Canadian Competitiveness in the Health Life Sciences

The Canadian federal government’s recently launched Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy (BLSS) arrives on the scene after several peer countries have been moving quickly, and seriously, with their own health life sciences strategies. While Canada’s plan has much in common with the main themes of these other plans, it is questionable whether the proper policy infrastructure exists here for Canada to keep up in the highly competitive global health life sciences sector. It is within this context that the present report aims to present a high-level overview of Canadian competitiveness in the health life sciences sector

Canadian Competitiveness in the Health Life Sciences

The Canadian federal government’s recently launched Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy (BLSS) arrives on the scene after several peer countries have been moving quickly, and seriously, with their own health life sciences strategies. While Canada’s plan has much in common with the main themes of these other plans, it is questionable whether the proper policy infrastructure exists here for Canada to keep up in the highly competitive global health life sciences sector. It is within this context that the present report aims to present a high-level overview of Canadian competitiveness in the health life sciences sector

How do we Boost Employment Outcomes for Neurodiverse Albertans?

Despite the supports that have been put in place, Canadians with developmental disabilities (DD) continue to face obstacles in gaining and maintaining employment. In 2012 two out of three Canadians with DD were out of the workforce and not looking for a job. This dismal statistic means that a large number of capable people are chronically unemployed, a situation that leads to poorer quality of life, with accompanying declines in cognitive function and general well-being. For these neurodiverse Canadians, the cascading effects of unemployment include financial insecurity, poor self-esteem, less ability to live independently and lower community participation. For employers, it means that a pool of diverse talent and resources that would benefit their companies is untapped. Of all disabilities, Canadians with DD face the worst employment levels. Educating employers about neurodiversity and incentivising them to make accommodations in hiring practices and in the workplace would go far toward reducing the number of jobless neurodiverse people. As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Canada is expected to provide inclusive and accessible job training, education and labour market opportunities. Yet, labour market activation programs, welfare reforms and equality laws have so far failed to make a difference in the unemployment numbers. A recent study reveals that the top three barriers to unemployment for neurodiverse Albertans include employers’ knowledge, attitude, capacity and management practices; a late start to the concept of work among people with DD; and the stigma of their disability. Programs to remedy the situation abound at the federal and provincial levels and lately, the focus has been shifted to employer education initiatives. Much remains to be done, however, and this communiqué offers suggestions for policy changes that may benefit all parties concerned. One policy could entail changing the design of income assistance programs like Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) to remove disincentives to work, such as ensuring continued access to important health benefits. Governments could also offer financial incentives such as wage subsidies and tax credits to employers who hire neurodiverse people, as well as provide monetary incentives for neurodiverse Canadians who wish to be self-employed. Training programs could be available for employers to teach them the value of having a diverse workforce, as well as instructing them in how their companies can become inclusive and accessible. Putting the proper supports in place in the early years would assist neurodiverse high-school youth to participate in career planning, work internships and job training. Helping Canada’s neurodiverse population to get and keep jobs provides benefits to the economy in terms of increased GDP, to employers in terms of talent and ability, and to people with DD who will enjoy a higher quality of life, greater self-esteem and reduced stigma and isolation

Measuring Patient Oriented Outcomes in Children and Youth With Mental Health Concerns: Albertan Key Informant Perspectives

Mental health concerns among children and youth in Alberta are increasing while poor mental health remains as one of the largest threats to childhood in Alberta. In Canada, mental illness impacts 1 in 4 youth. Demands for mental health services have steadily increased over the past 10 years. To address the child and youth mental health crisis, strategic coordinating and monitoring of child and youth mental health service outcomes are important. This information can inform planning, funding allocation and evaluation. Mental health services were already in crisis when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The pandemic has only exacerbated the issue, particularly among youth. Delivering supports and services that meet the needs of youth is critical. A better understanding of the efficiency and effectiveness of mental health services is required. Patient-oriented outcome measures are important for gathering information that can incorporate the patient’s own perspectives of their outcomes during treatment. Such measures can inform equitable distribution of funds and efficiency of systems planning. Despite patient-oriented research being a national priority, Canada does not have a policy directing how to conduct patient-oriented research; thus, provinces are creating their own. Alberta lacks a unified approach, resulting in various tools and measures being used, which, has led to issues tracking patient outcomes, identifying trends and referring patients to services. Strategic guidance and policy regarding how to measure and track outcome measures are needed to gather consistent data and provide better services. A lack of consistent data from patient’s perspectives impacts ability to make evidence informed, value-based decisions when allocating funds

Pediatric Concussion Health Service Utilization and Follow-Up Care: A Population-Based Epidemiological Study Using Administrative Health Data

