The Environment, Community Health Observatory (ECHO) Network is a five-year research program (2017-2022) bringing together over 130 researchers, trainees, knowledge exchange partners, and community members. ECHO Network members have developed and refined a suite of integrative tools and processes aimed at taking notice of, analyzing, and responding to the health impacts of resource extraction, with specific emphasis on rural, remote and Indigenous communities. Acknowledging the existing research to action gap, as well as the applicability of many of our tools to addressing the climate crisis (an identified area of focus in health authorities), we are interested in hosting a reciprocal learning and sharing event between health researchers (ECHO Network), research users (health authority personnel), and trainees. We aim to: 1) Foster direct and reciprocal knowledge exchange pathways between researchers and health authorities to share and extend the reach of climate change-related tools; 2) Adapt research outputs to increase applicability of tools for health authorities; and 3) Promote intersectoral knowledge exchange training and capacity building among trainees, researchers, and health authority personnel.
Team members: Margot Parkes (UNBC); Angel Kennedy (SFU); Tim Takaro (SFU); Dawn Hoogeveen (SFU and First Nations Health Authority); Jordan Brubacher (SFU); Dionne Sanderson (First Nations Health Authority); Cody Thomas (First Nations Health Authority); Maery Kaplan-Hallam (First Nations Health Authority); Maeve Leduc (SFU); Sandra Harris (UNBC); Sue Pollock (Interior Health); Sandra Allison (Island Health); Christiana Onabola (UNBC); Katie Bauder (First Nations Health Authority); Holly Clermont (First Nations Health Authority); Diana Kutzner (First Nations Health Authority); Vishal Jain (Fraser Health); Krisztina Vasarhelyi (Vancouver Coastal Health); Raina Fumerton (Northern Health); Lars Hallstrom (University of Lethbridge); Lindsay Galway (Lakehead University); Celine Surette (Universite de Moncton).
People who are vulnerable and marginalized such as those who have substance use disorders, mental illness, or are homeless are at high risk of death. Our research shows that they could benefit from palliative approaches to care but the inner city workers who most care for them like housing and harm reduction workers do not have much support and knowledge related to palliative approaches to care. We have worked for several years with a community-based action team to integrate palliative approaches to care into their work and have developed an educational toolkit prototype with them. In this Reach project, we propose to the funds to complete our user-centered design to ensure that toolkit is developed in ways that are relevant and useable for the intended audiences. Specifically, we will (a) turn the toolkit content into user friendly resources, videos and graphics, (b) engage community-based peer reviewers to provide feedback, and (c) develop and implement a dissemination plan for uptake. We anticipate with better prepared and supported inner city workers, people who are vulnerable and marginalized will have better outcomes at the end-of-life such as access to palliative care services when needed.
Team members: Jonathan Schmid (Victoria Hospice Society); Ashley Mollison (University of Victoria); Kara Whitlock (University of Waterloo); Piotr Burek (Vancouver Island Drug Checking Project); Robyn Kyle (Victoria Cool Aid Society); Annie Do (Victoria Hospice Society)
In long-term care (LTC) homes, the number of staff working on a shift is essential to quality care provision; however, it is increasingly apparent that who is on shift is just as important. Quality care is difficult to achieve when staff do not routinely engage with one another in a positive, or civil, manner. Our research, conducted pre-pandemic, revealed the impact of uncivil workplace behaviours on care delivery and staff well-being, an impact that has only been exacerbated by COVID-19. A positive workplace culture requires the cooperation of front-line and leadership staff and access to professional development opportunities that help staff instill and contribute to a collaborative and respectful workplace. Comprised of researchers and union and industry partners, our project team will co-create an online toolkit to support staff to address workplace (in)civility in LTC and promote supportive and collaborative workplace relationships at their worksites.
Specific objectives include: 1) Raising awareness about the nature and impact of workplace incivility in LTC on staff well-being and care delivery; 2) Creating opportunities for staff to engage with practice-based scenarios and resources for addressing workplace (in)civility.
