patients who were involved in the pilot phase reported that:
• 99 percent of patients surveyed would recommend myCARE to a friend or family member
• 97 percent agree that myCARE is user-friendly
• 93 percent agree it was easy to register
• 90 percent agree it’s easy to use
Alex Lambert (pictured), CEO of Group Health Centre, is confident
that the launch of myCARE will help improve access to care and advice
for patients.
“We believe healthcare is most effective when patients are engaged,”
he said. “myCARE offers patients a number of unprecedented options for
access, information, and communication. This kind of patient engagement
leads to better outcomes for everyone involved.”
Michael Green, president and CEO of Canada Health Infoway, wants to maintain the momentum.
“While Canadians are ready for e-booking and viewing lab results
online, only 6 to 10 percent have access now,” added Green. “The
potential to enhance Canadians’ patient experience by improving care and
reducing the amount of time required to renew prescriptions, book
appointments and manage illness has never been greater than it is
today.”
That view is echoed by leading Canadian health care organizations who
have established Digital Health Week (November 16 – 22, 2015) to
recognize how digital health is transforming care and helping to improve
delivery of care across the country.
Think digital health isn’t making a difference? Think again. Visit www.betterhealthtogether.ca.
I looked at the Page Source for the coding trying to see if I could identify how they designed it. I am still not sure. I missed the ajax boat in programming utility and so I am not sure how that programming forms the navigation circle, if at all. Some of the navigation circle might be all done in CSS, maybe what they call "CBCcarousel": http://www.cbc.ca/i/css/v11/scripts.css
Then I found out that "carousel" is actually a CSS class for design < here >.
It reminded me of an old style of web page design using photoshop image over layers. The circle mouse over links to entire video documentaries is very useable. CBC may be selling off their buildings and laying off employees but at least they know how to deliver digital information. It could even be flash scripting? I've really not kept up with that either.
I think web design and programming for healthcare sites is part of a study of Health Informatics. We may recall the fiasco of the Obamacare healthcare.gov website that had usability and server crashing issues. For that matter, any electronic medical record system is first and foremost a web design application that must prioritize usability.
Speaking of Usability I have been trying to read through Steve Krug's "Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems." Krug is right - he is not a book writer. Interesting layout for a book though.
The episodes for the CBC series don't appear to have one dedicated to an ehealth contextual scenario. I think that is because ehealth is usually kind of implicated throughout many aspects of healthcare, and not an all star focus?
Anyway, having watched a half dozen or so episodes, I am finding the whole thing quite an awesome educational trip! Here is a short clip intro to the project:
I have not seen the TV series but I think the ideas for this kind of science fiction were mined from the film directed by Steven Spielberg in 2001 called "AI".
As one reviewer for the Humans TV series says, it is good that the public is starting to think about the ethics of this technology.