In February, we put out a call for applications for an Open Access Publication Bursary. The award was created to support members of the MSSU community in publishing a manuscript with open access. Preference was given to work that is ready for publication, aligns well with MSSU priorities and is an excellent example of patient-oriented research.
We’re pleased to announce the three recipients of the award are:
1. Dr. Margot Latimer – Aboriginal Children’s Hurt & Healing Initiative, IWK Health Centre; School of Nursing, Dalhousie University
Dr. Latimer’s work focuses on improving the care of Aboriginal patients (specifically children and youth) in the health care system. One of the main goals of publishing this work is to provide communities with published health data information to assist with their resource allocation planning.
The study explored differences in pain-related diagnoses in First Nation Children compared to a non-First Nation matched cohort. First Nation children are being diagnosed with more pain than non-First Nation children but are not accessing specialist referrals or mental health services/diagnoses at the same rate as non-First Nation counterparts.
2. Kristen Higgins – Graduate student, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University; Centre for Pediatric Pain Research, IWK Health Centre
Ms. Higgins is also a MSSU student award recipient for the 2017-2018 academic year; she is supervised by Dr. Christine Chambers.
Ms. Higgins’s manuscript advocates for increased focus on patient engagement and user-centered design in research on eHealth tools for pediatric pain. It highlights the importance of making researcher-developed eHealth tools for pediatric pain (e.g., mobile apps, online interventions) available to end users. In particular, patient partners played an important role in developing recommendations for researchers and funding agencies based on the results of the paper and communicating throughout the manuscript the importance of increasing the use of patient-oriented research methods in this field.
3. Sydney Breneol – PhD student, School of Nursing, Dalhousie University and; Strengthening Transitions in Care Lab, IWK Health Centre &
Dr. Janet Curran – Strengthening Transitions in Care Lab, IWK Health Centre; School of Nursing, Dalhousie University
Ms. Breneol is an honorary MSSU student award recipient for the 2017-2018 academic year; she is supervised by Dr. Janet Curran. Dr. Curran works to redesign health care by partnering with patients, families and providers in order to improve transitions between health care and the home.
The goal of this research was to develop policy recommendations to improve the hospital to home transition for children with medical complexity and their families. However, to develop a greater understanding into what needs be in place to ensure safe, successful, and seamless transitions, it was critical that we moved beyond speaking solely to health care providers to speak directly to patients and families. Developing case studies representing their experiences ensured the final policy recommendations would respond to the needs patients, families, and their health care providers. This collaborative patient-centred approach to understanding how children and families currently navigate transitions in care provided a foundation for developing recommendations for a province wide strategy.
We thank everyone who took the time to submit an application; the amount of patient-oriented research taking place in the Maritimes is truly remarkable!