Everyday Living - Arthritis Research Canada

Effects of Arthritis Medication on Cancer Patients with IA

Sep 13, 2023

Immune checkpoint inhibitors activate the immune system to fight cancer treatments but their use is limited by the development of new autoimmune reactions, one of them being inflammatory arthritis. In this study, investigators will conduct a clinical trial comparing short-term use of a TNF alpha inhibitor to usual care to see if this is effective in arthritis remission, preventing long-term…

Supporting New Leaders in Health Care with the National Cohort Training Program

Sep 08, 2023

This research study aims to create a strong community of highly qualified PhD trainees, postdoctoral researchers, and early career researchers to improve healthcare systems that can better meet the needs of Canadians.

Impact of arthritis medications on the mother and child during pregnancy and beyond

Aug 08, 2023

Arthritis can affect people during their childbearing years but there isn't enough data about the impact of medication for the child and mother. This study will use “big data” to analyze British Columbia healthcare records of those women that are pregnant and have arthritis to better inform future treatment decision.

Individualized decision aid for patients considering total knee replacement surgery

Aug 04, 2023

This project aims to provide patients with a tool to support shared decision making, improve the quality of patients’ decisions and enhance quality of care for patients considering total knee replacement surgery.

Mental Health of Parents with Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases During Early Child Development

Aug 03, 2023

Becoming a parent is a major life event that brings additional challenges to those managing autoimmune rheumatic diseases symptoms (ARDs). This study will advance the limited knowledge base on the mental health of mothers and fathers living with ARDs during the early parenting years to define mental health resources and intervention approaches to better support their needs.

A Flexible Care Delivery Model for Arthritis (FlexCAre).

Jul 13, 2023

The way that patients receive healthcare for their inflammatory arthritis (IA) is outdated and doesn’t meet their needs. This study aims to design an innovative FlexCAre model that can take advantage of new technology to deliver care that is more focused on the needs of people living with inflammatory arthritis.

Improving Inflammatory Arthritis health services by identifying avoidable hospital visits

Apr 24, 2023

Hospitalization and ER visits for rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis are less common now as a result of better treatment approaches and medications. However, hospital and ER visits by people with conditions like gout, are rising. This project will undertake several activities the improve the way outpatient rheumatology care is delivered to all patients

Understanding the Cost of Arthritis on Children and their Families

Apr 10, 2023

The physical and financial cost of arthritis in children can result in failed or lower education, a future of low paying jobs or unemployment due to disability, and for many poor mental health. This study will explore health-care system costs and impacts on families including financial, education, employment, productivity, well-being and quality of life.

Considering the role of equity in rheumatology research

Apr 05, 2023

Most research done in Inflammatory Arthritis shows more data for patients who are White than other races, but we also are missing information on differences in health outcomes that are because of age, gender identity, location, education, or other factors. This study will help understand how rheumatology research may be disadvantaging or harming certain people, and how to collect information…

Improving equity in research on persons with inflammatory arthritis

Jan 16, 2023

Inflammatory arthritis (IA) can have different health outcomes based upon several factors such as race, gender identity, age, location, education. By including a more diverse group of IA patients in research studies we will ensure effective health outcomes are inclusive of all factors.

Moving more helps mobility of older adults with complex health needs

Nov 04, 2022

When older adults increased their physical activity, they can help manage their chronic conditions and prevent frailty. This study will adapt and test approaches to the new Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for older adults at an early state of frailty and with chronic conditions.

Citizen Science: Help find answers

Oct 25, 2022

Living with long COVID? Do you wonder how your symptoms compare with others? Do you want to help scientists find answers? Consider taking the Citizen Science Long COVID survey to share your journey and improve the lives of people living with similar health challenges.

What does it cost our healthcare system when medications are not taken as prescribed?

Jan 18, 2022

For medications to work, people need to take them as prescribed. For many, this is a struggle. In Canada, we spent nearly $34 billion on prescription medications in 2019. It is important to understand how medications are being taken in the real world and the cost to our healthcare system when they are not taken as prescribed.

The Falls Prevention Study

Nov 09, 2021

Falls are a major health care problem for older adults and health care systems as they account for 50 per cent of injury-related hospital admissions. There is strong evidence that the Otago Exercise Program can reduce falls in older adults 65+. We are working to help more people continue with this program over time so that they receive maximal benefits.

Putting healthcare equity under the microscope during covid-19

Nov 18, 2020

This research seeks to examine how changes in the use of emergency services during the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the health of First Nation peoples, socially and materially deprived, remote, and older populations.

