Conference Papers and Proceedings
#25 (2010)

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Publication # 25 - 2010, September - Listening to the Communities: Perspectives of Remote and Rural First Nations Community Members on Telemental Health

Reference: Gibson, K., Coulson, H., Miles, R., Kakekayskung, K., Daniels, B., O’Donnell, S. (2010) Listening to the Communities: Perspectives of Remote and Rural First Nations Community Members on Telemental Health. Rural Health: Connecting Research and Policy. Fredericton, Canada, September 23-25.

Summary : Telemental health involves technologies such as videoconferencing to deliver mental health services and education, and to connect individuals and communities for healing and health. In remote and rural First Nations there are often challenges both to obtaining mental healthcare within the community and to working with external mental health workers. Telemental health is a service approach that can address some of these challenges and potentially support First Nations in their goal of improving mental health and well-being.

This paper explores the perspectives on telemental health of community members living in two rural and remote First Nations communities in Ontario: Mishkeegogamang and Fort Severn. Using a participatory research design, we interviewed 59 community members, asking about their experiences with and thoughts on using technologies and their attitudes toward telemental health specifically. A thematic analysis of this qualitative data, and a descriptive quantitative analysis of the information reveal the diversity of attitudes among community members.