Clinical trials

This is a randomized, sham-controlled trial to determine whether treatment with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is superior to a sham condition at reducing the symptoms of depression in pregnant people with moderate to severe depression. The study aims to enrol 156 participants across all sites. Data collection occurs at baseline, immediately after treatment, every 4 weeks during pregnancy and 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum

Chronic pain affects more than 20% of Canadians and is associated with significant impacts on physical function, mental health, and quality of life. Despite efforts to improve access to multidisciplinary pain care through centralized referral systems, many patients continue to experience prolonged wait times before receiving treatment. This study evaluates a self-guided digital psychological intervention designed to support chronic pain self-management during the waiting period for specialized pain care. The intervention was developed through a collaboration between the Transitional Pain Service and ManagingLife and aims to improve access to evidence-based psychological support, enhance self-management skills, and reduce pain-related distress among individuals living with chronic pain.

Achilles insertional tendinopathy may require surgical debridement and tendon reattachment when non-operative treatment fails. Single-row and double-row repairs are used, with biomechanical studies favoring double-row, but clinical evidence of improved outcomes is lacking and costs are higher. This multi-center randomized trial will use the VISA-A score to compare outcomes and inform cost-effective, evidence-based surgical care.

This study focuses on male and female patients being treated for breast cancer that is positive for the HER2 receptor which requires special treatments targeting that receptor. The problem is that these treatments, while effective for the cancer, can sometimes harm the heart. Because of this, patients have to undergo heart tests every three months during treatment, even if they have no history of heart disease or feel fine. The guidelines for these regular heart tests were established decades ago when these treatments were first introduced, but research shows that most of these tests don't actually change the treatment plan. This suggests that many patients are going through unnecessary tests, which can cause stress, delay treatments, and increase healthcare costs. To address this, the researchers propose a new study with 300 patients with HER2 positive breast cancer to test a more personalized approach to cardiac surveillance. Participants will be classified based on their risk of heart problems: low or intermediate. Instead of testing every patient every three months, those in the intermediate group will be tested every 4 months, and those in the low-risk group will be tested every 6 months. The researchers will compare this new approach to the current system to see if fewer tests are just as safe and effective. The researchers will measure heart health, how well cancer treatments are completed, and how patients feel about having fewer tests. If this new approach works, it could save money and reduce the burden on female patients without risking their health.

This study evaluates the implementation and impact of the Evidence-at-the-Point-of-Care Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (EAPOC-COPD) system, a computerized clinical decision support system designed to improve the quality of COPD care delivered in community pharmacies. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and healthcare utilization, and significant gaps persist in key evidence-based practices, including symptom and exacerbation risk assessment, appropriate pharmacotherapy, provision of COPD action plans, and referral for specialist care. The EAPOC-COPD system builds on a previously validated asthma platform and provides pharmacists with guideline-based decision support through a structured patient questionnaire and point-of-care recommendations, including treatment optimization and generation of personalized action plans. This study will be conducted across six community pharmacies implementing the EAPOC-COPD system as part of a quality improvement initiative. Using a quasi-experimental interrupted time series design, outcomes during a 12-month intervention period will be compared to a 12-month pre-intervention baseline period. The study will evaluate both implementation outcomes (including system uptake, usability, feasibility, and acceptability among pharmacy teams and patients) and effectiveness outcomes. Effectiveness outcomes include improvements in guideline-based COPD care processes, such as rates of symptom and exacerbation risk assessment, optimization of pharmacotherapy, provision of COPD action plans, and appropriate referral for specialist care. Results from this study will inform the scalability and broader implementation of pharmacy-based clinical decision support tools to enhance chronic disease management and support the expanding role of pharmacists in delivering evidence-based COPD care.

Intrauterine device (IUD) insertion is a common contraceptive procedure often associated with moderate to severe pain, particularly among nulliparous individuals. Current pain management strategies, such as over-the-counter analgesics, are frequently inadequate. Methoxyflurane, a short-acting, self-administered inhaled analgesic, has been shown to provide rapid and effective pain relief in acute and procedural settings. This study aims to evaluate whether 3 mL of inhaled Methoxyflurane (via Penthrox inhaler) improves patient satisfaction by reducing pain and anxiety during IUD insertion.

Achilles tendon rupture is common, yet the value of popliteal nerve block for postoperative pain control during surgical repair remains uncertain. Despite widespread use, evidence supporting its analgesic effectiveness is limited, and both popliteal nerve block and Achilles tendon repair carry risks of nerve injury. This randomized, placebo-controlled trial will evaluate whether adding a popliteal nerve block to standard systemic analgesia improves postoperative pain and reduces opioid use in patients undergoing acute Achilles tendon rupture repair. Secondary outcomes will examine the incidence and impact of nerve complications on recovery, including return to physical activity and functional performance.

