NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: primary care, access

Objective(s): The research objectives of the first phase of this project are to: identify the healthcare needs of the student population of the Aurora College Yellowknife Campus, identify the facilitators and barriers to accessing Primary Health Care services for the student population of the Aurora College Yellowknife Campus, identify the facilitators and barriers to the implementation and sustainability of a clinic on the campus.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5538. Purpose: This project proposes to develop a Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic model in Primary Health Care within a post-secondary institution (Aurora College, Yellowknife campus) in the Northwest Territories. This is a project in phases that uses community participatory action research and implementation science frameworks to “secure the voice of patients in their own care” and “get research evidence into practice” (Casey et al., 2018). The research objectives of the first phase of this project are to: ? Identify the healthcare needs of the student population of the Aurora College Yellowknife Campus, ? Identify the facilitators and barriers to accessing Primary Health Care services for the student population of the Aurora College Yellowknife Campus, ? Identify the facilitators and barriers to the implementation and sustainability of a clin... Show moreic on the campus To achieve these objectives of phase 1, two qualitative methods will be used 1) online survey, and 2) focus groups. Following a thematic analysis method (Squires, 2023), the results of this first phase will directly inform the development of a unique clinic as well as inform the evaluation component of the implementation of the clinic. Recruitment The recruitment of students from all academic programs is a pivotal aimed in this study to foster inclusivity and ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the student experience within our institution. By including students from diverse programs, we want to capture a broad spectrum of perspectives, reflecting their unique needs. Simultaneously, the study recognizes the importance of incorporating the insights of staff members across various programs and student services as they play integral roles in shaping the educational landscape. By engaging both students and staff, we aim to cultivate a collaborative dialogue that can inform the design of the clinic For the survey : The team will have a survey for the students. The aim is to get a 20% response rate (approx. 80 surveys completed) of the anonymous online 5 min survey. Individuals will be recruited in February-March 2024, in the Winter Semester. The research team will email the students of Aurora College Yellowknife campus to inform them of the initiative as well as print a poster in each classroom with a QR Code. There will be no remuneration or compensation offered to complete the survey (see the Recruitment poster/email). The team will have a survey for the staff. The aim is to get 20 surveys completed. Individuals will be recruited in February-March 2024, in the Winter Semester. The research team will email the staff of Aurora College Yellowknife campus to inform them of the initiative as well as ask the campus director to send a reminder to the staff to participate. There will be no remuneration or compensation offered to complete the survey (see the Recruitment poster/email). For the focus group : As the research team are themselves employee of the college and instructors, third party focus-group facilitator and graphic recorder will be hired to ensure student buy-in and balanced power dynamics. The team will select a facilitator with the guidance of NT Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) Network in Primary and Integrated Health Care Innovations (https://www.ichr.ca/research/the-northwest-territories-spor-network/) at the Institute of Circumpolar Health Research. The team will have 4 focus group for students (max 10 participants per focus group) in March 2024. The students that wish to participate in a focus group will be able to give their email at the end of the online survey if they wish. As well, the research team will email the students to inform them of the initiative as well as print a poster in each classroom (see Recruitment poster/email). The students could register via email or also drop in on the day of the focus group. The focus group discussion will last about 1 hour in room 127 at NUP. The suggested honorarium for participating is $ 25 grocery store gift card. The participant will also have pizza while participating in a focus group. It is hoped that these strategies will help reduce selection bias and avoid discrimination in recruitment. The team will have 1 focus group for staff (max 10 participants). The staff who wish to participate in a focus group will be able to give their email at the end of the online survey. As well, the research team will email the staff to inform them of the initiative (see Recruitment poster/email). The staff could register via email or also drop in on the day of the focus group. The focus group discussion will last about 1 hour in room 127 at NUP at lunchtime. The participant will also have pizza while participating in a focus group. The survey and the focus group will be done in English, the language spoken at the college. This project was initiated by an instructor at the college (BettyAnn Marriott) in collaboration with other instructors and nursing students in 2019, when the instructor was completing her Nurse Practitioner Degree. Through the years and diverse consultations BettyAnn created a small research team with Axelle Kearnan and Andréanne Robitaille. They presented the project to the Aurora College President (DR. Glenda Vardy Dell) and to the Chair of the School of Health and Human Services (Jodi Brennan). Both approves and supports the project. The research team constituted an advisory committee and developed relationships with different stakeholders and knowledge holders (see Appendix A) that provide input into decision-making and review project materials. The research advisory committee involves student representatives and Indigenous knowledge keepers as well as two research organizations leading Community health participatory research projects (Institute of Circumpolar Health Research and Hotiì ts'eeda). The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: January 1 - December 31, 2025 Show less