Papers by Shannon Sibbald
The qualitative report, Jun 1, 2024
Canadian planning and policy, Dec 31, 2023
General practice and primary care
BMC Health Services Research, May 9, 2023
Background Indigenous peoples in Canada experience higher rates of diabetes and worse outcomes th... more Background Indigenous peoples in Canada experience higher rates of diabetes and worse outcomes than non-Indigenous populations in Canada. Strategies are needed to address underlying health inequities and improve access to quality diabetes care. As part of the national FORGE AHEAD Research Program, this study explores two primary healthcare teams' quality improvement (QI) process of developing and implementing strategies to improve the quality of diabetes care in First Nations communities in Canada. Methods This study utilized a community-based participatory and qualitative case study methodology. Multiple qualitative data sources were analyzed to understand: (1) how knowledge and information was used to inform the teams' QI process; (2) how the process was influenced by the context of primary care services within communities; and (3) the factors that supported or hindered their QI process. Results The findings of this study demonstrate how teams drew upon multiple sources of knowledge and information to inform their QI work, the importance of strengthening relationships and building relationships with the community, the influence of organizational support and capacity, and the key factors that facilitated QI efforts. Conclusions This study contributes to the ongoing calls for research in understanding the process and factors affecting the implementation of QI strategies, particularly within Indigenous communities. The knowledge generated may help inform community action and the future development, implementation and scale-up of QI programs in Indigenous communities in Canada and globally.
Canadian Journal of Public Health-revue Canadienne De Sante Publique, May 3, 2021
Proceedings of the annual conference of CAIS, Oct 31, 2013
Increasingly, researchers are beseeched, prodded and, at times, forced, to develop so-called "kno... more Increasingly, researchers are beseeched, prodded and, at times, forced, to develop so-called "knowledge mobilization" (KM) plans and strategies as an integral part of their work, regardless, in some cases, of the appropriateness or utility of such activities for their research. Indeed, it seems that funders of research, especially government granting agencies, are now requiring that researchers justify why their work cannot be made to "add value" to "public" needs and priorities, rather than opting-in to such activities as and when appropriate.
BMC Health Services Research, Jul 29, 2020
Healthcare Management Forum
Family physicians play important roles throughout all stages of a pandemic response; however, act... more Family physicians play important roles throughout all stages of a pandemic response; however, actionable descriptions outlining these roles are absent from current pandemic plans. Using a multiple case study design, we conducted a document analysis and interviewed 68 family physicians in four Canadian regions. We identified roles performed by family physicians in five distinct stages of pandemic response: pre-pandemic, phased closure and re-opening, acute care crisis, vaccination, and pandemic recovery. In addition to adopting public health guidance to ensure continued access to primary care services, family physicians were often expected to operationalize public health roles (eg, staffing assessment centres), modulate access to secondary/tertiary services, help provide surge capacity in acute care facilities, and enhance supports and outreach to vulnerable populations. Future pandemic plans should include family physicians in planning, explicitly incorporate family physician roles,...
Innovation in Aging, 2021
The number of older adults who live in long-term care (LTC) is expected to increase worldwide. Th... more The number of older adults who live in long-term care (LTC) is expected to increase worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused serious consequences in Canadian LTC homes, while homes in China and Japan reported minimal infection and death rates in residents. The differences in LTC policies may be one of the contributors. The purpose of this literature review was to identify elements of the LTC policies that might have impacted COVID-19 outcomes in LTC homes in Canada, China, and Japan. A scoping review was conducted following the framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. Scholarly articles and grey literature published between January 2015 and June 2020 were identified in six databases, four in English (CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest, and PubMed), one in Chinese (CNKI), and one in Japanese (CiNii), using MeSH terms for LTC and health policy. Grey literature was identified using Google. Data were extracted, summarized and common themes identified through content analysis. A total of 52 a...
International Journal of Integrated Care, 2022
Introduction: In 2019, Ontario’s Ministry of Health (the Ministry) introduced Ontario Health Team... more Introduction: In 2019, Ontario’s Ministry of Health (the Ministry) introduced Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) to provide population-based integrated healthcare. Primary care was foundational to this approach. We sought to identify factors that impacted primary care engagement during OHT formation from different perspectives. Methods: Interviews with 111 participants (administrators n = 80; primary care providers n = 17; patient family advisors = 14) from 11 OHTs were conducted following a semi-structured guide. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed. Results: Participants felt that primary care engagement was an ongoing, continuous cycle. Four themes were identified: 1) ‘A low rules environment’: limited direction from the Ministry (system-level), 2) ‘They’re at different starting points’: impact of local context (initiative-level); 3) ‘We want primary care to be actively involved’: engagement efforts made by OHTs (initiative-level); 4) ‘Waiting to hear a little bit more’: primary care concerns about the OHT approach (sector-level). Thirteen factors impacting primary care engagement were identified across the four themes. Discussion and Conclusion: The 13 factors influencing primary care engagement were interconnected and operated at health system, integrated care initiative, and sector levels. Future research should focus on integrated care initiatives as they mature, to address potential gaps in the involvement of primary care physicians.
