There are about 28871 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Canada. The country of the clinical trial is determined by the location of where the clinical research is being studied. Most studies are often held in multiple locations & countries.
People staring at computer screens for long hours, blinking less frequently, or having long-term contact lens wear are prone to dry eye disease (DED). DED is a multifactorial disease accompanied by inflammation of the ocular surface. Further, DED may degrade vision and is associated with depression and have an adverse impact on patient's quality of life. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) incorporates standardized collection of breathing techniques followed by Automatic Self Transcending Meditation (ASTM) may help reduce stress, depression, and anxiety, enhance quality of life in patients diagnosed with DED. Thus, the investigators will be studying the effect of SKY plus ASTM on quality of life of DED patients. The investigators plan to conduct a single-center pilot RCT. Patients with DED will be randomized to SKY followed by ASTM plus Usual care (UC) or UC alone to assess changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL). HRQOL is a vital construct focusing on impact of health on quality of life. Along with HRQOL the investigators will measure changes in extent of depression and anxiety. Additionally, majority of current ophthalmic literature describes changes in clinical variables whilst lacking information on HRQOL. Thus, there is a high necessity to assess if there is an association between HRQOL and routinely measured clinical data. Through this study the investigators shall attempt to correlate HRQOL with clinical data.
Tibiofemoral osteoarthritis (TFOA) is highly prevalent in older adults, and often causes symptoms and functional limitations. Physical activity is widely advocated in people with TFOA, and running is an easy and accessible activity that provides many benefits on general health. However, running induces high knee loads, which could potentially contribute to symptoms of runners with TFOA. Previous studies have suggested that running gait modifications can help in decreasing symptoms and knee loading in runners with knee conditions. Yet, no study has been conducted in runners with TFOA. This intervention study will investigate the effects of a 4-week running gait retraining program on symptoms and running biomechanics in runners with TFOA. We hypothesize that running modifications will decrease symptoms, improve function and reduce knee loading.
The purpose of this study is to pilot the introduction of a newly developed palliative care tool to clinicians in a family health team. The intent of the tool is to improve the quality and comprehensiveness of palliative care, which effects caregiver and patient satisfaction with care received, as well as clinician satisfaction with their delivery of care. Tool effectiveness will be evaluated by measuring satisfaction scores of caregivers, patients and clinicians who receive training and access to the tool compared to caregivers, patients and clinicians providing usual care (without the tool). Uptake of the tool and user feedback will be collected
Diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis is challenging as specific tests for detection of fibrosis in pediatric Cystic Fibrosis associated liver disease (CFALD) have not been developed and existing investigations do not correlate well with presence or severity of disease. Using a Liver biopsy it is difficult to diagnose this condition because of the patchy nature of the disease. Investigators intend to identify hepatic and pancreatic fibrosis in Cystic Fibrosis patients using Elastography and correlate this with their biochemical markers as well as histological findings of patients who have undergone liver biopsy for diagnosis of CFALD.
