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Clinical Research on Older Adults in Canada: Summary of Recent Progress

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Kenneth Rockwood ,
Chris MacKnight  and
Colin Powell
Kenneth Rockwood
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University
Chris MacKnight
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University
Colin Powell
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University
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Abstract

Geriatric Medicine is a young specialty in Canada, having been formally recognized in 1981. The early years of research chiefly involved designing and describing programs of care. As the specialty matured, so too did the nature of research into the clinical problems of older adults. This article discusses research published by Canadian geriatricians since 1998, the date of a previous review. Two prominent areas of research are frailty and dementia. Several groups have studied the natural history of frailty, and designed techniques to better measure outcomes. Interventional trials are also gaining prominence, with the Systeme de services intégrés pour personnes agees en perte d'automonie (SIPA) and Mobile Geriatric Assessment Team (MGAT) being good examples. The Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA) is one of the largest studies of dementia epidemiology ever conducted, and the upcoming third wave will provide new data on the outcomes of cognitive impairment not meeting criteria for dementia. Other areas of interest include pharmacoepidemiology, difficult clinical problems, advanced directives and bioethics. Canadian research in geriatrics will continue to develop, with the establishment of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research providing exciting new opportunities.

Résumé

La médecine gériatrique est une toute nouvelle spécialité au Canada formellement reconnue en 1981. Les premières années de la recherche portaient surtout sur la conception et la description des programmes de soins. Au fur et à mesure de la maturation de la discipline, onavuse transformer la nature de la recherche qui s'est penchée sur les problèmes cliniques des aîné(e)s. Cet article traite de la recherche publiée par les gériatres canadien(ne)s depuis 1998, date d'un examen préalable. Deux secteurs importants de cette recherche sont la fragilité et la démence. Plusieurs chercheurs ont examiné le déroulement naturel de la fragilité et ont conçu des techniques pour en mesurer les conséquences. Les interventions s e répandent, notamment le Système de services intégrés pour personnes âgées en perte d'automonie (SIPA) et le Mobile Geriatric Assessment Team (MGAT). L'Étude sur la santé et le vieilhssement au Canada (ESVC) constitue l'une des plus importantes recherches sur l'épidémiologie de la démence dont la troisième phase fournira sous peu des nouvelles données sur les conséquences de problèmes cognitifs qui ne sent pas de la démence. On s'intéresse aussi à la pharmaco-épidémiologie, aux problèmes cliniques difficiles, aux lignes directrices perfectionnées et à la bioéthique. La recherche canadienne en gériatrie se poursuit, grâce à l'établissement des Instituts canadiens de recherche sur la santé qui offrent des perspectives tres intéressantes.

Keywords

Clinical ResearchDementiaFrailtyHealth MeasurementPharmacoepidemiologyRecherche cliniquedémencefragilitémesure de santépharmacoépidemiologie
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 20 , Issue S1: Northern Lights: Reflections on Canadian Gerontological Research , Summer/Été 2001 , pp. 1 - 16
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2001

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