Category: Digital Inclusion - public interest technology

You've seen Dr. Ibukun Abejirinde's work on compassionate virtual care on this site in the past. Her work on how digital transformation can advance health care access and health equity for marginalized groups is essentially connected to our work in settlement. I wanted to share some of that work in more detail.

In this Technology in Human Services podcast episode I was joined by Ibukun Abejirinde and Nancy Clark to talk about their work looking at how to re-imagine digital or virtual health care through a compassionate lens, focusing on Newcomers to Canada.

This article makes a case for understanding the experience and needs of immigrants and refugees with using virtual care in relation to its ability to deliver compassionate care—that is, characterized by trust, dignity, positive patient-provider relationship, empathy, and respect. Authors propose using intersectionality as a framework for this inquiry. By understanding if and how immigrants and refugees experience virtual care through a compassionate lens, we can ensure that their perspectives and needs influence how we design systems of care.

The Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health (the Centre) and Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) have compiled some useful resources, including Evaluating and improving e-mental health services. These 2 webinars share their findings and what they've learned.