Dr. Lily Zhou, Assistant Professor (Division of Neurology) and Dr. Nathaniel Moulson, Clinical Assistant Professor (Division of Cardiology) are recipients of the 2023 Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Investigator Awards
Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) facilitates clinician-scientists in their efforts to make new discoveries to improve the health and well-being of patients across their lifespan. The Investigator Awards provide salary support to leading health research investigators in order to help expand their capacity for innovation-driven research that can lead to new health care knowledge.
Dr. Lily Zhou
Award: Mentored Clinician Scientist
Study: Comparison of machine learning techniques for prediction of long- and short-term mortality following stroke using population-based administrative data
Can using machine learning to assess administrative data help predict stroke mortality?
In the last decade, the United States and Canada has seen an increase in stroke mortality in certain subpopulations. The outcome of a stroke is challenging to predict, particularly in the acute setting. However, machine learning algorithms that leverage large administrative health services datasets can improve predictions by producing more widely accessible algorithms. This could in turn improve the accuracy of a patient’s prognosis and treatment recommendations.
Using national and provincial administrative data to examine a population-based group of eligible patients in B.C. from 2010 to 2022, Dr. Zhou and her team aim to compare trends in short- and long-term stroke fatality in people living in rural and urban areas. For patients receiving neurosurgical procedures, the team will be comparing machine learning techniques to predict mortality. This updated data could help to reduce health disparities among vulnerable populations, identify those at risk of excessive end-of-life treatment and identify the impact of advances in acute stroke care.
“Our work can help to clarify the real-world impact of acute stroke care, including its implications on health care costs and expenditures, as well as potentially improve predictions of stroke mortality to enhance patient care,”
Dr. Lily Zhou
Dr. Nathaniel Moulson
Award: Mentored Clinician Scientist
Study: Virtual cardiac rehabilitation for rural cardiac populations
CAN virtual cardiac rehabilitation improve outcomes for remote and rural patients with cardiovascular disease?
Cardiac rehabilitation has been proven to reduce hospital readmissions, secondary events and premature mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, only 10 to 30 per cent of eligible patients receive this intervention — and this rate is even lower among individuals who are of low socioeconomic status or who live in rural areas. Cardiac rehabilitation delivered using virtual technology has the potential to significantly improve participation rates, patient outcomes and eliminate barriers to care — particularly among patients without access to facility-based cardiac rehabilitation.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of virtual cardiac rehabilitation,” says Dr. Moulson. “However, limited data exists to demonstrate its efficacy — especially in rural and remote populations.”
The main purpose of Dr. Moulson’s project is to assess the feasibility and outcomes of virtual cardiac rehabilitation as compared to the usual care for eligible patients in rural locations. The program will focus on improving participants’ exercise capacity and fitness through the delivery of exercise therapy sessions via videoconferencing and the sharing of online educational resources.
“Results from this study will help inform future work on a provincial strategy aimed at improving equitable access to cardiac rehabilitation services, including for patients in rural and remote communities,”
Dr. Nathaniel Moulson