Killackey’s research is exploring the development and evaluation of a self-management app for youth undergoing cardiovascular surgery.
Tieghan Killackey, an assistant professor at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing is the successful recipient of the CIHR New Investigator Award presented jointly by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (CIHR-IHDCYH) and the SickKids Foundation. Selected from a highly competitive pool of researchers, Killackey’s is one of only six projects chosen from across the country.
Killackey, who also holds the RBC Chair in Cardiovascular Nursing Research at the University of Toronto and University Health Network, sees this award as important recognition of nurse scientists.
“To me receiving this award is a sign that the problems nurses are trying to solve – which are grounded in the needs of the patients we work with – are being recognized as important healthcare priorities,” says Killackey.
The CIHR New Investigator Award will support Killackey’s three-phase project centered on the co-design and evaluation of a digital app for youth requiring cardiac surgery.
This patient population, Killackey says, is under researched and underserved when it comes to health services support, even though they often require several surgeries or cardiovascular procedures throughout their life.
“Often these patients can be discharged home one or two days after surgery, and many live far away from the hospital, where there may be less support to manage their post-operative care and recovery,” says Killackey.
This mobile app will be based on the successful iCanCope model developed by Professor Jennifer Stinson and will be adapted to support the unique needs of young patients (ages 12 to 18) undergoing cardiac surgery. The app features both pre-operative and post-operative modes to support teens across their entire surgical journey. In the first phase of this research, Killackey heard from youth undergoing cardiac surgery as well as their parents about the overwhelming nature of the process, and how difficult it can be to absorb all of the information they receive.
“Teens and families feel they would benefit from being able to revisit some of the important educational information beforehand to help them prepare for surgery and alleviate anxiety around the surgery itself, while also setting more realistic expectations around recovery and planning strategies for pain and symptom management,” says Killackey.
During the post-operative phase, the app would support patients in tracking their pain, mood, sleep, and mental health, as well as provide reminders for important activities like medication administration and breathing exercises. A library of resources and educational materials would also allow teens to self-manage their symptoms and improve their quality of recovery.
“We see this as an added level of support for when these teens are sent home from the hospital,” says Killackey of the app’s proposed design. “One thing we heard from parents, is that teens may not want to say when they are struggling, or having pain, so with an app tailored to this age group, we can build in strategies to support their growing independence and ownership over tracking and responding to their symptoms.”
Killackey is looking forward to each phase of this co-design process with the patients and researchers involved and assessing the impact of the digital app for this patient group, eventually hoping to expand the digital intervention to young adults.