Team members: Saleema Dhalla (SafeCare BC); Jennifer Lyle (SafeCare BC); Leah Laing (UBC); Heather Cooke (UBC); Rhonda Croft (BC Nurses’ Union); Hanif Karim (BC Nurses’ Union); Lisa Kelly (Sienna Senior Living); Cina Oppel (BC Government & Service Employees’ Union); Megan Scott (BC Government & Service Employees’ Union); Georgina Hackett (Hospital Employees’ Union); Anne Bull (Hospital Employees’ Union)
Despite advancements in HIV treatment and care, HIV stigma remains a challenge today. “HIV In My Day” is a community-based research project that has collected and digitally archived 100+ interviews with long-term HIV survivors and caregivers across British Columbia. It is crucial to share these stories more widely with communities who are still disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS as well as healthcare providers who serve these communities in order to continue destigmatizing HIV.
In collaboration with “In My Day”, a verbatim theatre production adapted from these stories, our proposed knowledge translation activities will be part of a larger arts-based event in December 2022 at The Cultch in Vancouver, including post-show interactive audience engagement; multimedia presentations of the findings from “HIV In My Day”; intergenerational forums with “HIV In My Day” participants; storytelling workshops for people living with HIV; performances of the “Viral Monologues”.
Together these activities will benefit attendees, including community members and healthcare providers, by teaching HIV history, building storytelling skills, and fostering intergenerational dialogue around HIV within and between affected communities.
Team members: Ben Klassen (Community-Based Research Centre); Michael Montess (University of Victoria); Kelli Stajduhar (University of Victoria); John Paul Catungal (University of British Columbia); Leah Tidey (University of Victoria); Rick Waines
For people who use substances who cannot or do not have access to a supervised consumption site, washrooms can provide a private space that feels safe. However, when people use in washrooms, they can face serious risks including the risks of overdosing alone and potentially not receiving life-saving help in time. There are ways of making washrooms safer, but it can be difficult to know how. Best practices have been developed in the past few years to provide guidance to community-based organizations, businesses, health care institution, and other settings where washrooms are publicly accessible. Despite best efforts to make these best practices known, gaps remain. This project is designed to make share this information more broadly and improve washroom safety across the province. To make this happen, we plan on conducting consultation with various groups and developing a safer washroom campaign.
Team members: Shannon Riley (Vancouver Coastal Health); Kali Sedgemore (Vancouver Coastal Health); Trevor Goodyear (University of British Columbia)
Over half a million Canadians live with bipolar disorder (BD), a long-term, serious mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings from depression to mania. With optimal treatment, care, and empowerment, people with BD can flourish, but this requires more than just medication. Mobile phone applications (‘apps’) can deliver knowledge on effective self-management strategies for BD and provide real-time support. Despite high interest in mental health apps, a CREST.BD survey showed that in practice few people with BD are using such tools, and clinicians do not feel well equipped to recommend apps to their patients.
This project will develop a suite of patient and clinician-facing educational resources (e.g. webinars, videos, blog posts) in collaboration with people with lived-experience and clinicians. A co-ordinated social media strategy will be developed to increase awareness of these resources.
Expected outcomes include: patients will better understand the potential benefits and risks of mental health apps; patients will improve their digital health literacy by learning strategies to identify safe and secure mental health apps; clinicians will improve knowledge about app evaluation frameworks and informed decision making.
Team members: Natalie Dee (CREST.BD); Emma Morton (UBC); John Torous (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre); Rosemary Xinhe Hu (CREST.BD); Caden Poh (UBC); Laura Lapadat (UBC); Linda Yang (UBC)
Cannabis was legalized in Canada with the introduction of the Cannabis Act in 2018. This rapid legalization has led to a knowledge gap in doctors. Although most users smoke cannabis, few doctors know the health effects of smoking cannabis in the upper airway. In previously funded work, our team has reviewed the scientific literature and summarized these health effects, both positive and negative. During the COVID19 pandemic, innovative knowledge translation activities are needed. We propose a two-part initiative to educate health practitioners about cannabis, targeting family doctors who are the patient’s gateway to the Canadian health system. First, we will co-design a webinar with the research users on our newly launched provincial ENTCME.org platform. This event will be recorded for asynchronous access. Second, we will co-create infographics to summarize the information and launch a social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Reach and effectiveness will be assessed by registration for the webinar and pre- and post-engagement surveys. Performance data from each social media platform will also be analyzed. Our goal is to help doctors guide patients to make informed, evidence-based choices on cannabis usage.
