About the Research Team

Investigators: Ellen Balka, Irving Rootman, Iraj Poureslami

The evaluation study aims to assess the effects that the series of videos on the BC HealthGuide has had on the Farsi-speaking community in the Greater Vancouver Area (GVA), particularly in terms of the community's awareness and pattern of usage of the BC HealthGuide services. The major goals of the study are twofold: (1) to compare two methods of communications (direct vs. indirect messages) on the attitudes and perceptions of the viewers regarding the credibility of messengers and the relevancy of the information provided in the videos; and (2) to compare and contrast the effectiveness of providing audio-visual health information (i.e., the produced videos) via local TVs with the same materials when are presented in the group sessions by using VCR (i.e. VHS video tapes) on participants attitudes and perceptions towards the BC HealthGuide services. [ Read More > PDF, 40Kb ]

Investigator: Leslie Bella

This project is a collaborative venture between the ACTION for Health initiative based in St John’s, Newfoundland, and the MacMorran Community Centre located in a low-income housing development owned by Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Authority. The MacMorran Community Centre has a community access site under the federal government’s Community Access Program (CAP), and is committed to a capacity development in this and in all its other program areas. This research explores the contribution a community access site in a low-income community can make to capacity development at both the individual and community levels. [ Read More > PDF, 40Kb ]

Investigators: Ellen Balka and Irving Rootman

This exploratory study seeks to shed some light in this area and gain a better understanding of what information various producers provide, and the inclusiveness/exclusiveness of this information in terms of its audience. In addition, the research explores how health information web sites are established, developed, and maintained. [ Read More > PDF, 37Kb ]

Investigators: Ellen Balka and Roma Harris

This project examines the various meanings of “empowerment” in the context of health care, along with its political, economic and social implications. It fills a gap in critical understanding of the political implications of the popularity of "patient empowerment". It is anticipated that this will be of assistance to policy-makers, as well as practitioners whose work encompasses “patient empowerment”, such as health care providers, social service workers and information professionals. [ Read More > PDF, 40Kb ]

Investigators: Eileen Green, Frances Griffiths, Flis Henwood and Sally Wyatt

The aim of this project is to explore the ways in which specific technologies (e.g., bone densitometry, mammography and the internet) figure in the process of health care decision-making, particularly in relation to women’s perceived need for certainty in terms of diagnosis and treatment options. [ Read More > PDF, 47Kb ]

Investigators: Sally Wyatt, Flis Henwood, Eileen Green and Frances Griffiths

In 2002, two major studies were published (US and UK) about the long-term use of HRT resulted in changes in guidelines and recommendations about the use of HRT long-term. At this time, three studies (two in the UK and one in Canada) are underway, examining how women approach decisions about HRT and included data on women’s use of new media as information sources. [ Read More > PDF, 45Kb ]

Investigators: Lyn Simpson and Leanne Wood

The use of “natural helpers” or lay health advisors to address health issues is well documented as an appropriate model of community health promotion, particularly in rural areas. Compelling reasons supporting the role of rural natural helpers as health information intermediaries include the shortage of professionals; cultural barriers to outside professional help; low population density, creating problems associated with distance and time constraints; and the benefits to be gained by community involvement in and ownership of a natural helper project, including increased community capacity through improved access to information, and the strengthening of community networks. This study explores in-depth the ways in which community natural helpers contribute to positive health outcomes in three Australian rural communities. [ Read More > PDF, 47Kb ]

Investigator: Roma Harris

This project explores the assumptions behind government policies related to the co-ordinated delivery of consumer health information (CHI), and compare these to the realities of the life contexts, health information needs, and health information seeking behaviour of rural women. [ Read More > PDF, 44Kb ]

Investigator: Irving Rootman

For the purposes of the ACTION for Health grant, this research and analysis concentrates mainly on the BC HealthGuide OnLine website. [www.bchealthguide.org] Specifically, the website content expands on the information and topics covered in the BC HealthGuide Handbook. While the content is similar to the handbook, the web-based format allows for greater detail on an expanded number of topics, and is updated every 3 months.

A “pop-up” survey was developed by researchers and is administered via the BC HealthGuide OnLine website. The goal of the survey is to gather information regarding user demographics, along with how, when and for what purpose the website is being utilized by users. [ Read More > PDF, 38Kb ]

Investigator: Roma Harris

This project evaluates the impact of nurses mediating online health information to youths through a website designed by the Avon-Maitland School Board. Data is collected through the voluntary participation in an on-line survey by website users. [ Read More > PDF, 40Kb ]

Investigator: Ellen Balka

This project explores the extent to which telecommunications technologies are meeting the information needs of young women (45 or under at the time of diagnosis) with breast cancer. It is specifically interested in the information-seeking behaviour of these participants, which existing literature overlooks. In addition, the project is also interested in “information needs” from the perspectives of women who have cancer, since much of the current literature is written from the perspective of the health professional and what s/he could provide the patient in a clinical setting. The study attempts to both document how the internet is currently used by this population for the consumption and production of health information. Insights gained from the project will also be used to make recommendations about how the internet might be used in the future to meet the informational needs of the study population. [ Read More > PDF, 43Kb ]

