Advancing E-Mental Health in Canada: Report From a Multistakeholder Meeting.

Gillian Strudwick,David Wiljer,Danielle Impey,Reinhard Michael Krausz,John Torous

doi:10.2196/19360

Abstract

The need for e-mental health (electronic mental health) services in Canada is significant. The current mental health care delivery models primarily require people to access services in person with a health professional. Given the large number of people requiring mental health care in Canada, this model of care delivery is not sufficient in its current form. E-mental health technologies may offer an important solution to the problem. This topic was discussed in greater depth at the 9th Annual Canadian E-Mental Health Conference held in Toronto, Canada. Themes that emerged from the discussions at the conference include (1) the importance of trust, transparency, human centeredness, and compassion in the development and delivery of digital mental health technologies; (2) an emphasis on equity, diversity, inclusion, and access when implementing e-mental health services; (3) the need to ensure that the mental health workforce is able to engage in a digital way of working; and (4) co-production of e-mental health services among a diverse stakeholder group becoming the standard way of working.

Highlights

Just before North American travel and face-to-face contact was reduced or eliminated by coronavirus disease (COVID-19), more than 250 people gathered in Toronto, Canada, for the 9th Annual Canadian E-Mental Health Conference [1]
The conference was founded by the University of British Columbia Department of Psychiatry and coproduced this year by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, University of British Columbia Department of Psychiatry, University Health Network, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Transparency, human centeredness, and compassion can be understood in several ways. Do those using a digital mental health technology trust the information offered digitally? Do they feel the service offered digitally is as good as face-to-face service delivery? Do they feel their information is safe and secure enough to share and answer sensitive questions honestly? Do they feel a health professional will do something about their mental health information that is provided digitally? Without being mindful of these important concepts, the risk is that people with mental illness will not use or meaningfully engage with these technologies, and service delivery would have to remain “in person,” which we know is already not meeting the current demand for services

Summary

Introduction

Just before North American travel and face-to-face contact was reduced or eliminated by coronavirus disease (COVID-19), more than 250 people gathered in Toronto, Canada, for the 9th Annual Canadian E-Mental Health Conference [1]. With a large number of people requiring access to mental health care and the lack of current face-to-face services in Canada to meet this need, the conference was held to share ideas, leading research and best practices for the use of e-mental health (electronic mental health) technologies to improve care.

Results

Conclusion