August 22, 2011
Story by Keri Lee; Photo by Paul Rotzinger
A pediatric emergency specialist’s work to improve care for young asthma patients received a boost Aug. 18, when he and two other Alberta Health Services (AHS) physicians received a share of federal and provincial funds for their research.
Dr. David Johnson’s research is focused on improving care for children with acute and chronic asthma. Also receiving funding are Dr. Braden Manns, an AHS nephrology and chronic disease specialist, who’s researching strategic clinical networks and their impact on patients with diabetes, and Dr. Tom Stelfox, an AHS critical care specialist, whose research seeks ways to improve the quality and delivery of trauma care. All three are University of Calgary researchers.
Twenty-three researchers across Canada received a share of $10.2 million of funding grants from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) and Alberta Innovates as part of an initiative aimed at improving health service delivery across Canada.
Johnson is working with other AHS clinicians to develop, implement, and evaluate a clinical pathway for managing children with asthma, with the intent of ensuring the care children receive throughout province is based on best evidence. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children and is a leading cause of childhood emergency visits and hospitalizations.
The Busby family couldn’t be happier about Johnson’s research, as their six-year-old daughter Ella has been in and out of Alberta Children’s Hospital dozens of times due to asthma attacks.
“At one point, we were coming to the emergency (department) once a week,” says mother Sara Busby.
“Ella’s asthma used to be completely unmanageable but now that the specialists here at the Children’s have got it under control with medication, I’m happy to say we haven’t made a visit to the emergency in over two years.”
Stelfox hopes his research will provide front-line workers with the information they need to improve outcomes and overall care for trauma patients.
“I will be working directly with trauma patients and their families to find out what kind of care works best for them and what creates the best outcomes,” says Stelfox, “I’m going to be doing my research in three provinces and, at the end, I hope to implement a model that will set the standard for trauma care delivery across Canada.”
Manns’s research will guide how the province allocates funding for diabetes patients, putting money in areas that will improve quality and access for those living with the chronic disease.
Manns’s research will inform decision-makers about the impact that primary care networks have had on the care and outcomes for people with diabetes in Alberta, helping to guide the types of chronic disease management programs that are offered across Alberta.
Federal health minister Leona Aglukkaq was in attendance to make the funding announcement.
