For my doctoral research, we co-designed with families and nurses, a proof-of-concept of a smartphone app for coordinating trusted and flexible respite care services to families coping with palliative-stage cancer. The initial idea for this project was seeded several years ago, based on my experiences as a family caregiver, homecare worker, and tech tutor. With the support of my advisors and committee, the project has been refined and re-imagined into the current iRespite Services iRépit research program.
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You can read more about our research using the menu navigation pane, or the following links: Project Updates, Study Protocol, and Study Flyers.
Team: Our research team, based in Montreal, includes: Principal Investigator Argerie Tsimicalis, PhD RN; Canada Research Chair in Inclusive Social Computing computer scientist Karyn Moffatt, PhD; cancer mHealth expert and Opal platform co-developer John Kildea, PhD; Jewish General Hospital nursing and palliative care clinician scientist Bessy Bitzas, RN PhD; and the Palliative Home-Care Society of Greater Montreal nurse manager Audrey-Jane Hall, BScN RN.
Additionally, we have hired several undergraduate and graduate students to support this research program, including: Gabrielle Lalonde-LeBlond, Joche Londoño Velez, Tracy Nghiem, RN, MSc(A), NP Student, and Ariana Pagnotta, RN, BScN. Trainees are synthesizing varying sources of knowledge to inform the app. These projects include an environmental scan of available respite care services in Québec, and an in depth-search of the Apple and Android app stores for existing respite care apps.
See this link for ongoing project updates.
