In 2010 and 2016, Women’s College Hospital (WCH) released “A Thousand Voices for Women’s Health” studies part 1 and 2. The studies gathered insights from diverse women from across Canada about their experiences of health, healthcare, and the health system. Based on the results, we used the information to develop our hospital’s strategic plan with a focus on areas of need based on your concerns and priorities.
As it has been seven years since the last study, we want to revisit these issues by focusing on the community voices of those experiencing inequities due to their sex, gender, race, ability, age and/or other social determinants of health. The results of this study will be used to uncover emerging needs, shape our strategy, and inform the development of new programs and services to ensure we continue to provide the best possible care. We will also be publishing the results of the study to describe the anonymous results of the survey.
You are welcome to complete this survey if you:
- identify as a woman, trans woman, trans man, or non-binary individual,
- AND you are 16 years of age or older,
- AND you live or go to school in Ontario (for example as a Canadian citizen, an international student with a student visa, here on a working visa, a permanent resident, an accepted refugee, someone seeking refugee status, or someone without official status).
The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete.
Taking part in the survey is voluntary. You have the option to not participate at all, not answer some of the questions or stop the survey at any time. If you would like your data to be deleted, please click “please delete my data” on whatever survey page you are currently on.
The survey has questions that are designed to help us understand how systemic inequities like sexism, gender discrimination, racism, ableism, and ageism impact people’s health and their experiences of accessing health care. We want to use the information gathered from the survey to address barriers to accessing healthcare services at Women's College Hospital and across the health system.
Yes, the survey is anonymous. The data from the survey will be stored in a protected database for up to 15 years. The only identifying information that will be collected during the survey is the email addresses of people who say that they are interested in participating in a focus group in part two of the study. Participation in the focus groups is optional and will happen later.
Please note that the database administrator is the only person who will have access to the full data set with emails (if you choose to provide your email). This person will share the anonymized data with the research team. They will share emails with the research team separately so that we can invite individuals to specific focus groups. When the focus groups are finished, participants' emails will be deleted from the database.
We do not foresee any significant risks to you taking part in the survey. Many of the survey questions include a “prefer not to answer” option and you are welcome to stop taking the survey at any point. While the questions in the survey intend to be respectful, we recognize that they may trigger negative emotions. Some of the questions ask participants to recount and reflect upon negative and difficult experiences when seeking healthcare. We encourage participants to visit our “Resources” tab for a list of support services if any of the questions trigger negative emotions.
By participating in this study, you may feel some satisfaction in knowing you have contributed to uncovering emerging needs, shaping our strategy, and informing the development of new programs and services to ensure we continue to provide the best possible care.
However, there are no direct benefits from participating in this study.
If you decide to participate in this study, the study researchers and study staff will only collect the information they need for this study. They will not be collecting any identifiable information apart from your email address if you indicate that you would be willing to participate in a future focus group at the end of the survey.
No. Participants will not be paid or compensated in any way for completing the survey.
Our aim is to share the results of the Community Voices Survey and focus groups in summer 2024.
No. There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
If you have any questions about taking part in this survey, please reach out to the project team at CommunityVoices@wchospital.ca
If you have questions about your rights as a research participant or concerns about ethical issues related to this research, you can talk to someone who is not involved in this study. That person is the Chair of the Research Ethics Board, who can be contacted at ethics@wchospital.ca. You can also leave a message at 416-351-3732 ext. 2325.
