Project 459500

The purpose of this project is to build the infrastructure to support foundational and ongoing research on a new m-health platform designed to promote peer support and reduce post-traumatic stress injury among Canadian public safety personnel. The OnCall and OnCallSupport apps were co-designed with over 75 public safety personnel and include self-screening tools, tips to cope, in-app feedback surveys, and an opportunity to connect by phone or text with a peer support provider of their choice. The first part of this proposal focuses on building a Research and Coordination Hub, including a national advisory team and the foundational technical, implementation and research infrastructure to support ongoing research. The second part of the proposal involves two projects; one to co-design enhancements to the OnCallSupport app for peer support providers, and the other which will track patterns of peer support utilization among employees across 8-10 diverse public safety organizations. Project outcomes will include implementation guides for organizational leaders, peer support providers and m-health researchers, as well as evidence-based recommendations for optimizing implementation of this technology-mediated approach to peer support.