Innovation in times of crisis

O’Brien Institute researchers are using innovative approaches to respond to COVID-19 and to ensure that sustainable high-quality health care is available to all Canadians in times of crisis. 

Strengthening COVID-19 response in long-term care facilities and hospitals

While all eyes were on the pandemic’s impact on patients and on the health system, researchers led by Bonnie Lashewicz, PhD, identified the disproportionate strain COVID-19 placed on care providers. The researchers worked with five homes in Calgary, Edmonton and Okotoks to create and disseminate a mental health support toolkit tailored to long-term care workers in pandemic conditions.

From this work, researchers created a high impact 2-minute animation titled “We needed help, but we were supposed to be the help.” Featured on the University of Calgary’s YouTube Channel, this animation had over 700 views in the first ten days.

Meanwhile, a team led by Zahra Goodarzi, MD, and Jayna Holroyd-Leduc, MD, set out to improve palliative care for vulnerable older adults. The team developed a clinical care pathway for frail older adults living in long-term care that aims to improve provision of end-of-life care within long-term care facilities, and avoid unnecessary transfer to hospital.

By again looking at the pandemic in innovative ways, O’Brien Institute members found a power imbalance where no one was looking. A survey of frontline healthcare workers, conducted by Institute researchers, highlighted an urgent need for a gender-transformative pandemic response strategy. Survey findings revealed that, among other inequities, men were more likely to hold pandemic leadership roles compared to women and women were more likely to report increased domestic responsibilities than men.

COVID-19 and big data

In the early days of the pandemic, Tyler Williamson, PhD, along with colleagues at the Centre for Health Informatics (CHI), created a data-integrated COVID-19 tracking system using Calgary and Alberta-centric data to inform the municipal response to COVID-19.

Additionally, Williamson and his team, using a multi-organizational and multi-disciplinary approach, worked with colleagues at Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services to predict how many COVID-19 cases to expect at the provincial and municipal levels, and what the demand would be on the healthcare system.

To further bolster this critical information, Nishan Sharma, EdD, collected data from around the world on the effectiveness of various public health interventions, such as physical distancing, closing schools and daycares, and limiting travel. 

Williamson is also part of the team behind SeroTracker, an online tool that tracks and visualizes global Covid-19 serology testing data — testing that examines blood samples for antibodies which indicate whether a person has been exposed to the novel coronavirus. 

SeroTracker, which is providing valuable information to Canada’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, was developed by a group of students from six different universities in three different countries, including Rhodes Scholar Rahul Arora, who’s mentored by Williamson.

Drone delivery of medical supplies to remote communities

Many remote communities in Canada do not have easy access to medical testing centres and supplies, making them especially vulnerable during a pandemic. To respond to this need, researchers at the W21C (a centre within the O’Brien Institute), the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Alberta Health Services, and Alberta Precision Laboratories partnered with the Stoney Nakoda Nation to deliver medical equipment and coronavirus test kits to remote areas quickly through the use of remotely piloted aircraft – drones.

Wastewater COVID-19 surveillance

O’Brien Institute scientists are part of a team of UCalgary researchers encompassing the Cumming School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, and Schulich School of Engineering, Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets (ACWA), the City of Calgary, and Alberta Health Services (AHS) that is testing Calgary wastewater for early signs of the novel coronavirus and gauge the overall prevalence of the virus in the community. This wastewater data in included in the CHI COVID-19 tracking system. Wastewater monitoring projects are also underway in Calgary hospitals, and in targeted Treaty 7 First Nations in Central and Southern Alberta.