Saskatoon - With the strain of the pandemic weighing on many aspects of the health system and how people have been able to access care over the past year, Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) has invested a total of over $1M to support interdisciplinary research teams to develop, implement and evaluate virtual care approaches to many of the health challenges our province faces.
Four Impact grants were awarded for virtual care approaches for Northern Indigenous communities to access chronic musculoskeletal care; for an intensive care unit follow-up clinic; for a patient empowerment resource; and as a platform for Indigenous health decision-making and data sovereignty.
Innovation grants were awarded for projects varying from exploring virtual reality to support mental health and well-being of Northern Indigenous youth, to a homecare ordering tool that could support aging in place. Others are evaluating virtual approaches when it comes to developing multidisciplinary preoperative assessments or facilitating patient and family-centred care in the ICU. Other teams will be looking at incorporating or evaluating virtual technology when it comes to supporting the experiences and needs of youth with congenital heart disease, patients living with chronic kidney disease, individuals with inflammatory bowel disease, and speech-language pathologists and audiologists in the province.
Two Innovation grants were awarded in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan. The projects will look at different aspects of virtual access to information, services and support for caregivers of Indigenous Peoples living with dementia, with a focus on improving quality of life for persons with dementia, caregivers, families and communities.
The grants were awarded as part of SHRF’s new Solutions Program that aims to mobilize the research community and its partners to focus and coordinate their diverse skills and perspectives to address timely Saskatchewan health challenges.
“This program allows for flexibility and responsiveness and keeps Saskatchewan health needs at its core,” says SHRF CEO, Patrick Odnokon. “We work with our partner and stakeholders’ input and look at current trends to ensure the program remains focused on supporting our local expertise to find local solutions in areas that will have the most impact for the most people in the province.”
“These research teams are taking innovative approaches to applying technology as a solution for the unprecedented health challenges presented by the pandemic,” says Minister Jeremy Harrison, Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan. “This work will also have an impact and continue to serve the people of Saskatchewan beyond the pandemic and that is the true value of this investment.”
About SHRF
SHRF is the provincial funding agency that funds, supports and promotes the impact of health research that matters to Saskatchewan. SHRF collaborates with stakeholders to contribute to the growth of a high-performing health system, culture of innovation and the improved health of citizens by strengthening research capacity and competitiveness, increasing the investment in health research in Saskatchewan and aligning research with the needs of our stakeholders.
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For more information:
Nikki Desjardins, Engagement Specialist, SHRF
ndesjardins@shrf.ca
Funded Projects
Full details, including team members, project summaries, etc., will be listed in our searchable database at shrf.ca/results.
Impact Grant Recipients
Tarun Reddy Katapally
Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Regina
Amount: $150,000
Project: CO-Away: Implementation and Evaluation of a Virtual Care Platform for Indigenous Health Decision-Making and Data Sovereignty
Co-Principal Investigator: Kelly Skinner
Bridget Klest
Faculty of Arts, University of Regina
Amount: $133,150
Project: Help for People Who Have Been Hurt by Healthcare: Creating and Evaluating an Online Resource
Stacey Lovo
College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
Amount: $149,987
Project: Empowering Northern Indigenous Communities to Ensure Equitable, Appropriate and Community-based Access to Chronic Musculoskeletal Care using Virtual Technology
Co-Principal Investigator: Brenna Bath, Scotty Butcher, Jaris Swidrovich
Eric Sy
College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
Amount: $150,000
Project: Evaluation of the effect of a virtual intensive care unit follow-up clinic on patient outcomes among ICU survivors that have been discharged home (Vi-DISH)
Co-Principal Investigator: Vincent Lau, Stephen Lee, Jonathan Mailman
Innovation Grant Recipients
Lindsey Boechler
School of Health Sciences, Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Amount: $50,000
Project: Assessing the mental health support needs for Indigenous adolescents residing in northern Saskatchewan: A community based participatory action research study exploring the potential use of virtual reality technology to promote mental health and wellbeing
Co-Principal Investigator: Terry Peckham, Mya Ruelling
Jonathan Gamble
College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
Amount: $49,739
Project: Using Implementation Science to Develop, Pilot, and Evaluate a Multidisciplinary Preoperative Assessment in Saskatchewan
Co-Principal Investigator: Jennifer O'Brien
Gary Groot
College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
Amount: $48,714
Project: Engaging Caregivers of Persons with Dementia in the Virtual Delivery of and Access to Health Information and Services
Co-Principal Investigator: Carrie Bourassa
Funded in Partnership with Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan
Ramona Kyabaggu
Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Regina
Amount: $50,000
Project: Engineering and Evaluating a Patient-oriented Home Care Ordering Tool to Enhance Aging in Place During the COVID Era
Co-Principal Investigator: Cheryl Camillo, Tim Maciag
Laureen McIntyre
College of Education, University of Saskatchewan
Amount: $44,173
Project: Budget Cuts, the Northern-Rural-Urban Divide, and the Pandemic Response: Exploring Speech-Language Pathologists’ and Audiologists’ Perceptions and Experiences of in Person and Telepractice Therapeutic Health and Education Services in Saskatchewan
Megan O’Connell
College of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan
Amount: $50,000
Project: Culturally Safe Caregiver Support Groups for Caregivers of Indigenous Peoples Living with Dementia
Co-Principal Investigator: Gail Boehme
Funded in Partnership with Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan
Tracie Risling
College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan
Amount: $43,382
Project: Using Virtual Reality to Address Persistent Chronic Kidney Care Challenges in Saskatchewan
Co-Principal Investigator: Don Leidl
Noelle Rohatinsky
College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan
Amount: $47,452
Project: Exploring the use of virtual care in Saskatchewan in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease and gastroenterologist care providers
Co-Principal Investigator: Juan-Nicolas Pena-Sanchez
Corey Tomczak
College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan
Amount: $50,000
Project: Targeting Vascular Health with Handgrip Exercise for Adolescents and Emerging Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: A Novel Rehabilitation Intervention to Enable Effective Virtual Care
Co-Principal Investigator: T. Dylan Olver
Sabira Valianni
College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
Amount: $45,771
Project: Connect-ICU: Using technology to facilitate patient and family-centered care, enhance communication, and build relationships between patients, their loved ones, and the healthcare team in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Co-Principal Investigator: Carrie Bourassa, Jennifer O'Brien, Salima Suleman
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