Meeting Our First Milestones
We are excited to report that as of mid-April 2020 we have achieved several milestones for the Clinicians’ Experience project.
First, Andrew Stumpf (Principal Investigator) and Dominic Rogalski (Undergraduate Research Assistant 1) completed a draft of the literature review / assessment paper for Phase 1 (Conceptual Clarification). We are now in the process of circulating this draft to colleagues to get preliminary feedback before we send it to a journal for publication. An abstract of the paper was accepted for presentation at the March 2020 Conference on Medicine and Religion, scheduled to be held at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. But like every other conference around the world, it was canceled due to Covid-19-related restrictions. We are still hoping to get meaningful feedback from bioethicists and physicians by sending the paper around and organizing online chats for discussion.
Second, Kieran Bonner (Co-Investigator) and Andrew Stumpf produced a draft of the interview guidelines (Phase 2a, Interview Preparation). This was a learning and growing process that began to bring out the truly interdisciplinary nature of the project. As a senior professor and sociologist, Kieran is clearly the expert in interview design. But within the project as a whole, these interviews need to address a particular philosophical, bioethics debate. We went back and forth a number of times by email and by phone in order to reach a set of sample questions that balance the requirements of our respective disciplines. We will also be seeking feedback from colleagues on the interview design along with the lit-review paper.
Third, Andrew and Kieran submitted our complete ethics application (also part of Phase 2a), including the interview guidelines, to the research ethics board (REB) at the University of Waterloo. These applications are quite the undertaking, and we are grateful to have this in. Now we await the REB for feedback.
Fourth, Zack Macdonald (Librarian Collaborator) completed a draft of our data management plan (Phase 2b). At this point it looks like we won’t have any data to manage until late Summer / early Fall since most doctors involved in end-of-life procedures have been called in to help with the response to Covid. But having this plan in place helps to ensure we are ready as soon as the data starts coming in.
Fifth, Midori Matthew (Graduate Research Assistant) is starting her training and preparation to take a major role in Phase 2c (Data Collection). She is familiarizing herself with the lit review paper and the ethics application, and as we approach the Fall, she will be working with the investigators to start scheduling interviews with doctors in Southwestern Ontario whose practice includes end-of-life procedures such as withdrawing life-sustaining treatment and administering Medical Assistance in Dying.
Finally, Sophia Richardson (Undergrad Research Assistant 2) has been hard at work building the framework for the web portal, as part of the knowledge mobilization plan for this project. She has been building the site to house this research project along with others, and to include space for other aspects of the Kernel Project (community partnerships, student opportunities, educational resources) as they develop.
We are looking forward to receiving feedback on the lit-review paper and the ethics application, and to be released into Phases 2c and 2d, where we can finally interview some doctors and start interpreting what we hear from them.
Hello! We are The Kernel Network a connecting point for academic researchers, students, and community partners who share a vision and passion for improving end-of-life care in Canada.
More Blog Posts
Similar Posts