Gabriel Demers

and 5 more

Aim: Aire ouverte, an integrated services initiative for youth aged 12–25, is under development in the province of Quebec, Canada. This study’s aim is to explore youth’s perspective regarding their experience within an Aire ouverte located in a remote and rural region of the province, their understanding of health, and how they engaged in a Photovoice process. Methods: We conducted interviews combined with a Photovoice approach. Participants (n=6) were instructed to document their experience within the Aire ouverte services, their understanding of health and how they engaged in a Photovoice process by taking pictures over a 2-month period and selecting a maximum of five for a final individual interview. Transcripts were analyzed to identify recurring themes using an inductive approach. Results: Youth considered Aire ouverte as an effective means to rapidly access healthcare. They highlighted the welcoming facilities and staff attitudes as a key component of their experience. Youth were satisfied with their experience. For them, health requires maintaining a balance, as it is fragile, requires maintaining balance within psychological, physical, social and environmental aspects of their lives. Finally, youth described the Photovoice process as a fun and creative way to express themselves and share their story. Participants also noted the empowering nature of the Photovoice process and experienced positive emotions. Conclusions: This study highlights that the services provided at Aire ouverte are consistent with the principles of youth-friendliness within integrated care. Further studies should be able to capture holistic views of health and youth’s experience.
Introduction. Psychotic disorders are associated with academic difficulties. Supported Employment Program (SEP) guidelines have become the gold standard to improve occupational functioning in psychotic disorders. More recently, these guidelines have been adapted to education. In Canada, several community organizations and hospital programs offer supported education to young people with psychotic disorders. However, SEP guidelines are not systematically used. The objective of this study was to assess the fidelity of 6 Canadian (Quebec) organizations offering supported education services to young people with psychotic disorders to the SEP guidelines adapted to education. Methods. Six sites offering educational services to young people with psychotic disorders were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with one supported education professional and one manager of each site, using the Quality of Supported Education Implementation Scale (QSEDIS). This new scale has been developed from the Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale. The QSEDIS assesses the fidelity of the quality of the implementation of supported education programs, using three subscales (Employees, Organization and Services). Results. Acceptable fidelity scores were observed in the three QSEDIS subscales for all six sites combined. The Services subscale received the highest score of fidelity (4.4./5), followed by the Supported Education Employee (4.1/5) and the Organization (3.7/5). Conclusion. The results suggest that supported education services offered to young people with psychotic disorders in the six sites are generally consistent with SEP guidelines adapted to education. Further research is warranted to validate whether acceptable SEP guidelines fidelity according to the QSEDIS translates into educational outcomes.