Research Topic/Theme: Basic Science
Health Areas: Diagnostic and screening, Patient engagement, Pregnancy/menopause

Identifying strategies that can be implemented to promote use of Question Prompt Lists: A multiple methods study in the context of preventing premature cardiovascular disease after hypertensive pregnancy

March 30, 2026

Background:
− Women who had hypertension during pregnancy (HDP) are at higher risk of heart disease
− Physical activity, healthy diet and medication can prevent heart disease in these women
− Many women who had HDP are not aware they are at risk of heart disease
− A question prompt list (QPL) is a list of questions that patients can discuss with health professionals
− Research shows that QPLs can improve knowledge about health and self-care, but no prior research has assessed how best to share a QPL about HDP
− Knowledge brokers (KBs) are health professionals that share information with patients to raise their awareness about how to seek care and optimize health, and could share a QPL about HDP

Study purpose:
To identify if and how knowledge brokers can support awareness and use of a QPL for HDP by affected women and healthcare professionals.

You can participate if you:
− Are a practicing Nurse Practitioner, Midwife, or Community Health Worker in Canada
− Interact with women experiencing or having experienced HDP

What you will be asked to do:
− Read and sign a consent form that we will send you
− Read the QPL for HDP that we provide prior to your scheduled interview
− Speak with us by telephone for about 20 minutes (we will audio-record your answers)
− We will ask if and how you broker knowledge as part of your professional role, and how you might broker (share) the QPL for HDP with women in your practice

What we will give you:
− When the study is done, we will send you a summary of the results

To express interest or ask questions
The research study is being conducted by Principle Investigator, Sara Sino, PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto with funding from her Supervisor, Dr. Anna R Gagliardi who is affiliated with the University Health Network and University of Toronto, and the Heart & Stroke Foundation. If you are interested in participating or wish to learn more about the study, please contact the Principal Investigator at 905-699-4001 or sara.sino@uhn.ca. If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant or have concerns about this study, please contact the University of Toronto Health Sciences REB (ethics.review@utoronto.ca, 416-946-3273).

Location
Online
Principal Investigator
Sara Sino
University of Toronto / Toronto General Hospital Research Institute
Compensation
No
Research Alignment
Recognize and understand that there are sex-specific, and sex-“more common” cardiovascular risk factors and manifestations of CVD.

Include multidisciplinary, collaborative didactic and clinical practice training specifically addressing sex and gender within core curricula at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and continuous medical education, for all healthcare providers.

Develop and implement CVD risk prediction tools that include sex, gender, race and ethnicity-specific components.

Develop a national health systems strategy for incorporating postpartum cardiovascular care into existing prevention care models

Continue advocacy campaigns to increase awareness of CVD in women, but ensure that they utilize inclusive and culturally-sensitive materials to reach marginalized individuals in vulnerable communities.

Require the inclusion of sex/gender AND racialization considerations in research protocol methodology, results analysis, and discussion, for all levels of research, including registries.

Develop Canadian CVD guidelines with sex- and gender-specific recommendations, whenever possible