Hip arthroplasty surgery can be associated with significant pain. A regional anesthesia technique, the femoral articular branch block (FAB), has recently been proposed to collectively block terminal femoral and accessory obturator nerve branches to the hip joint with a single injection, theoretically blocking most of the innervation relevant to hip arthroscopy while sparing the main femoral nerve branches to the quadriceps muscles. The investigators aim to demonstrate the analgesic benefits of FAB. The investigators hypothesize that FAB will reduce opioid consumption and improve postoperative quality of recovery in patients having hip arthroplasty. This is a randomized, controlled, double-blind study and half the patients will be randomized to receive the femoral articular branch block and the other half of patients will be randomized to receive a placebo block. A comparison of pain will be made between both groups.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is widely performed to reduce pain from advanced osteoarthritis, yet many patients experience severe postoperative pain and up to 25-44% develop chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive neuromodulation technique, has shown promise in reducing pain and opioid use in early studies but has not been evaluated using comprehensive perioperative, home-based protocols. This study will test whether a home-based tDCS intervention delivered before and after TKA can improve acute pain management and reduce the development of CPSP.

Multi-centre, parallel group, blinded, 1:1 randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of nitrous oxide on reducing symptoms of depression in patients with treatment resistant depression.

Depression, anxiety, and related disorders such as post-traumatic stress and obsessive compulsive disorder affect about 20% of pregnant and postpartum people. When not treated properly, these issues negatively impact not only affected people, but also their children's health and development. Only 1 in 5 receive adequate treatment, so identifying new system-wide approaches to reliably deliver recommended care to perinatal mental health patients all is a crucial health care priority. The Pregnancy and Postpartum Mental health Optimization Virtual Intervention Network (MOVIN) is a scalable perinatal mental health platform building on the evidence-based Collaborative care delivery model. MOVIN's online platform allows patients to connect with a care coordinator to co-develop personalized treatment recommendations, in collaboration with their primary care clinician and a perinatal psychiatrist when needed; progress is tracked to re-evaluate.

Penile Inversion Vaginoplasty (PIV) is a transition-related surgery (TRS) that is associated with severe postoperative pain. The optimal pain management strategies for this surgery remain unknown. We hypothesized that the addition of a saddle block with intrathecal morphine would yield clinically important analgesic benefits.

LIA is the mainstay of postoperative analgesia in patients having knee arthroplasty. The combination of ACB-iPACK blocks has also been proposed as an effective analgesic modality for total knee arthroplasty. However, whether combining these two modalities yields any important incremental analgesic benefit remains unclear. The investigators hypothesized that the addition of ACB and iPACK blocks to LIA will yield clinically important analgesic benefits compared to LIA alone in patients having total knee arthroplasty.

Regional anaesthesia combined with general anaesthesia has become common in the perioperative management of breast cancer surgery patients. Regional techniques have been recognised to provide excellent post-operative analgesia. It enhances multi-modal analgesia regimes while being opioid sparing, reducing incidence of post-operative nausea and vomiting and allowing earlier mobilisation/discharge and improving treatment success. Therefore identifying the correct regional anaesthetic technique for this group of patients is important in providing optimum peri-operative care.

Study Description: My Lung Health Coach (MLHC) is a virtual COPD education and self-management support program delivered through one-on-one sessions with a Certified Respiratory Educator (CRE) over 12 weeks. It includes six sessions that cover essential COPD topics such as: Basic COPD knowledge, Smoking cessation, Medications (inhalers, oxygen), Physical activity, Mental health and wellness, Vaccinations, Symptom self-management, Nutrition, Travel, and Long-term planning (including end-of-life care). The investigators have also developed a companion app to MLHC integrated into the electronic patient record that patients can access through their EPIC MyHealth app on the participants phones, tablets, or desktops. This study will evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of MLHC and the companion app.

As patients live longer after receiving an organ transplant, there is a need to reduce the long-term side effects of the drugs used to prevent organ rejection. In particular, long-term use of these drugs increases the risk of skin cancer. Skin cancer is now a leading cause of illness and disfigurement after kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplantation. Given the increased risk and burden of skin cancer in transplant recipients, prevention is critical. Nicotinamide is a form of Vitamin B3 that has been shown to protect against skin cancer in the general population. However, it is unclear whether nicotinamide is effective among immune-suppressed transplant recipients. Investigators will conduct a clinical trial involving multiple transplant centres in Canada to evaluate whether oral nicotinamide (500 mg twice daily) is effective and safe for preventing skin cancer. Investigators will recruit 396 high-risk adult kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplant patients who have previously had at least one skin cancer. Patients will receive nicotinamide or sham tablets for up to 4 years. The results will inform efforts to improve the long-term health of transplant recipients.

Sex and gender are important factors that influence treatment response in PsA. The goal of this multi-centre observational study is to understand how sex and gender influence response to advanced therapies in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The investigators hope to discover biological and socio-cultural mechanisms that explain the differences in treatment response between men and women with PsA. The study investigators plan to recruit patients from approximately 30 sites across the world. Men and women with active PsA will be assessed before and after they start advanced therapies and information will be collected about sex- and gender-related factors through questionnaires and physical examination. Physicians will assess the patient response to treatment. The investigators will compare the response to treatment in men and women and assess what biological and socio-cultural factors contribute to differences in treatment response.