Background: Significant gaps in the evidence base on costs in rural communities in Canada and elsewhere are reported in the literature, particularly regarding costs to families. However, it remains unclear whether the costs related to all resources used by palliative care patients in rural areas differ to those resources used in urban areas.
19 November 2015 Edmonton, Alberta Strengthening Mental Health Services for Children and Families is the 14th IHE Innovation Forum, a semi-annual event bringing together senior public- and private-sector experts and decision-makers to address health care policy issues. Key Forum Documents Innovation Forum XIV – Strengthening Mental Health Services for Children and Families…
5 November 2015 Niagara Falls, Ontario Clinicians and policy makers from across Canada gathered at this workshop to present the latest evidence and best practices of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) care in Canada, as part of the broader effort to develop policy recommendations, applicable to jurisdictions across Canada, that will lead to a better coordinated, more…
3 October 2015 Edmonton, Alberta The purpose of this discussion was to bring together multiple stakeholders from across Canada to investigate the current state of evidence and information regarding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and provide recommendations regarding special considerations for policy making and healthcare decision-making. The draft recommendations will be used…
Objective: In this study, we estimate the impact of the new PCV13 immunization program on the burden of disease and related healthcare costs in Alberta.
OBJECTIVES: To examine differences in health services utilization (HSU) costs in the first year of life between low birth weight (LBW) and normal birth weight (NBW) infants, identify maternal and child characteristics associated with HSU costs, and estimate annual HSU cost of LBW infants for the province of Alberta, Canada.
Objective: Because of a lack of a control group, a case-series study is considered one of the weaker study designs from which to obtain evidence on treatment effectiveness. Under certain circumstances, however, this is the only available evidence to inform health-care decisions. This study's intent was to develop and validate a quality appraisal checklist specifically for…
Objective: To increase the use of evidence-informed approaches to diagnosis, investigation, and treatment of headache for patients in primary care.
Note: This is an Alberta Ambassador Guideline Adaptation Program related publication.
24 June 2015 Edmonton, Alberta This SCN/Industry Introduction Day was the first to bring together the SCNs and MEDEC and several of its member companies in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation in order to jointly identify key opportunities to create a mutually productive relationship in support of the work of the SCNs, as well as identify key barriers, issues, and challenges…
We reviewed literature to estimate the costs of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in the Canadian Criminal Justice System (CJS), and to update the total costs of FASD in Canada. The results suggest FASD is costlier than previous estimates. The costs of FASD associated with the CJS are estimated at $3.9 billion a year, with $1.2 billion for police, $0.4 billion for court,…
4 June 2015 Edmonton, Alberta The Institute of Health Economics held a roundtable on June 4, 2015, entitled Innovative Funding Models: Kidney Care Policy Options for the Future, to identify and discuss key issues in kidney care policy options. Prior to the roundtable, an Innovative Funding Models: Kidney Care Policy Options for the Future Steering Committee teleconference refined…
A perceived gap exists in how well Canadian health technology assessment (HTA) producers are supporting the use of their HTAs by decision-makers. The authors propose that the newly released HTA Database Canadian search interface incorporate structured decision-relevant summaries of HTAs that would be developed by participating Canadian HTA organizations. The registry would…
26 May 2015 Edmonton, Alberta Better Information - Better Health: Accessing Health and Health-Related Data in Alberta is the 13th IHE Innovation Forum, a semi-annual event bringing together senior public- and private-sector experts and decision-makers to address health care policy issues. Key Forum Documents Innovation Forum XIII – Better Information - Better Health: Accessing…
Objectives: Economic evaluations, although not formally used in purchasing decisions for medical devices in Canada, are still being conducted and published. The aim of this study was to examine the way that prices have been included in Canadian economic evaluations of medical devices.
17 February 2015 Toronto, Ontario The Federal Minister of Health, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, announced the creation of the Advisory Panel on Healthcare Innovation (Panel) on June 24, 2014, to examine innovative health care ideas and approaches that exist in Canada and internationally. The Panel’s mandate is to identify promising innovations, here and internationally, which…
This book includes the plenary presentations made at the first international conference on prevention of FASD, which was attended by about 700 people from 35 countries around the globe. The issues addressed are FASD as a priority in health policy making; its prevalence and incidence; strategies for prevention; current applied and basic research in the field; the role of the medical…
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is of growing concern around the world. A range of disabilities caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, FASD is estimated to affect 2% to 5% of all newborns in the industrialized countries of Europe and North America, and the rates may be significantly higher in some developing countries and certain defined populations. Epidemiological studies…
Objectives: To assess and compare the measurement properties (ie, validity, reliability, responsiveness) and the quality of the evidence of presenteeism instruments.
Abstract: Parent-Child Assistance Program (P-CAP) is a 3-year home visitation/harm reduction intervention to prevent alcohol exposed births, thereby births with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, among high-risk women. This article used a decision analytic modelling technique to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio and the net monetary benefit of the P-CAP…
21 – 22 January 2015 Edmonton, Alberta Economic surveillance and economic assessments are important sources of information to help administrators and policy makers to track current trends and evaluate policies and care patterns. The Institute of Health Economics, in partnership with Alberta Health, held a two-day Costing Methods Workshop which helped to review costing practices…
Abstract: Alberta's Primary Care Networks (PCNs) bring together family physicians and other health professionals to provide local, comprehensive, and readily accessible primary care services to patients. The Edmonton North PCN, one of the largest in the province, piloted the Resource in Clinic (RIC) Program with objectives to increase efficiencies in the use of physician…