Concussion is a common injury among children and youth, although population-level incidence and trends related to service use are not well described in the literature. In addition, while treatment and management decisions are led by best practices and clinical guidelines, there is a paucity of studies exploring the individual and contextual factors that impact health service utilization following concussion in the pediatric patient. Thus, the objective of this thesis was to address these gaps and better understand how children and youth are interacting with the health care system following concussion in Alberta. In this thesis, 14-years of system-level linked administrative health data and a defined episode of care (EOC) were used to describe trends in health care utilization following pediatric concussion in Alberta. An increased incidence of concussion and other mild head injury diagnoses was observed across the province. In addition, a shift in care from emergency department (ED) to outpatient physician office (PO) settings and a higher use of the ED by some segments of the population was observed. Findings suggest some children and youth are more likely to receive care following a concussion. In addition, follow-up care increased over time, demonstrating accordance with clinical guidelines. However, rates remained low, indicating a lack of application by provider or adherence by patient. Findings indicate that the likelihood of receiving follow-up care in Alberta was influenced by both individual and contextual factors. Factors related to need (perceived and evaluated) were most strongly associated with health care utilization. The index visit occurring in PO had the strongest positive association with follow-up care, followed by a history of concussion-related EOC. At the same time, patient predisposing and enabling factors also affected utilization. Younger children and youth, females, and those from areas of lower socioeconomic status (SES) or residing in certain geographical areas were less likely to receive follow-up care. Findings suggest that to improve service delivery and targeted treatment in line with clinical guidelines for all children and youth, policies that focus on equitable access are needed

Understanding and Implementing Concussion Policy in Alberta

Rates of concussion-related emergency room visits in Alberta have risen exponentially over the past decade, with visit rates highest among youth. Adolescents and youth suffering from concussions tend to have more complicated recovery than children or adults. Youth are at risk of prolonged recovery periods and other difficulties with premature Return-to-Play (RTP) or Return-to-Learn (RTL) should their physical and cognitive recovery not be adequately supported. This capstone analysis is the first study of its kind in Canada to explore the status of concussion policy and protocols in the education system in a province lacking ministry mandated policy. The current concussion policy landscape in Alberta can best be described as a patchwork of standards across individual agencies, sports organizations, and teams. There is no official policy in the education system, and policies and protocols appear to be at the discretion of individual schools. Staff survey in two different boards in the Calgary area allowed for analysis of current student and parent/guardian education, school management protocols, and staff training on concussions. The investigation indicated disparity and inconsistency within schools and boards across multiple tenets of concussion policy, with many respondents unaware of various components of their school's policy or even whether such protocols existed. 2 This study's assessment of current policy and protocols is supplemented with recommendations for inclusion for provincial policy in Alberta. As compared to legislation, policy appears to have been effective in Ontario, the only province in Canada with ministry mandated policy in addition to any semblance of concussion legislation. Alberta Education is urged to take heed from the implementation of Ontario's Policy/Program Memorandum on Concussions (PPM No. 158) and require development of, at minimum, strategies to raise awareness, prevent and identify concussions, institute management procedures for diagnosed concussions, and provide appropriate training for educators and other school staff. This assessment closes with a series of recommendations to supplement the overarching policy and its component parts

Canadian Competitiveness in the Health Life Sciences

The Canadian federal government’s recently launched Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy (BLSS) arrives on the scene after several peer countries have been moving quickly, and seriously, with their own health life sciences strategies. While Canada’s plan has much in common with the main themes of these other plans, it is questionable whether the proper policy infrastructure exists here for Canada to keep up in the highly competitive global health life sciences sector. It is within this context that the present report aims to present a high-level overview of Canadian competitiveness in the health life sciences sector

Canadian Competitiveness in the Health Life Sciences

The Canadian federal government’s recently launched Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy (BLSS) arrives on the scene after several peer countries have been moving quickly, and seriously, with their own health life sciences strategies. While Canada’s plan has much in common with the main themes of these other plans, it is questionable whether the proper policy infrastructure exists here for Canada to keep up in the highly competitive global health life sciences sector. It is within this context that the present report aims to present a high-level overview of Canadian competitiveness in the health life sciences sector

Patient-reported outcome measures used to improve youth mental health services: a systematic review

Abstract Background Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are standardized and validated self-administered questionnaires that assess whether healthcare interventions and practices improve patients’ health and quality of life. PROMs are commonly implemented in children and youth mental health services, as they increasingly emphasize patient-centered care. The objective of this study was to identify and describe the PROMs that are currently in use with children and youth living with mental health conditions (MHCs). Methods Three databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO) were systematically searched that used PROMs with children and youth < 18 years of age living with at least one diagnosed MHC. All methods were noted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis. Four independent reviewers extracted data, which included study characteristics (country, year), setting, the type of MHC under investigation, how the PROMs were used, type of respondent, number of items, domain descriptors, and the psychometric properties. Results Of the 5004 articles returned by the electronic search, 34 full-texts were included in this review. This review identified both generic and disease-specific PROMs, and of the 28 measures identified, 13 were generic, two were generic preference-based, and 13 were disease-specific. Conclusion This review shows there is a diverse array of PROMs used in children and youth living with MHCs. Integrating PROMs into the routine clinical care of youth living with MHCs could improve the mental health of youth. Further research on how relevant these PROMs are children and youth with mental health conditions will help establish more uniformity in the use of PROMs for this population