Grant: Operating Grant: SPOR iCT Rewarding Success - Travel Awards - Alberta

Cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attacks, heart failure and stroke, is one of the leading causes of disability and death in Canadians. Because it is so common, much of the health care budget goes to screening for, monitoring for, and appropriately treating cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately though, we have found that doctors overuse many laboratory and cardiac tests that are unnecessary causing a lot of waste of resources, and possibly harm, within Alberta's health care system. Not only does this cost the health care system, but it also causes inefficiencies with patients who actually require cardiac tests having longer wait times. Our team of patients, doctors, researchers and policy makers aim to decrease the amount of unnecessary and wasteful tests with programs to help doctors make better decisions when selecting tests for patients so that patients can get the right care they need at the right time.