Program
BSc, Health Sciences
Supervisor
My thesis
After the pandemic, many non-urgent healthcare visits were shifted online, including aspects of prenatal care.
This project was a qualitative study that used semi structed interviews to understand the benefits and challenges of using telehealth services for pregnancy care in southern Ontario.
The interviews also allowed participants to share pieces of advice for individuals using telehealth, as well as methods to improve the delivery of telehealth care.
Why did you do this project?
After learning about Health Informatics in HLTH 230, I thought combining healthcare and technology would be so beneficial. I have also heard how upset or concerned people are with how prevalent technology has become and there is a general fear that technology will replace in person care.
The pandemic provided an opportunity to see what fields of health care can be shifted online and what should remain in person.
I thought it would be interesting to understand patient experiences of telehealth for a very specific form of health care.
What did you enjoy about it the most?
Since my thesis was qualitative, the most enjoyable aspect was definitely conducting interviews with the participants. The semi-structured nature of the interviews made it easier to have very natural conversations and I learned so much more about the prenatal healthcare system than I was ever anticipating.
How do you think it will help in the future?
Aside from technical skills such as conducting literature search/reviews and designing qualitative studies, and soft skills like time management, and communication, this project allowed me to build confidence in undertaking new research ventures. Last term while writing up the proposal I was constantly worried about not finding participants and what I would have to do instead, but I never wanted to change the design of my study.
I am glad I competed the project and I know I will be able to apply the confidence and determination into future ventures.
Learn more about me!
Get to know more about her by connecting with Hiba on LinkedIn!