It seems like an automatic gesture—fastening your seat belt before you drive off. But for many people with spinal cord injury, buckling up can be one of the most challenging parts of getting behind the wheel. Now, a new prototype device could make driving, and the independence it offers, easier. The Accessibelt device is the latest innovation coming out of the University of British Columbia’s Engineers in Scrubs program.
Social and emotional wellness has become a central focus of BC schools, and recent research shows gardening could be one of the tools in the toolbox to help support youth mental well-being.
It's been more than 50 years since universal health care was established in Canada, and while Canadian’s health care needs have changed significantly over that time, the system has failed to adapt sufficiently to those changing needs.
With much of our health information being migrated to the virtual world, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researchers Leanne Currie and Chantelle Recsky examine the incidence of technology-associated errors.
“As technology is deployed in the health care setting, its use is resulting in a new set of medical errors and unintended consequences.”
New developments in the area of artificial intelligence (AI) are setting the stage for a digital brain to complement medical minds. Like the transition from rotary phones to smartphones, advances in AI technology are set to revolutionize how researchers and clinicians share and analyze information. This could have huge implications for the estimated 22,900 Canadian men who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 20191.
Experts commonly advise that the best exercise is exercise you enjoy doing—that way you’ll keep doing it. The same holds true for rehabilitation exercise, especially when it comes to younger patients. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientists recently tested gaming devices equipped with immersive virtual reality (VR) technology to see if they motivated teenage patients with cerebral palsy to improve their motor learning. Initial results show VR was well received by patients and was successful in improving outcomes, making it worth pursuing further.
Physicians like Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher, Dr. Eric Yoshida, are concerned that rates of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its more severe progression, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), are on the rise while medications are still in the development stages.
The entire health care system benefits when supportive and collaborative research thrives. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) is proud to support research through Team Grant mentorships, which facilitate Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) staff and clinicians teaming up with experienced researchers to exchange knowledge and build partnerships. These grants aim to improve the provision of health care by supporting collaborative applied research projects between research mentors and VCH health care providers.
Seeing someone check a smart watch for health-related information is a common sight. So how are companies using all this data; and, what impact is that having on the health of Canadians? Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researchers Dr. Bill Miller and Dr. Emma Smith share their insights.
Q: What qualifies as wearable technology?
Miller: Technology that you wear or is implanted on your person, collects data and is able to be shared with the internet, laptops, computers or smart phones in some way would qualify as wearable tech.
