At KidsAbility, we’re dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through innovative rehabilitation services. Lisa Peterson, a passionate member of our Behaviour Support Services (BSS) team, identified a critical opportunity to strengthen our data collection methods. As we navigate the evolving landscape of pediatric rehabilitation, the integration of technology has become essential to optimize service delivery and outcomes.
The Problem
Currently, our BSS program relies heavily on manual, paper-based systems for data collection. While our therapists and support staff are dedicated to providing the best possible care, this outdated approach poses significant challenges. The process is not only time-consuming but also resource-intensive, making it difficult for our instructor therapists and Registered Behavior Analysts (RBAs) to focus on direct client interactions. Manual data entry is very time consuming, and a paper-based system reduces accessibility, as evaluating the data requires having the physical documents in front of you. This inefficiency impacts everyone involved, from our instructor therapists to the families we serve. The lack of a streamlined system means that valuable therapeutic time is lost, as therapists are manually summarizing data collected on paper into progress notes and graphs. Recognizing this gap, Lisa took the initiative to explore a more effective solution.
The Solution
With Rocket’s support, Lisa initiated a project to transform the existing manual data collection methods into a user-friendly digital system. The goal was to find a solution that not only improved efficiency but also maintained the integrity of sensitive data, complying with all relevant privacy standards. The aim was also to increase convenience and accessibility, ensuring that data collection was intuitive and aligned with the methods instructor therapists were already familiar with, minimizing the time lost on training for a new system. KidsAbility partnered with a group of capstone students from the University of Waterloo to develop a prototype for the Application, using the current data collected electronically. Unfortunately, there were challenges with the user interface, preventing the application from being piloted. In hopes of solving this problem, partnerships were sought out, however the costs were overwhelming, which ultimately led to the project being halted.
Lessons Learned and the Path Forward
While the initial project did not move into full implementation, it provided us with valuable lessons and insights. We are committed to exploring new solutions for implementing digital data collection across our BSS teams. One exciting avenue includes a Microsoft PowerApp developed by Aisha Hussain, a member of our KidsAbility Rocket Innovation Team. We believe that by continuing to innovate and collaborate we can tackle real-world challenges and ultimately improve outcomes for the children and families we serve. At KidsAbility, we remain steadfast in our mission to embrace innovation, enhancing our services to provide the best possible support for those in our care. Stay tuned for more updates as we journey forward in transforming pediatric rehabilitation through technology!
