From Silos to Synergy: Co-Designing a Youth-Centered, Cost-Effective Digital Health Model for Adolescent Mental Health in Canada

Abstract

Adolescence is a pivotal stage, yet Canadian youth face rising mental health challenges within fragmented health, education, and community systems. Current digital tools and records often fail to meet their needs, creating delays and inequities. This study introduces a pragmatic, digitally enabled model that improves coordination and equity by leveraging existing infrastructure. Using a human-centered, multi-method approach, stakeholders shaped the design through interviews, thematic analysis, and a House of Quality framework. The model unifies trusted youth resources into a single-entry point, enables secure school-clinic referrals, and enhances provincial portals via lightweight interoperability. A novel Early Detection Layer complements these functions by integrating micro-screeners, referral-signal extraction, and an orchestrated triage pathway, enabling earlier identification of emerging concerns. Regional pilots prioritize youth consent, privacy, and equitable access. This approach provides a scalable, context-sensitive blueprint for building connected, proactive, and sustainable adolescent mental health ecosystems in federated health systems worldwide.