Team members: Brenna Lynn (UBC); Andrew Thamboo (UBC); Emily Deane (UBC); Joel Howlett (UBC); Jobanjit Phulka (UBC); James P. McCormack (UBC); Dinusha Peiris (BC Cancer Agency); M-J Milloy (British Columbia Centre on Substance Use and UBC); Christie A Newton (UBC)
This project builds on another study that resulted in the development of an evidence-based guideline for healthcare providers (HCPs) on the integration of patient-centred measurement (PCM) data to incorporate the voice of persons. Incorporating PCMs into routine practice is one way to attain patient-centred care. In this project, the guideline will be spread to decision makers and HCPs working in the Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU), specifically community psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery services in British Columbia and across Canada. In collaboration with practice and patient partners, two activities will be completed. First, we will develop and share clinical decision tools for HCPs to routinely integrate PCM. To increase awareness about the guideline, educational webinars will be developed, offered, and evaluated. These activities facilitate the wider uptake and sustainability of PCMs at the point of care. Expected outcomes of this project include: (a) development of clinical decision tools and webinars specific to MHSU to augment the PCM guideline, (b) enhanced awareness by HCPs and decision-makers about the guideline, and (c) delivery of person-centred care for psychosocial rehabilitation.
Team members: Anthony Neptune (Mental Health and Substance Use); Zohreh Yaghoub Zadeh (Mental Health and Substance Use, and Fraser Health); Lynn Musto (Trinity Western University); Vidhi Thakkar (Trinity Western University)
Effective approaches to prevent falls exist, yet barriers to their uptake exist. These barriers include: 1) patient knowledge of best-practices for falls prevention; 2) geriatrician time and a geriatrician shortage in British Columbia (BC); and 3) access to Otago Exercise Program (OEP) training across BC. To mitigate some of these barriers, we propose a series of videos guided by patient, clinician and physiotherapist champions. The Falls Prevention Clinic team includes patient partners, geriatricians, and physiotherapist champions who deliver the OEP. A primary goal of this video series will be to: 1) increase awareness using accessible language of best practices for falls prevention; 2) increase referrals to physiotherapists for falls risk assessment from geriatricians; and 3) provide access to resources for physiotherapists who would like training in the delivery of the OEP. The intent of these videos is to prevent falls and thus promote healthy aging by: 1) facilitate improved patient understanding of how to prevent falls; 2) address the geriatricians capacity burden through increased physiotherapist referrals for falls risk assessment; and 3) foster translation of the OEP to physiotherapists across BC.
Team members: Tracy Dignum (UBC); Teresa Liu-Ambrose (UBC); Linda Li (UBC); Kenneth Madden (UBC); Naaz Parmar (UBC); Larry Dian (UBC); Catherine Chan (UBC); Alison Chan (UBC); Lillian Morishita (Retired); Cassandra Adjetey (UBC); Eleanor (“Jean”) Ko (Retired); Mohammed Esfahaad (Retired)
The proposed Participatory Indigenous Nursing Knowledge Translation Project will provide opportunities for stakeholders from British Columbia’s health authorities, nursing educational institutes, professional nursing organizations and associations to participate in the integrated knowledge translation stakeholder’s forum to establish an Indigenous Health Professional’s (IHP) Network. The intent is to cocreate Indigenous wellness supports by and for Indigenous healthcare professionals to decolonize healthcare systems and structures. This work is in response to the Calls for Action on Truth and Reconciliation, and to respond to Interior Health and FNHA mandated strategy to address Indigenous workforce issues. A key outcome of the integrated knowledge translation activities will be the collaboration of community members, with multidisciplinary Indigenous health professionals coming together to address the growing inequities, racism, and discrimination. Through Indigenous health nursing leadership and guidance with Indigenous knowledge holders our team will co-create Indigenous wellness support systems, through policy development, and educational training in culturally informed ways through Intergenerational Indigenous mentorship.
Team members: Judy Sturm (Interior Health); Rose Mylnek (Thompson Rivers University); Christina (University of Victoria); Melba D’Souza (Thompson Rivers University); Colleen Seymour (Tk’emlups Knowledge Holder); Leslie Bryant (Interior Health); Tracy Mooney (Interior Health); Shirlie Delacherois (Interior Health); Shesley Callison-Hanna (Thompson Rivers University)
