Grant: Op Gr.: Eval. of Dementia Programs, Services, & Care Models - Stream 1 - General

The Alzheimer Society of Canada estimates that nearly 1 million Canadians will live with dementia by 2031. The COVID pandemic has shown just how vulnerable these patients are, and how our healthcare system struggles to address their often-complex needs. Fortunately, there is a proven solution that could greatly improve care for persons with living experience of dementia: eConsult. eConsult is a secure online application that allows primary care providers to contact specialists with questions about their patients' care and receive a timely reply-often in as little as two days. First developed by our team in Ottawa in 2009, eConsult has since helped over 500,000 people across Ontario get quick access to specialist care. This program has the potential to better meet the needs of persons living with dementia, including those in long-term care. The goal of this study is to examine how eConsult can best serve persons with lived and living experience of dementia, with a focus on those from traditionally disadvantaged groups, including women, racialized minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged, rural, and long-term care residents. We will connect data from eConsult to provincial health data to see what impact the service has on health outcomes for persons living with dementia. At the same time, we will interview primary care providers, specialists, and patients and caregivers so that they can describe their experiences accessing or providing specialist care. We will combine what we learn from both studies to come up with strategies for improving access to specialist care for persons living with dementia. This information will also help us to improve how eConsult serves persons living with dementia. Our team includes experts in eConsult, dementia and aging, long-term care, equity, as well as persons with lived experience. Together, we will work to ensure that persons living with dementia have an equitable opportunity to access high quality specialist care.