Building for Success: Mental Health Research and Knowledge Exchange in Ontario

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• Building for Success Mental Health Research and
  Knowledge Exchange in Ontario

Heather Bullock, MSc., Manager, Knowledge
Exchange, HSRCU, CAMH Aimee Watson, MSW,
(during study period) Senior Policy Analyst,
Mental Health and Addictions Unit, MOHLTC
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Background

• Significant entry of new funds into community
  mental health system 2004-2007 (50 increase in 4
  years)
• Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC)
  committed to assess impact of capacity
  enhancement through routine accountability
  reporting and evaluation research
• MOHLTC requested a proposal from the Health
  Systems Research and Consulting Unit (HSRCU),
  Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

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Project Overview Research

• SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT EVALUATION INITIATIVE (SEEi) -
  NINE RESEARCH STUDIES
• Two HSRCU Phase I Research Studies (3 year
  studies)
• Impact Study (administrative data)
• Matryoshka Study (primary data collection
  investigating continuity of care)
• Seven Phase II Research Studies (18 month 2
  year studies)
• Court outreach Ottawa
• Fidelity and Recovery ACT study Hamilton
• Police mobile crisis services-review of three
  models-London
• Crisis system network-Waterloo/Wellington
• Integrated crisis-case management-Kingston
• Service match (CCAR)-Kingston
• Community-based discharge planning - Sarnia

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Project Overview Knowledge Exchange

• ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION OF DIVERSE
  STAKEHOLDERS, STARTING FROM RESEARCH
  CONCEPTULATIZATION
• Original proposal called for significant
  knowledge
• exchange component to be part of Phase I and
• Phase II Studies
• Peer reviews AND relevance reviews for all
  research
• studies
• Research teams included community agency (service
  provider) partners
• Executive Advisory Committee and Partner
  Organizations provided input and feedback
  throughout (including RFPs)

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Project Overview Knowledge Exchange
INTENT TO BUILD A KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE NETWORK THAT
SUPPORTS THE SEEI RESEARCH, BUT WITH A LARGER
VISION

• Original proposal contained the idea of building
  a provincial knowledge exchange function
  extending beyond SEEI
• The Ontario Mental Health and Addictions
  Knowledge Exchange Network (OMHAKEN) will improve
  the quality of mental health research, services,
  supports and policy by linking researchers,
  providers, planners, decision-makers, consumers
  and families and engaging them in knowledge
  sharing, knowledge creation, and knowledge
  translation activities.

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Target Audiences

• Consumer/Survivors
• Families
• Provincial Stakeholder Groups (CMHA, Ontario)
• Broader Research Community
• Service Providers (community mental health,
  police, courts, Hospitals
• Service Planners (LHINs)
• System/Policy Planners (MOHLTC, Health Canada,
  other Ontario Ministries)

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Dissemination Goals

• GOALS FOCUSED ON ENGAGEMENT AS WELL AS
  DISSEMINATION
• Providing research evaluation evidence to
• Ontarians regarding their investments in
  community mental
• health
• Decision makers for future policy and service
  planning (government, LHINs)
• Service providers to assist in service planning
  and improvements
• Consumer/Survivors and Families to empower their
  decision-making
• Contributing high quality, Ontario health
  services research to the academic community
  (students and researchers)
• Enhancing research capacity for all stakeholders

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Sources/Messengers

• PROJECTS COLLABORATIVE NATURE MEANS MANY
  DIFFERENT TYPES OF MESSENGERS PARTICIPATED
• Almost all target audiences represented on
  Executive Advisory Committee
• Project Partner Organizations have provincial
  reach
• OMHAKEN network-of-network approach with Leads is
  another messenger
• Knowledge brokers (HB AW) facilitated
  connections, and were also key messengers

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Dissemination Activities, Tools, Timing
Responsibilities

• RANGE OF DISSEMINTATION TOOLS/ACTIVITIES USED
  THROUGH-OUT COURSE OF THE PROJECT
• Results disseminated when they became available
• Released variety of reports including
• SEEI Interim report / SEEI Final report
• Research study reports released at various
  points during research project including study
  final reports
• Provided research results to stakeholders in
  as-needed fashion
• KT events (funded by OMHAKEN) to support local
  dissemination and KE of research findings
• Presentations/consultation including government
  focused policy dialogues

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Dissemination Activities, Tools, Timing
Responsibilities

• ADDITIONAL DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES/TOOLS
• OMHAKEN newsletter
• OMHAKEN and SEEI website
• Widely subscribed e-newsletter (CMHA MH notes)
• Tailored short supplemental reports on specific
  topics of interest
• Academic (on-going)
• Funding for Special Issue of CJCMH
• Creating special session at provincial conference
  that has broad range of attendees
• Conference presentations
• Information shared on partner websites
• Regular research updates provided at all EAC,
  MOHLTC meetings throughout the 4 years

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Evaluation

• KT PIECE (OMHAKEN) CURRENTLY UNDERGOING
  EVALUATION
• Evaluation through
• Web survey
• Key informant interviews
• Capturing ongoing communication
• and dissemination activities (past and
• current)

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Impacts to Date

• SOME METRICS SO FAR
• 100 out of 300 community agencies participated
  directly in SEEI
• Approx. 200 people subscribe to OMHAKEN list
  serve 
• 52 presentations at scientific conferences
• 42 other presentations
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• 8 Journal publications
• 35 other reports

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Impacts to Date

• UPTAKE BY RANGE OF AUDIENCES
• International Japan (system planners) Special
  Needs Offenders conference
• National MHCC
• Provincial Policy Ontario Ministers Advisory
  Group for MHA,
• Provincial Select Committee Presentations
  Deputy Minister, Paula Goering, Paul Garfinkel
• Input into CAMH positions for various
  strategies
• Data used in response to Auditors Report
  (Deputy Minister)
• Regional Planning LHINs are using report for
  health service planning
• Local Planning Local pockets of ongoing
  activities and improvements (e.g. regions
  continue to use findings for local quality
  improvement and organization WW crisis
  services Frontenac crisis services)

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Visit us! www.ehealthontario.ca
SEEI Partners

• A community mental health research initiative
  funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term
  Care in partnership with the Centre for Addiction
  and Mental Health, Canadian Mental Health
  Association, Ontario, Ontario Federation of
  Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs
  and the Ontario Mental Health Foundation.