Tobacco is the most preventable cause of disease and death in Canada. Although the tobacco use rate has substantially gone down in the general population, significant differences exist between sub-populations in Canada, for example Ottawa's highly vulnerable homeless or at-risk for homelessness population has an almost 100% tobacco smoking rate relative to 9-18% in the rest of the Canadian general population. This stark inequity in tobacco use translates into devastating healthcare outcomes such as a disproportionate amount of cancer, stroke, heart disease and death. Canadians who are homeless or at-risk for homelessness die 25 years earlier than housed Canadians, mostly due to tobacco. In order to tackle this tobacco use related inequity - a novel approach is urgently needed. Despite commonly held dogma that People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) don't want to quit smoking, many studies have demonstrated that in fact they are very interested in quitting. Moreover, the investigators pragmatic peer-led community-based action approach used in their PROMPT project has demonstrated that tobacco dependence strategies can be implemented with great success in this population. The majority of PROMPT participants reduced or quit tobacco use, in addition to reducing or quitting all other drug use. Importantly, the investigators have demonstrated that it is possible to gain the trust and engagement of marginalized populations and that researchers can create a community space that is low-threshold, safe and non-judgmental. The investigators aim to compare two tobacco dependence management strategies in the homeless (or at-risk for homelessness) multi-drug use population in Ottawa and Toronto. They will use the same peer-led approach in PROMPT with community peer researchers with lived experience; with the hope that the cost-effective community based framework derived from this trial will serve as a template for interventions and treatments in community settings for chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
Described as the "Angelina Jolie Effect", rates of prophylactic mastectomy with immediate implant-based reconstruction are increasing dramatically as more women with genetic predisposition towards breast cancer are seeking surgical prevention. Advances in surgical techniques allow for the creation of an aesthetically pleasing postoperative breast mound; however, a common complaint is the lack of sensation to the skin and nipple of the reconstructed breast due to injury and stretch of the sensory nerves. Numbness of the breast, nipple, and areola is an unnatural feeling for the patient, as well as a potential risk for injury or burns as the woman is unable to feel pain. Our laboratory has previously shown that electrical stimulation (ES) is an effective way of improving nerve regeneration after injury to the nerves of the upper and lower extremities. Proven to improve motor outcomes following carpal and cubital tunnel release and sensation following injury to the digital nerves, this technique is a likely mechanism of restoring sensation of the breast as well. In this study, we will follow thirty women undergoing prophylactic skin-sparing mastectomy with immediate implant-based reconstruction. At the time of surgery, patients will be randomly assigned ES to either the right or left breast. That breast will be reconstructed first and stimulated for one hour while the other breast is reconstructed. At the completion of the case, all wires will be removed. We will test sensation (tactile, temperature, 2-point discrimination, sharp/dull discrimination, and protective sensation) prior to surgery then again at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months following surgery to evaluate the effects of ES on sensory return. Patients will be provided with a survey to assess return of erogenous sensation.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) refers to a category of disorders, consisting of Crohn's Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), where segments of the gastrointestinal tract become inflamed and ulcerated. Canada has among the highest incidence rates of IBD in the world - 16.3 and 12.3 per 100,000 for CD and UC respectively. In the absence of a cure, the current goal of treatment is to manage patients in a milder state of remission. However, maintaining (or even achieving) remission is dependent on timely access to specialist IBD care; which in light of rising incidence rates have proven to be challenging. Moreover, patients often experience flare-ups of their gastrointestinal symptoms, while awaiting access to specialist care. In recent years, there has been increased integration of telemedicine services in gastroenterology practice. This change has been driven by a desire among IBD patients to have more flexible follow-up care, where 'virtual' care is provided as an adjunct to in-person consultations. Within the context of IBD, telemedicine might be effective in delivering routine and timely follow-up care to high-risk patients. The purpose of this study to determine whether telemedicine-based follow-up care can effectively manage the gastrointestinal symptoms of high-risk IBD patients and reduce their need for preventive health care services.
There is significant data showing that the quality of CPR performed is quite poor. Recent studies have shown that when real-time visual corrective feedback is available to CPR providers, quality (compression depth and rate) improves. Pilot work at John's Hopkins Children's Hospital indicates that providing a CPR Coach whose role it is to provide real-time coaching during cardiac arrest, further improves the quality of CPR. This study will assess the impact of a CPR Coach for improving CPR quality and CPR perception in a team of healthcare providers during simulated CPA.
This study is an extension of a pilot study in which investigators developed and tested a computerized tool to help physicians to determine if their patients' asthma is well controlled, advise them on medication changes required according to the current level of control, and automatically generate an electronic version of the AAP, all based on patient responses to a questionnaire completed by patients on a tablet computer. In this phase patients will have the ability to complete the questionnaire on their smartphones, through a pre-downloaded app and will have access to an electronic asthma self-management app.
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a treatable form of peripheral neuropathy with suspected autoimmune cause. The current first-line treatment is IVIG (immune globulin), which is infused in a set regimen that requires 4-5 hours in a hospital day unit, taking up resources such as nursing time and hospital space. Chronic treatment is required in most cases.