荔枝视频

For new mums living with the debilitating fallout of postpartum depression, an online version of the VID-KIDS parent support program developed by U荔枝视频 researchers is more than just a new app 鈥� it鈥檚 a portal to professional help direct from their living room in a time of desperate need.

The app was developed in response to COVID-19, which paused the successful in-person version of the parent training program. Led by Dr. Nicole Letourneau, PhD, RN, Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation Chair in Parent-Infant Mental Health, that program saw trained RNs meet one-on-one with struggling new mums over several in-home visits. The nurses would show mums images of babies鈥� facial expressions, explain what they might mean, and take and share videos of the mothers鈥� interactions with their own babies.

Because those so-called 鈥渟erve and return鈥� exchanges are both vital to a baby鈥檚 healthy development and diminished by postpartum depression, mums were given training on how to read and respond to their babies鈥� cues. For example, if baby looks you intently in the eye, they might be ready to engage, to play, and to learn.

With in-home visits cancelled by the pandemic, and new parents more stressed and isolated than ever, the decision was quickly made to take VID-KIDS virtual, aided by an interdisciplinary nursing and software engineering team. For help, Letourneau looked to her uniquely qualified colleague Dr. Linda Duffett-Leger, PhD. An associate professor in the Faculty of Nursing and certified user-experience designer, Duffett-Leger鈥檚 expertise is in leveraging technology to optimize health and educational outcomes.

A purpose-built VID-KIDS app

鈥淭he team had trialled some commercially available apps, like Zoom, but had a lot of issues around agility, navigation, making it user-friendly, easy to access, and of course privacy and security concerns,鈥� says Duffett-Leger. So the process to develop a purpose-built VID-KIDS app began.

鈥淚 liaised between domain experts 鈥� the nurses deploying the intervention in the home and the mums 鈥� and the software engineers,鈥� Duffett-Leger explains. 鈥淪o often, nurses have to use a lot of technology, but they are left out of the development. The result is either the technology isn鈥檛 used, or it isn鈥檛 optimized. We didn鈥檛 want that.鈥�

Honouring the expertise of the user, as Duffett-Leger puts it, resulted in weekly design sessions and focus groups of mums and nurses. 鈥淭his was truly an interdisciplinary team effort. Our close collaboration with colleagues from software engineering was critical in making VID-KIDS Virtual a reality.鈥�

Over time the app took shape into a fully integrated cloud-based system, offering nurse interventionists the ability to securely and easily schedule visits and send notifications, take and share videos, navigate through assessment tools, embed teaching materials, connect with researchers, and enable deep analytics.

Invaluable input from mothers

One of the mums who worked with Letourneau and Duffett-Leger was Tracy Walters. With two young daughters, Walters had been through the in-person VID-KIDs program, and was keen to help new mums benefit from the app.

鈥淲hen you are going through postpartum depression, you feel like you are drowning, like you are under water and it鈥檚 just this internal battle,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 noticing that my baby kind of wanted me to play, to be interacting. I was just wondering am I doing anything right?鈥�

The VID KIDS training helped her make sense of her baby鈥檚 expressions, improving the connection she felt with her baby. It also broke things down into bite-sized pieces she could manage. 鈥淚t simplified everything, and broke it down, which is what you need when you are depressed. So I was like oh, okay, she鈥檚 looking at me, she鈥檚 engaged, I鈥檒l bring in a toy. That鈥檚 doable.鈥�

Being part of the app development process for Walters meant taking part in focus groups, offering suggestions for improvements and user-friendly design. 鈥淭hey were into everything that we were saying,鈥� Walters says. 鈥淎s a new mum you are isolated, and to have an app you can access, say, in the middle of the night when your baby happens to be up, with tools to help you, it will be really neat to see. It鈥檚 like a baby translator, it鈥檚 just the most amazing thing!鈥�

Parents interested in the VID-KIDS program can visit the for more information.

Peak Scholar recognition

For her work helping convert the VID-KIDS program to an app 鈥� and her contributions to a couple of other projects that went virtual with the advent of the pandemic 鈥� Duffett-Leger has been named a , recognition awarded this year specifically for COVID-19 innovation excellence, addressing the global need created by the pandemic.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where I would have gone if I didn鈥檛 already know Linda,鈥� says Letourneau. 鈥淚 honestly don鈥檛 know any other nurse scientists doing discipline-spanning work in user-engaged design, with the kind of partnerships and connections that Linda has. We are really lucky to have her here, and the pandemic certainly highlighted the value of that skill set.鈥�

鈥淭here is a silver lining to this pandemic,鈥� Duffett-Leger says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 terrible, but at the same time, it has opened up the opportunity for us now to scale this out to actually access more mums, particularly in those rural remote areas where they might not have had access to these in-home supports.鈥