Citizen Science: A web portal for patients to transform pain research

Jul 30, 2020

Pain affects many people, but it is complex and poorly understood. No one knows more about pain than the people who live with it. Citizen Science is a social movement that gets the public to join forces with health scientists to learn more about pain. By sharing your experiences and theories about pain on the Citizen Science platform, you can…

What is the real risk of getting COVID-19, and how serious can it be, for British Columbians who are taking medications that affect their immune system?

Jun 23, 2020

A population-based study by Arthritis Research Canada will explore the connection between immunosuppressive medications and COVID-19 risk in patients with inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

Exploring the health benefits of everyday activities for people with inflammatory arthritis

May 04, 2020

There is little research data on the types of activities that support living well with inflammatory types of arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis). The purpose of the study is to explore the health benefits of people’s everyday activities, with a focus on the social and creative aspects of those activities.

Understanding the experiences of individuals with immunosuppressive conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic (UNIFIED)

Apr 30, 2020

Individuals with rheumatic diseases are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 given their compromised immune systems. Additionally, they are greatly affected by the public health measures (e.g. social distancing, virtual appointments and delayed surgery/ treatments) put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. This study aims to...

Using Cell Phones and Tablets with Hand Arthritis

Nov 29, 2019

People with arthritis in their hands may have difficulty using digital devices such as cell phones, iPads, and tablets. This research is intended to identify the issues and develop solutions to overcome barriers.

Development of a new life expectancy and quality of life prediction model for Canadians

May 21, 2019

Most existing life expectancy calculators predict the risk of death from one condition and a few risk factors. Our website model will consider 64 risk factors to predict death from 270 diseases and injuries. The “Canadian Risk and Health Manager” (CHaRM) will be accessible to physicians, researchers, experts, and potentially made available to the general public.

Fighting fatigue using a physical activity intervention

Apr 11, 2019

Current evidence suggests that physical activity leads to improved health in people living with inflammatory arthritis, such as improved joint health, mobility, and psychological well-being. This study will investigate the effectiveness of physical activity in reducing fatigue by using data from the physical activity counselling program being tested in the OPAM-IA trial.

MyArthritisGuide: An online tool to support self-management of rheumatoid arthritis

Apr 02, 2019

People living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) will have access to reliable and clear information to help understand their disease better with the MyArthritisGuide. It’s an interactive website that will provide patients with tailored information to help them make good health decisions and personal choices in the management of their disease.

Preventing Complications with Improved Physical Activity: Can Self-Monitoring Technologies Help?

Feb 07, 2019

Using a Fitbit tracker to monitor a patient’s physical activity to provide feedback and encouragement to achieve their activity goals. This sub-project of the PRECISION study looks at improved physical activity to prevent the medical complications associated with inflammatory skin, joint and bowel diseases.

Price caps for generic drugs: Ensuring fair pricing and reducing potential shortages for Canadians

Mar 12, 2018

Worldwide, generic drugs are priced cheaper than brand names to make generic markets more competitive and to reduce drug costs. This study will determine the impact of different price-caps on the Canadian generic drug market. The results will guide policy-making decisions to ensure fair pricing and reduced risk of generic drug shortages in Canada.

Will using your arthritis medications during pregnancy cause you or your baby to have more infections?

Jan 09, 2018

It is not clear how arthritis medications affect the immune system of pregnant women or their babies after birth. This study will determine whether using these medications during pregnancy leads to mothers and babies having more infections and, if so, what appropriate prevention and monitoring steps need to be in place to ensure the health of mothers and their babies.

A New Method to Measure Health Literacy

Jan 09, 2018

Health literacy refers to an individual’s ability to access, understand, evaluate, communicate and use basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Before health literacy can be improved, we need to be able to measure it. This study will develop a new tool to do that.

Assessing Meaningful Patient Engagement in Research

Jan 12, 2017

Patient engagement helps make research more relevant to the needs of patients, but there is currently no tool to assess the extent to which patients are meaningfully engaged in research. The “Patient Engagement in Research Scale” (PEIRS) is identifying successful ways of engaging patients in research.

PRECISION: Preventing Complications from Inflammatory Skin, Joint and Bowel Conditions

Jul 07, 2016

People with inflammatory diseases of the skin, joint, or bowel are now more likely to die from medical complications of the disease than the disease itself, including cardiovascular disease, severe infections, hip fractures, selected cancers, diabetes, and chronic lung disease. This 5-year, $2.5 million research project will develop ways to prevent these complications for more than 5 million Canadians to…

Research: Everyday Living