BACKGROUND Epilepsy is one of the world's oldest and most recognized medical conditions, with arc... more BACKGROUND Epilepsy is one of the world's oldest and most recognized medical conditions, with archives dating back to 4000 BC (WHO, n.d.). The World Health Organization (n.d.) describes epilepsy as a "chronic, non-communicable disorder of the brain that affects people of all ages." It is "characterized by recurrent seizures, which are brief episodes of involuntary movement that may involve part of the body (partial) or the entire body (generalized) and is sometimes accompanied by loss of consciousness and of control of bowel and bladder function" (IOM, 2012). Epilepsy affects about 70 million individuals globally. It is a "major public health problem, not only because of its health implications but also for its social, cultural, psychological, and economic effects" (Murthy, Govindappa, & Sinha, 2016). Martha Stein, a strategic planner at the Epilepsy Support Centre in London, Ontario, was sitting in her office chatting with the Executive Director, Morrison Longos. Martha was concerned about the increasing number of youth living with epilepsy in the London area. She explained to Morrison that her clients missed many opportunities in their lives, such as receiving better health care or pursuing higher education. For instance, adults with epilepsy face difficulties in accessing services such as dental care, optical prescriptions, and renewing driver's licenses, while school-aged children with epilepsy face problems such as difficulties in learning, absenteeism due to fatigue from seizures, and social exclusion. Six out of ten parents reported that their children with epilepsy experienced challenges with learning in school, behaviour, or memory (Clinic to Community, 2017). Martha, who had more than 10 years of experience working with youth with epilepsy, found that they struggle with social stigma and feel 'different' at a time when fitting in is of the utmost importance. These difficulties, if unsupported, affect their overall well-being and success in life. Martha previously spoke with the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board to understand whether there was any health promotion curriculum on epilepsy awareness for teachers and students. She was surprised that there wasn't a health promotion program for epilepsy, despite the significant number of children diagnosed with this common disorder. Martha decided to propose an initiative to Morrison to create a pilot, school-based health promotion program for epilepsy awareness. This pilot program would be designed to help bridge knowledge gaps about epilepsy in school, promote empathy among elementary school students, and create a safe environment for children with epilepsy to learn, play, and grow. Being the head of the Strategic Planning department at the Epilepsy Support Centre, Martha saw the need to develop, advocate for, and promote an evidence-based educational program.
Zola Faraji leaned back in her chair and let out a momentous sigh. Zola and her colleagues were w... more Zola Faraji leaned back in her chair and let out a momentous sigh. Zola and her colleagues were wrapping up a data analysis meeting in relation to one of their research projects-the Best Practices in Refugee Health and Resettlement Services project. It had been eight months since the launch of the project within the community-based research department at Access for Health and Settlement Centre (AHSC). Looking outside the boardroom window on that late April morning, Zola noticed that the clouds were shifting unpredictably as they often did in Toronto this time of year. Sitting next to her was Jamila Ahmed, a young project coordinator, who was re-reading meeting notes at the table. Zola glanced over at Jamila and recognized an expression of curiosity on her face. This was the same curiosity that brought Zola to pursue a career in public health research. The day was full of reflection and nostalgia, as it marked 11 years since Zola started working at AHSC. She held a role as a senior scientist at the organization, leading multiple research projects within the community-based research department. Zola knew that this particular project had captured her efforts and attention as early as the ideation stage over 14 months ago in a way that no other project had done so before. She glanced back at the shifting weather, recognizing that it was a reflection of the context from which the project arose.
Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 2020
Reliable empirical data and proper understanding of pedestrian dynamics are necessary for fire sa... more Reliable empirical data and proper understanding of pedestrian dynamics are necessary for fire safety design. However, specifications and data in different handbooks as well as experimental studies differ considerably. In this study, series of experiments under laboratory conditions were carried out to study the characteristics of uni-and bidirectional pedestrian streams in straight corridor. The Voronoi method is used to resolve the fine structure of the resulting velocity-density relations and spatial dependence of the measurements. The result shows differences in the shape of the relation for > 1.0 m 2. The maximal specific flow of unidirectional streams is significantly larger than that of all bidirectional streams examined.
Diabetes, 2020
Hypoglycemia requiring paramedic assistance negatively impacts outcomes in people with diabetes. ... more Hypoglycemia requiring paramedic assistance negatively impacts outcomes in people with diabetes. Prior studies have shown only a small proportion of those with paramedic assist-requiring HG are brought to hospital. These episodes are thus “invisible” to the health care system. An innovative direct electronic referral program in which paramedics sent a referral for focused HG education to the Diabetes Education Centre (DEC) at the time of paramedic assessment was implemented for 18 months. Program uptake was lower than expected (133 referrals, 79 scheduled, and 50 attended). This qualitative study examines barriers and facilitators of DEC attendance for HG education after paramedic assist-requiring HG. We conducted semi-structured interviews of patients with paramedic-assisted HG and surveyed paramedics about their experiences. Of 34 paramedics, 30 (88%) attended at least 1 HG call in the study period and 26 (76%) used the referral program. Fourteen patients (18% response rate) parti...
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Papers by Shannon Sibbald