Measuring What Matters

By partnering with people who are experiencing social disadvantage, "Towards Equity-Informed Care: Making Visible the Needs of People Who Are Socially Disadvantaged” (aka "Measuring What Matters") wants to identify some quality of life assessments that can measure what matters to people when interacting with the health care system. 

Study description

People who face inequities like homelessness, poverty and stigma and who also have chronic health conditions (such as lung, liver or kidney disease) experience multiple disadvantages as their health is declining.

Research shows that people who are already socially disadvantaged have many unmet needs, do not trust the health care system or its providers, and often feel judged as a result of mental health or addictions issues and/or because they may be poor and/or homeless. Research that our team has done suggests that the perspectives of people who face such inequities are seldom considered, especially when they interact with health care providers. 

Research objective

Our project aims to see if we can use patient reported measures, such as symptom severity and quality of life, to gain the perspectives of people who are socially disadvantaged. Our team will work together with people who face homelessness, poverty, and stigma to figure out how to best incorporate their experience into the research process, determine if and how patient reported outcome measures and patient reported experience measures could be used for people who are socially disadvantaged, and what measures might be most relevant.

Funding

BC Support Unit

Researchers

  • Kelli Stajduhar, Research Lead, University of Victoria
  • Mary Chudley, formerly Grey Showler, Knowledge User Lead, Cool Aid Society
  • Rick Sawatzky, Research Member, Trinity Western University
  • Ryan McNeil, Research Member, Yale School of Medicine
  • Morgan Price, Knowledge User Member, Cool Aid Society
  • Fraser Black, Knowledge User Member, Cool Aid Society
  • Jill Gerke, Knowledge User Member, Island Health
  • Carolyn Wilkinson, Knowledge User Member, Island Health
  • Carren Dujela, Project Coordinator, University of Victoria
  • Ashley Mollison, PhD Student, University of Victoria
  • Kara Whitlock, Co-Chair, Lived Experience Advisory Committee