T102. TELEPROM-Y: IMPROVING ACCESS AND EXPERIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTHCARE FOR YOUTH THROUGH VIRTUAL MODELS OF CARE

Abstract

BackgroundAbout 1 in 5 youth have a mental illness, with 75 percent of all mental illnesses having their onset in childhood or adolescence (Kim-Cohen et al., 2003). In Ontario, 157,900 youth rated their mental health as fair or poor, a significant increase from 2007 (Boak et al., 2014). Not only do mental health concerns cause difficulties at onset, they can also disrupt important life transitions and developmental milestones, as well as being burdensome throughout the individual’s lifespan (Ratnasingham et al., 2012). Consequently, new care approaches are needed.The TELEPROM-Y project will evaluate outpatient health care delivery using InputHealth’s electronic Collaborative Health Record (CHR) at London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Woodstock General Hospital, and community agencies including Youth Opportunities Unlimited, WAYS Mental Health Support, and Leads Employment Services.Methods120 youth (ages 14–25) will be recruited from the caseloads of 46 mental healthcare providers. Participants will use a smartphone application (app) to connect to the Collaborative Health Record. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted at baseline, 6, and 12 months. This is a participatory action research project utilizing a pre-post, mixed-methods design. A standardized evaluation framework will be instituted to facilitate systematic effectiveness, economic, ethical, and policy analyses.Some of the functions of the app, available for Apple and Android phones, include: making/changing/cancelling appointments; text messaging; emailing, and filling out questionnaires/surveys. If the youth are unable to attend a scheduled appointment in person, the care-provider and youth can have a virtual visit, similar to FaceTime or Skype. Virtual visits should reduce missed appointments.ResultsDescriptive information thus far of 104 participants: Psychotic Disorder (e.g. schizophrenia) (13, 12.6%), Developmental handicap (e.g. Autism) (7, 6.8%), Anxiety Disorder (e.g. PTSD) (73, 70.9%), Disorder of childhood/adolescence (e.g. ADHD) (37, 35.9%), Substance-related disorder (13, 12.6%), Personality Disorder (17, 16.5%), Mood Disorder (e.g. depression, bipolar mood disorder) (70, 68.0%), Unknown (4, 3.9%), Other (19, 18.4%).DiscussionWe anticipate that through the usage of the TELEPROM-Y app the participant and care-provider experience will be enhanced, leading to 1) improved healthcare outcomes and patient quality of life, and 2) reduced healthcare costs by preventing hospitalization and reducing the need for face-to-face outpatient visits.