High blood pressure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world, and affects one in five Canadians. With rates of hypertension on the rise in B.C., research led by experts at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) has identified the benefits of a novel home blood pressure telemonitoring (HBPT) intervention to prevent hypertension from worsening and help people with the condition take control of their health.
Wearable health monitoring devices have become omnipresent in the lives of Canadians. However, many questions have been raised about how accurate they are at measuring the vital signs and activity levels of wearers.
The potential of digital and wearable technologies to help treat the often complex health care needs of British Columbia’s aging population inspired Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr. Calvin Kuo and colleagues at the Centre for Aging SMART and University of British Columbia (UBC) to co-create an innovative project designed to revolutionize health care in the province.
A wireless monitoring technique developed by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr. Babak Shadgan can help clinicians monitor vital signs and patient health following respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia and COVID-19.
“Our technique can provide measures to help clinicians monitor how well a patient's respiratory system is functioning,” says Shadgan.
What arguably began with the Fitbit has evolved into a technological space where runners can choose from a variety of wearables to monitor training progress with every stride.
It is here — at the intersection of ease of use and reliability — that Dr. Chris Napier, a sports physiotherapist and principal investigator at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI), is studying wearable technology.
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.
It is a $14 billion (and growing) worldwide market: wearable devices that record how many steps we take, how many calories we burn, and how fast our heart is beating. And these devices, which range from smart watches to smart glasses to in-ear monitors, are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Handheld devices and newly released smartwatches can even conduct electrocardiograms in the comfort of your home. But at what cost? Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr. Jason Andrade and his colleague Dr.
Sixty-eight year old former teacher Bronwen Cripps has always been active. But in the summer of 2014, her ability to be active was hampered by her knee noticeably hurting while walking.
“I could just tell something was wrong,” says Cripps, who lives in Coquitlam. “I went to see my doctor about it and thought it was a relapse of the meniscus deteriorating, but she pointed out that that diagnosis was for the other knee!”
