Could a text message save you from a heart attack?

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide – thankfully, we’re getting better at treating it, and more people than ever are surviving major events like heart attacks. But it’s a double-edged sword: with more people living for longer with cardiovascular disease, our hospital system is overburdened.  

Cardiologist Dr Clara Chow says this imbalance is only going to get worse, because the rate of new cardiologists and other health professionals won’t match the rate of patients visiting hospitals. So, what do we do?  

Clara is committed to finding frugal solutions for problems like these: efficient, cost-effective approaches that could have massive impact. One example is text messages. That’s right – a good old SMS could be the key to recovering from a heart attack... 

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The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Facebook and Instagram, and @sydney.edu.au on Bluesky. 

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Supervising producer is Sarah Dabro. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Strategist is Ann Chesterman. 

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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