University of Alberta

About: University of Alberta is a education organization based out in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 65403 authors who have published 154847 publications receiving 5358338 citations. The organization is also known as: Ualberta & UAlberta.

Why Do Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Not Receive Warfarin

Abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a growing public health problem associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Numerous randomized controlled trials of warfarin have conclusively demonstrated that long-term anticoagulation therapy can reduce the risk for stroke by approximately 68% per year in patients with nonvalvular AF, and even more in patients with valvular AF. However, available data show that of those patients with AF and no contraindication to warfarin therapy, only 15% to 44% are prescribed warfarin. Our literature review has identified patient-, physician-, and health care system‐related barriers to warfarin prescription. However, the relative importance of these specific barriers remains unknown. Further work is needed to understand the discrepancy between the randomized controlled trial evidence and clinical practice patterns. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:41-46

Cycle-oriented distributed preconfiguration: ring-like speed with mesh-like capacity for self-planning network restoration

Abstract: Cycle-oriented preconfiguration of spare capacity is a new idea for the design and operation of mesh-restorable networks. It offers a sought-after goal: to retain the capacity-efficiency of a mesh-restorable network, while approaching the speed of line-switched self-healing rings. We show that through a strategy of pre-failure cross-connection between the spare links of a mesh network, it is possible to achieve 100% restoration with little, if any, additional spare capacity than in a mesh network. In addition, we find that this strategy requires the operation of only two cross-connections per restoration path. Although spares are connected into cycles, the method is different than self-healing rings because each preconfigured cycle contributes to the restoration of more failure scenarios than can a ring. Additionally, two restoration paths may be obtained from each pre-formed cycle, whereas a ring only yields one restoration path for each failure it addresses. We give an optimal design formulation and results for preconfiguration of spare capacity and describe a distributed self-organizing protocol through which a network can continually approximate the optimal preconfiguration state.

Towards systematic reviews that inform health care management and policy-making.

Abstract: Objectives: To identify ways to improve the usefulness of systematic reviews for health care managers and policy-makers that could then be evaluated prospectively. Methods: We systematically reviewed studies of decision-making by health care managers and policy-makers, conducted interviews with a purposive sample of them in Canada and the United Kingdom (n ¼ 29), and reviewed the websites of research funders, producers/purveyors of research, and journals that include them among their target audiences (n ¼ 45). Results: Our systematic review identi¢ed that factors such as interactions between researchers and health care policy-makers and timing/timeliness appear to increase the prospects for research use among policymakers. Our interviews with health care managers and policy-makers suggest that they would bene¢t from having information that is relevant for decisions highlighted for them (e.g. contextual factors that aiect a review’s local applicability and information about the bene¢ts, harms/risks and costs of interventions) and having reviews presented in a way that allows for rapid scanning for relevance and then graded entry (such as one page of take-home messages, a three-page executive summary and a 25-page report). Managers and policy-makers have mixed views about the helpfulness of recommendations. Our analysis of websites found that contextual factors were rarely highlighted, recommendations were often provided and graded entry formats were rarely used. Conclusions: Researchers could help to ensure that the future £ow of systematic reviews will better inform health care management and policy-making by involving health care managers and policy-makers in their production and better highlighting information that is relevant for decisions. Research funders could help to ensure that the global stock of systematic reviews will better inform health care management and policymaking by supporting and evaluating local adaptation processes such as developing and making available online more user-friendly ‘front ends’ for potentially relevant systematic reviews.

The Recomposition of an Organizational Field: Health Care in Alberta

Abstract: In this paper we develop a theoretical model that helps to understand change in mature organizational fields by emphasizing the role of competing institutional logics as part of a radical change process. Our investigation into a large-scale, government-led health reform initiative in Alberta, Canada, is based upon a qualitative case study approach to understanding the process of field recomposition. This study focuses on the later portions of change in an organizational field — that is, rather than explaining the sources of change, we investigate how a field becomes re-established after the implementation of a radical structural change.