Select Lab Projects

Project Hope: Digital Health and AI for Suicide Prevention

An agreement between Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Oxford, the University of Toronto and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) was formalized to improve suicide care through the use of digital health and artificial intelligence. This project will work to update the current Hope by CAMH app to become a global standard for suicide prevention among users in Canada and the UK. The project is currently focusing on creating a foundation and roadmap for building the Hope app as a shared patient-facing AI-driven suicide care planning tool that is equipped with the necessary processes and capabilities to deliver evidence-based and equitable support for individuals in Canada and the UK.

Understanding the Digital Mental Health Experiences and Preferences of Canadians Affected by Mental Illness: A Pan-Canadian Survey

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant negative impact on mental health due to social isolation, job loss, and other changes to everyday life. Currently, the available mental health services are not adequate to support this volume of people through conventional face-to-face care, especially where it is neither appropriate nor feasible during the pandemic. Digital mental health tools have the potential to support people affected by mental health conditions. A national survey of 1003 Canadians was conducted to understand the current and future digital health needs. The results show that Canadians were unsure about current digital mental health offerings and prioritize tools that support them in navigating the mental healthcare system and digital health landscape.

The IDEA Study: Identifying and adapting interventions to reduce documentation burden and improve nurses’ efficiency in using electronic health record systems

Although EHR systems have become a critical part of clinical care, nurses are experiencing a growing burden due to documentation requirements, taking time away from other important clinical activities. There is a need to address the inefficiencies and challenges that nurses face when documenting in and using EHRs. The objective of this mixed-methods study is to engage nurses in generating ideas on how organizations can support and optimize nurses’ experiences with their EHR systems, thereby improving efficiency and reducing EHR-related burden. This work will ensure the identified solutions are grounded in nurses’ perspectives and experiences and will address their specific EHR-related needs.

Implementation of SaskWell: Advancing Digital Connectivity to Support Population Mental Health During COVID-19

Significant barriers continue to influence global access and use of digital health tools. Lack of awareness, reliable internet connectivity, and digital literacy remain common challenges. In collaboration with residents of a Saskatchewan, our nurse-led team implemented a novel two-way texting service, SaskWell, to improve awareness of and connection to mental health supports across the province. We used a mixed-methods design to evaluate the adoption of SaskWell, focusing on acceptability, satisfaction and benefit.

The OpeN Study: Clinician Perceptions of Implementing OpenNotes in Canadian Mental Health Settings

OpenNotes, a US based movement, advocates for the sharing of clinical documentation with patients via a patient portal. Research has shown numerous benefits when the OpenNotes functionality is present in a patient portal, however pilot data from CAMH has demonstrated significant concerns from mental health providers about the use of OpenNotes. Given these concerns, this study utilized an implementation science lens and qualitative approach to explore clinicians’ perceptions about implementing and adopting OpenNotes functionality in Canadian mental health settings.

BeWell at CAMH: Co-Designing and Piloting a Text-Based Program to Support Clinician Well-Being at a Canadian Mental Health Hospital 

Health systems are experiencing a human resources crisis, impacted by numerous systemic factors. Current literature includes an abundance of evidence on the experiences of physicians and nurses; however, little has been done to understand burnout in other health disciplines. Given this, a survey was launched at CAMH to understand EHR use and experiences of burnout among social workers and occupational therapists . Findings from the survey revealed high rates of burnout amongst both health disciplines. In response to the survey findings, a text-based program was adapted and piloted to address increased rates of burnout. Though it is acknowledged that burnout is a complex condition, influenced by numerous systemic factors, BeWell was designed as one organizational strategic method to support clinician well-being.  

Bridging the Gap: A Comprehensive Review and Public Consultation to Identify Evaluation Criteria for Mental Health and Substance Use Mobile Apps

The existing Canadian regulatory landscape is struggling to adapt to the rapid growth of digital mental health tools, leading to concerns about misinformation and data security and privacy. There is a need for comprehensive guidance and frameworks to aid consumers in evaluating digital tools, like mobile health apps, aiming to provide mental health and substance use support. Thus, in partnership with Homewood Research Institute, we engaged with knowledge users across Canada to identify key evaluation criteria for ensuring the quality, safety, transparency and effectiveness of mobile apps designed to support mental health and substance use disorders.

OpenNotes in Addictions Settings: Using an Implementation Science Approach to Identify Clinician Perceptions of a Patient Portal in Inpatient Addiction Settings

Currently, there is limited research on the utility and implementation considerations of patient portals in inpatient mental health settings, and even less research to shed light on how best to deliver and optimize the use of patient portals in inpatient addictions settings. As part of a quality improvement initiative at CAMH, this project aimed to explore clinician perspectives and perceptions of implementing a patient portal in the CAMH inpatient addictions settings.

A4i at CAMH: Piloting App4Independence (A4i) in CAMH Outpatient Comprehensive Treatment Clinics

Recent studies have shown that digital health interventions, like mobile health apps, can support individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in adhering to their treatment plan and self-managing their illness. While there has been research carried out the use of digital health tools to support this population, the integration of these tools into treatment workflows remains a largely unexplored area of practice. As such, we conducted a real-world feasibility pilot of an app called App4Independence (A4i), across CAMH’s downtown outpatient comprehensive treatment clinics.