Our work plan

We will work with young people, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and community representatives across Canada to identify the most important research questions about language barriers in healthcare.

Our project has five phases. At each step, we will work together to gather ideas, review existing research, and decide which questions matter most. We will also offer language support throughout the process to help people take part in their preferred language.

Identify research questions

phase 1

We will launch a survey asking young people, caregivers, and healthcare professionals what questions about language barriers in healthcare need more research.

The survey will be available in English, French, and eight other commonly spoken languages in Canada. We will share it through our partner organizations to reach people across the country.

phase 2

Group and review questions

We will review survey responses and group similar ideas together. Our steering group will help turn these ideas into clear research questions while keeping the meaning of people's responses.

phase 3

Check existing research

We will review survey responses and group similar ideas together. Our steering group will help turn these ideas into clear research questions while keeping the meaning of people's responses.

Rank research questions

phase 4

We will launch a second survey asking participants to choose and rank the unanswered questions that matter most to them.

We will compare responses from people with lived experience and healthcare professionals, giving both groups equal weight. Our steering group will use the results to decide which questions move forward to the final phase

phase 5

Set the Top 10 research priorities

We will bring together young people, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and community representatives for an online workshop.

Together, participants will discuss and agree on the top 10 research questions that should be prioritized to improve healthcare for children, youth, and families who face language barriers.

Supporting Participation in Different Languages: Language should not prevent anyone from taking part. We will professionally translate surveys and workshop materials into nine languages. We will also use Interprefy, an AI-based interpretation service, to support communication during steering group meetings and the final workshop. Steering group materials, such as emails, agendas, and meeting notes, will be translated using AI and checked by professional translators. These tools will help participants share their experiences and ideas in their preferred language and take part in discussions throughout the project.