Last night, the imTEEN project team consisting of WeUsThem, Dr. Stan Kutcher, The Sandbox Project and TELUS Health was awarded the prestigious Canadian Health Informatics Award in Patient Care Innovation.
Presented by Digital Health Canada and ITAC Health, the Canadian Health Informatics Award in Patient Care Innovation recognizes a for-profit healthcare ICT company and client team (private and public sector) that has successfully implemented a health-IT solution that has positively impacted patient care in innovative ways.
With imTEEN, teens can monitor signs and symptoms of mental illness. The app allows users to monitor moods and feelings, keep track of appointments and set reminders. Users are also able to take mental health assessments, communicate with loved ones, and access self-help resources all within the app. imTEEN empowers youth to track and take care of their mental health on a daily basis.
"imTEEN is an integral part of an electronic youth mental health care solution that helps young people get well and stay well, linking them with their care providers for best evidence available care. This solution has been designed for use in primary care settings to help enhance rapid access to effective mental health care for young people and their families,” said Dr. Stan Kutcher. “Recent research findings have demonstrated that it is ready for application in those community settings interested in applying innovative solutions to improve mental health care of young people.”
The app is connected to a TELUS Electronic Medical Record (EMR) allowing for live updates to flow through to the user’s doctor. Users can send information on medications, assessments and activities they undertake directly to healthcare providers. This information is used for early intervention care and opens up communication between the user, their healthcare provider and loved ones.
“The Sandbox Project’s network of child and youth health professionals tell us that to address the challenges of access to youth mental health services, what we really need is creative innovation by experts, youth, and the public and private sectors working together,” said Christine Hampson, President & CEO of The Sandbox Project.
Through market research and extensive healthcare marketing experience, WeUsThem created an app that appeals to youth that facilitates personal health management along with live communication on their health needs. With a professional and engaging presentation, the app changes the way youth communicate symptoms and progress with healthcare providers.
“Receiving an award as an agency is an absolute honour, but receiving an award in healthcare nationally is a testament to how our team understands and thrives in delivering unique solutions,” said WeUsThem CEO, Ashwin Kutty. Principal and Chief Creative Officer, Faten Alshazly added, “The number of years of working with preeminent researchers have allowed us to understand the needs of patients and their loved ones adding to our collective sense of making an impact in our communities and the lives of those that need it the most.”
The Sandbox Youth Mental Health Initiative and imTEEN are made possible by TELUS Health, the Graham Boeckh Foundation, RBC, Medavie Health Foundation, ECHO Foundation, the T.R. Meighen Family Foundation and the Citrine Foundation of Canada.
To learn more about imTEEN, please click here.
Source: WeUsThem