Will a new electronic health record save lives? alberta launches massive study
NCT ID NCT07609381
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether a new province-wide electronic health record system (called Connect Care) improves outcomes for adults with chronic diseases like diabetes, heart failure, or kidney disease. Researchers will compare hospital readmission and death rates before and after the system was introduced, using data from over 124,000 patients. The goal is to see if better information sharing among healthcare providers leads to safer hospital discharges and fewer complications.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that a modern electronic health record system helps reduce hospital readmissions and deaths for people with chronic diseases.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a controlled trial, so it can only suggest links, not prove cause and effect. Results may not apply to other regions or health systems.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 124,240 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
The study population consists of adult Alberta residents receiving acute-care services in Alberta Health Services (AHS) facilities who have one or more of five key noncommunicable diseases: diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, heart failure, or chronic lung disease. Participants are identified from routinely collected administrative, laboratory, and pharmacy datasets, with hospital admissions included regardless of most responsible diagnosis. The population is broadly representative of adults with chronic conditions experiencing transitions from hospital to home across the province. Patient experience survey data are available for a random 10% sample of eligible discharges.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18 years or older at the time of hospital admission. * Residents of Alberta eligible to receive acute-care services in AHS facilities. * Hospitalized for any cause during the study period (5 years pre-implementation and 2 years post-implementation of the CIS). * Meet the validated case definition for one or more of the five key NCDs (diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, heart failure, or chronic lung disease) based on ICD codes, laboratory measures, or pharmacy records during standardized lookback periods (up to 5 years for diagnoses; up to 1 year for labs/pharmacy). * Have a qualifying date for the NCD(s) that occurs prior to or during the index hospital admission. * Eligible for inclusion in the primary and patient experience outcomes if they survive to hospital discharge. * May enter multiple sub-cohorts if more than one NCD is present. Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals younger than 18 years at the time of hospital admission. * Non-residents of Alberta or individuals not eligible for care within AHS facilities. * Hospitalizations that end in death (excluded from analyses of the primary outcome and patient experience measures). * Patients without evidence of any of the five key NCDs during the lookback period or at the index hospital admission. * Admissions outside the study period or admissions for which necessary administrative, laboratory, or pharmacy data are unavailable.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada
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