previous negative experiences. Some participants voiced that they like receiving care
from the comfort of their own environment using the CHR app. This can also negate
any potential missed appointments or concerns going unchecked, therefore providing
early intervention and prevention.
From the perspective of care providers, the CHR also allows for greater monitoring
of clients for early intervention and prevention. By using the app to complete the
questionnaires in real time the care providers can be alerted to any potential mental
healthcare crises that may have otherwise been unreported or unacknowledged. This
approach could allow mental healthcare providers to see and communicate with more
individuals in one day. By improving this connectivity with care providers, participants
in this study can overcome barriers to care such as lack of money or transportation to
attend appointments, and difficulty accessing much-needed services. In Canada alone,
64% of street-involved youth have reported difficulty accessing services [14].
A challenge for this project was encouraging hospital health care providers to adopt
this technological approach. Although a number of hospital care providers embraced
the technology and efficiency of the software available, others were skeptical. Due to
the personal nature of the data being collected, some were concerned about the participants’ privacy. Through the CHR is fully compliant with jurisdictional standards of
practice, professional standards and guidelines, some care providers still did not want
to participate in the study, so our team recruited from community agencies.
Another unanticipated expense was the amount of smartphones and data plans
needed. In our proposal we anticipated purchasing 40 smartphones and 40 data plans
but since a lot of the youth participants are living in poverty and/or homeless, an
additional 55 had to be provided with a smartphone and 73 with a data plan to
participate.
This study was limited by not being controlled other than by the pre/postintervention design; future research could benefit from a comparison with a similar
cohort of participants who do not receive the intervention during the study period,
perhaps as part of a waiting list that could later receive the intervention.
5 Conclusion
The implications of this study could be far-reaching. This intervention may provide a
more efficient approach that enhances connectivity with care services. Further, this
intervention could represent a more efficient approach to mental healthcare by providing participants with greater opportunities to seek additional support and resources.
We further anticipate that these extra supports will result in greater community integration among participants, which in turn could improve quality of life.
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C. Forchuk et al.
from the comfort of their own environment using the CHR app. This can also negate
any potential missed appointments or concerns going unchecked, therefore providing
early intervention and prevention.
From the perspective of care providers, the CHR also allows for greater monitoring
of clients for early intervention and prevention. By using the app to complete the
questionnaires in real time the care providers can be alerted to any potential mental
healthcare crises that may have otherwise been unreported or unacknowledged. This
approach could allow mental healthcare providers to see and communicate with more
individuals in one day. By improving this connectivity with care providers, participants
in this study can overcome barriers to care such as lack of money or transportation to
attend appointments, and difficulty accessing much-needed services. In Canada alone,
64% of street-involved youth have reported difficulty accessing services [14].
A challenge for this project was encouraging hospital health care providers to adopt
this technological approach. Although a number of hospital care providers embraced
the technology and efficiency of the software available, others were skeptical. Due to
the personal nature of the data being collected, some were concerned about the participants’ privacy. Through the CHR is fully compliant with jurisdictional standards of
practice, professional standards and guidelines, some care providers still did not want
to participate in the study, so our team recruited from community agencies.
Another unanticipated expense was the amount of smartphones and data plans
needed. In our proposal we anticipated purchasing 40 smartphones and 40 data plans
but since a lot of the youth participants are living in poverty and/or homeless, an
additional 55 had to be provided with a smartphone and 73 with a data plan to
participate.
This study was limited by not being controlled other than by the pre/postintervention design; future research could benefit from a comparison with a similar
cohort of participants who do not receive the intervention during the study period,
perhaps as part of a waiting list that could later receive the intervention.
5 Conclusion
The implications of this study could be far-reaching. This intervention may provide a
more efficient approach that enhances connectivity with care services. Further, this
intervention could represent a more efficient approach to mental healthcare by providing participants with greater opportunities to seek additional support and resources.
We further anticipate that these extra supports will result in greater community integration among participants, which in turn could improve quality of life.
218
C. Forchuk et al.