A Mixed-Methods Quick Strike Research Protocol to Learn About Children With Complex Health Conditions and Their Families

Abstract

Advances have been made to improve health care for children with complex health conditions (CCHCs); however, little is known of the needs of these children and their families in the Canadian context. In this article, we describe our Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded Quick Strike protocol, a mixed-methods multisite research project that explored CCHC and their families in two Canadian provinces. The aims were (a) to describe and define CCHC, (b) to understand the needs of CCHC and their families, (c) to identify gaps and barriers to services for this population, and (d) to adapt and test the application of a computerized algorithm to yield information on CCHC. The mixed-methods design was comprised of four components: three qualitative and one quantitative. We describe the components of this project and outline the methods and procedures of data collection and analysis for each component. One of the main sources of data was interviews from 121 stakeholders, which included CCHC and family members, as well as health, social, and education professionals. This Quick Strike project was designed to engage stakeholders and the public with integrated knowledge translation threaded as a core element throughout the research process. Multiple strategies were used to validate and disseminate early findings from the research. As we outline in this article, this research project provided the foundation for one innovative service model of care, NaviCare/SoinsNavi, and spawned a number of additional outcomes such as a secondary analysis of the data to describe interprofessional collaboration for CCHC.

Patient Navigation as an Approach to Improve the Integration of Care: The Case of NaviCare/SoinsNavi

“…The services offered are based on a province-wide needs assessment, which involved over 120 interviews with youth and their families, as well as with health, social, and education stakeholders [112]. One of the central findings from this exploratory assessment was a need for navigational support to assist not only the families, but also members of the care team.…”

A concept analysis of children with complex health conditions: implications for research and practice

“…"; and (3) "From your perspective, what are the specific or unique services that these children require?" We analyzed data using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six phases of qualitative thematic analysis [9], which we fully described elsewhere [10]: (1) familiarize self with data, (2) generate the initial codes, (3) search for themes, (4) review the themes, (5) define and name the themes, and (6) provide a report. Under the guidance of three of this paper's co-authors (RA, SD, WM), four members of the team, coded the transcripts from the first three phone interviews to generate preliminary codes and working definitions; this guided subsequent analysis of the remaining phone interview transcripts.…”

A concept analysis of children with complex health conditions: implications for research and practice

“…We performed a google search with the following key terms: intitle: ("children with complex health conditions" OR "children with complex chronic conditions" OR "children with medical complexity") AND "definition". We searched the following government sites: [9], which we fully described elsewhere [10]: (1) familiarize self with data, (2) generate the initial codes, (3) search for themes,(4) review the themes, (5) define and name the themes, and (6) provide a report. Under the guidance of three of this paper's co-authors (RA, SD, WM), four members of the team, coded the transcripts from the first three phone interviews to generate preliminary codes and working definitions; this guided subsequent analysis of the remaining phone interview transcripts.…”