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Research Area: Health & Information and Communication Technologies Research Group
Status:  Complete | Led By: Researcher-led

The Challenge

BeyondADHD is a New Brunswick-based telemedicine service now covered by Blue Cross and subscribed to by some college student plans in Atlantic Canada. In New Brunswick, some people with ADHD get an hour with a GP while others get minutes, a prescription, and the advice “if it works, you probably have it.” Beyond ADHD is changing this by standardizing the approach and providing consistency in care. Their digital platform allows doctors to do their jobs better and more efficiently, essentially doing more with less. Beyond ADHD also consults with companies on workplace accommodations to help their users excel at work.

Post-secondary students hold great potential for the community. Many undiagnosed youth with ADHD struggle through high school, then fall behind in post-secondary programs—potentially missing out on their best shot at a better future. Beyond ADHD aims to identify the 5 to 10 percent of students who could thrive with the right diagnosis to ensure they receive the supports and guidance they need as early as possible. Their services can then provide continuity of care for highly mobile youth and young adults travelling across the country for education and career opportunities.

To better support this underserved group, Beyond ADHD wanted to enhance their digital front door and user experience to ensure it meets the preferences of this demographic group and provides clear and actionable guidance.

The Solution

Dr. Kyle Brymer, NBCC’s Research Associate in Health, alongside Samridhi Pargal, a researcher from NBCC’s Information and Communication Technologies Research Group collaborated to identify areas for improvement in Beyond ADHD’s user experience. After conducting a comprehensive review, they designed a collaborative workflow between college students and Beyond ADHD to enhance student screening and ADHD assessment pathways. Their research identified gaps in current student support entry points with two proposed solutions: a new self-administered screening tool integrated via QR codes and a landing page that improves accessibility and student autonomy. The recommended workflow guides students through initial screening, college support staff consultation, and a pre-assessment process, with a clear pathway to a full ADHD assessment, when indicated. Additionally, the researchers examined privacy, consent, and funding considerations to ensure the model is student-centered, financially feasible, and able to be implemented within colleges’ existing support frameworks.

Project Funder

²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùreceived funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), which enabled Beyond ADHD to access research and innovation support from NBCC.

Partner