Libin Precision Medicine Initiative launches enhanced cardiac care program

Calgary cardiac patients will have the opportunity to participate in research while visiting local cardiac clinics at Alberta Health Services (AHS) facilities. 

The Libin Precision Medicine Initiative (LPMI) launched its PULSE Clinic Program earlier this year with the goal of advancing personalized cardiac care for Albertans. The program is being rolled out in phases in clinics around the city over the next 18 months. 

According to Dr. Rhys Beaudry, PhD, LPMI’s research manager, when patients visiting participating clinics get a reminder for their cardiac appointment, they receive a link to a voluntary short electronic questionnaire to capture their interpretation of their health, symptoms and lifestyle—details not typically captured in regular health data. They can also complete the questionnaire while in clinic waiting rooms. 

Guided by the patient’s consent, information from the surveys is anonymized and combined with their medical record to allow the development and testing of personalized care pathways tailored to each individual. 

As a partnership between AHS and the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, the PULSE Clinic Program was designed to enable patients to maintain control over how their health data is used to support innovation and improve care. Beaudry notes the PULSE Clinic Program is one of the largest patient-guided healthcare initiatives to date in the province. 

“By allowing patients to add their own perspectives to their health data and participate in innovative research, we hope to significantly improve patient outcomes over the next several years,” says Beaudry. 

Patients can participate by following the link in their appointment reminder, or during their clinic visit by scanning a QR code on their own device. They can also take advantage of iPad stations located throughout clinics. Those who choose to take part will be eligible to participate in studies planned to assess the benefits of personalized care strategies.

Dr. James White, MD, a cardiologist and clinician scientist, LPMI director and principal investigator of the PULSE Clinic program, says the program and its supporting infrastructure is one of the most ambitious programs of its kind in Canada. 

“By routinely asking cardiac patients across all clinic locations how they want their data used for innovation and building pathways to securely manage their data with the health authority, we have established a framework to support the implementation of personalized care, not just researching it,” says White. “This creates a unique opportunity for us to test and measure the value of personalized clinical decision-making for Albertans.”

Participants will also be provided follow-up surveys every six months, allowing them to identify trends in their own health and track changes over time. Patients can withdraw from the program at any time. 

Dr. Melanie King, PhD, LPMI’s associate director, says getting the project off the ground was a team effort involving many people, from health-care leaders and researchers to data specialists and patient partners. She adds patient feedback, gathered during the testing phase, has been very positive.

“This is very exciting,” she says. “A lot of people worked very hard to make this project a reality, and we believe it will have an incredible impact on care for cardiac patients.” 

For more information about the PULSE Clinic Program, visit this page. Learn how you can support this important work here.