The Use of Digital Stories as a Knowledge Translation Tool in First Episode Psychosis Research
Manuela Ferrari1, Nina Flora2, Kelly Anderson3, Andrew Tuck2, Sean Kidd2, Katherine Boydell4, Suzanne Archie1, Kwame McKenzie5; 1McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 2Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 3Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Schulich, School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, 4Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 5Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Re-Tracing Project was a knowledge dissemination initiative aimed at sharing the findings from a study that documented pathways to first episode programs. The Re-Tracing Project used digital storytelling, as knowledge dissemination method, to capture the complexity, barriers, and subjective experiences of the journeys to, and first encounters with care. Digital stories are three- to five-minute videos produced with a mix of voiceover, music, and images to convey first person narratives. People living with psychosis, their family members, and front-line staff working in early intervention programs were invited to make their digital story. The digital stories developed were shared, along with the ACE pathways project findings, at a Knowledge-Exchange Forum. A mixed method evaluation using online surveys and open-ended questions assessed the value of the digital stories and the knowledge exchange event. Fifteen out of 18 people completed the workshop evaluation. Thirty-five out of 53 people who attended the knowledge exchange forum completed the evaluation. This presentation discusses two key aspects of this KT project: Telling a story and, listening to a story. The Re-Tracing digital storytelling workshops created a space where storytellers had the opportunity to unpack their own story. Workshop participants described the process of making their digital stories as “cathartic” and it offered them ownership of their experiences and stories - not available in clinical or other settings. The use of digital-storytelling as form of dissemination helped to: (1) communicate research findings in an emotive way; and (2) promote reflection and insight in forum participants (e.g., policy-makers).
Topic Area: Translational Research