Mental and physical health are often treated separately, even though they're closely linked. That disconnect can be even worse for seniors, whose care is often fragmented to begin with. But one program is trying to change that.
Health-care organizations don’t usually have R&D departments; instead, researchers typically apply for grants for one-off studies. That’s a problem—but one that could be changing.
The siloes in Canadian health systems can decrease the quality of care patients receive. But Ontario Health Teams are trying to address this problem by bringing primary care, hospital and community providers together.
The COVID vaccine rollout is a litmus test for the learning health system. It requires speed, well-working collaborations with community members and the ability to adjust on the fly as supplies and eligibility requirements change.
In our first learning health system case study, we profile an AI program that predicts which patients are at a high risk of going to the ICU. It has been successfully implemented largely because its developers took input from the physicians and nurses who would be using it from the get go.
Too often, health-care innovations don’t actually improve health systems – the innovators haven't collaborated with patients, and doctors, and other stakeholders. But a different approach, the learning health system, is trying to change that.