In Canada, Island Health has announced the go-live of its new electronic patient record with hopes of enhancing patient experience “through improvements to the quality, safety, and consistency of patient care”.
Hospitals within the Island Health healthcare authority are expecting benefits including real-time information on patients for care teams, less time “repeating information” between locations and departments, and “a safer medication management process”.
In patient information materials made available through the Island Health website, the provider warns patients about upcoming changes that the transition may bring, such as care teams spending “more time on devices”, the appearance of extra support staff, and a new check-in process for appointments.
For physicians, information will be available through the new system wherever they are in the hospital’s network, and whilst family physicians won’t use the system, they will be provided with “timely access to consult reports, discharge summaries, medical imaging, and cardiology reports through another system”.
Island Health also shared that barcodes will now be in use alongside the electronic system, to help track patient care across clinics and hospital sites.
The website warns of potential delays whilst staff “get used to the new system”, but reassures patients that privacy and security remains a high priority, and that the Cerner electronic health record offers “built-in privacy and security features that meet the highest standards”.
To learn more about the new electronic health record at Island Health, please click here.
In other news from the country, the Government of Canada has signed a bilateral agreement to invest $256 million in improving healthcare access and services in Newfoundland and Labrador, in support of the province’s three-year action plan.
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