Investigator: Leslie Bella

This collaborative project involves work with participating nonprofit health organizations to evaluate the effectiveness of their internet presence, and to use this evaluation and the resources of Act4Health to design and evaluate a strategy for enhancing the capacity of participating organizations in the effective use of the internet to pursue health related aspects of their organizational mission. [ Read More > PDF, 56Kb ]

Investigator: Ellen Balka

The VPL research initiative is aimed towards gaining information concerning patrons’ health information needs and habits. Library staff are particularly interested in knowing how the library fits into patrons health information seeking trajectories (e.g., whether people go to the library for help early in their search for health information, after they have used the internet and failed to find what they want, etc.). Additionally, information is gathered regarding the changing role of librarians, technology and information intermediaries. [ Read More > PDF, 40Kb ]

Investigator: Leslie Bella

This project involves working with a small sample of community based health organizations based in Newfoundland and Labrador to evaluate their web presence and to develop and evaluate strategies to support them in developing capacity to improve the effectiveness of their web presence. [ Read More > PDF, 37Kb ]

Investigator: Patrick Feng

This project examines current developments and uses of electronic health records (EHRs) within Canada, focusing in particular on issues relating to standardization of health information and health technologies. [ Read More > PDF, 48Kb ]

Investigators: Craig Kuziemsky and Francis Lau

This study takes a critical review of the adoption, use and impact of PDAs and tablet PCs in palliative care at Victoria Hospice Society (VHS). It features both a retrospective study of PDA-use as well as a prospective study of design and preliminary testing of a computer based severe pain management tool. [ Read More > PDF, 52Kb ]

Investigator: Ellen Balka

In connection with the so-called “Tower Move” at Vancouver General Hospital, funding was available to explore the possibility of using a wireless system of phones to replace the standard stationery (land-line) nurse’s call system. The wireless system is expected to substantially lower the request response time and prevent time from being unnecessarily wasted “running around looking for people.” The adoption of the wireless system is seen as facilitating a complete change in the communication environment of nurses. This project aims to illuminate how workplaces are affected and transformed by the use of new information technologies, and to develop realistic estimates of the potential and capacities of such technologies for ensuring better communication and quality of care. [ Read More > PDF, 45Kb ]

Investigator: Ellen Balka

This project investigates the current endeavour to create a cohort of health care workers for longitudinal study between the Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. [ Read More > PDF, 47Kb ]

Investigator: Flis Henwood

This project aims to monitor and evaluate the implementation of picture archiving and communications system (PACS) from the patient perspective. [ Read More > PDF, 37Kb ]

Investigator: Flis Henwood

This project aims to develop a theoretical framework for exploring the articulation of gender in the context of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in health care. In particular, it will consider the extent and significance of the emergence of new clinical/IT “hybrid” roles in health care for gendered cultures and practices in both IT design and health care work. [ Read More > PDF, 37Kb ]

Investigator: Ina Wagner

The aim of this case study is to observe the introduction of a standard electronic patient record in two to three different oncology departments in five hospitals in Austria, with a particular focus on changes in work practice, quality of use and ethical issues. [ Read More > PDF, 44Kb ]

Investigator: Ellen Balka

In 2003, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority chose Mid-Main Community Health Centre as one of the clinics to receive primary health care renewal funds. A portion of the funding has been used to purchase and implement an electronic patient record system that has some capacity to support chronic disease management through patient registries. The case study at Mid-Main clinic is divided into four inter-related projects:

1. This project focuses on obtaining information about previous implementations of the WOLF electronic medical record system (EMR), which has been chosen for implementation at Mid-Main.
2. The aim of this project is to obtain information about patient’s views about the introduction of EMRs, and to prepare patients for the changes.
3. The third project will involve setting up an Internet terminal in the waiting room of the clinic. Here, the goal is to determine whether or not the Internet can be used to support patient health education and self-care in a low socio-economic status population.
4. The fourth project is concerned with the work practice challenges and changes related to implementing an EMR at Mid-Main. [ Read More > PDF, 44Kb ]

Investigators: Ellen Balka, Hugh Armstrong, Pat Armstrong and Karen Messing

The Indicators project hopes to provide answers to the question of how to build better indicators than those presently available, while also critically assessing the place of indicators as health care instruments. In reviewing occupational health and safety indicators for health sector workers, the project specifically addresses challenges related to information technology systems that are used as a means of collecting health indicator data, combining data from multiple sources, and performing analysis of data.

This study comprises several sub-projects, studying various aspects of the role of information technologies in the production and use of indicators related to health care occupational health and safety. [ Read More > PDF, 50Kb ]

Investigator: Elaine Gibson

This Theme III project examines the intellectual property issues in healthcare records; the myriad issues posed in the use of electronic healthcare records; and liability for information intermediaries. [ Read More > PDF, 37Kb ]