When a patient is tested at a clinic, hospital or other facility, laboratory information systems enable technicians to enter results into a database that is accessible to authorized users. This allows clinicians to quickly access results and reports, leading to faster diagnosis and treatment. These systems also improve efficiencies and help lower costs by reducing duplicate and unnecessary tests. Laboratory test results are increasingly being linked to individuals' electronic health records, which provides clinicians with additional resources for diagnosing and treating patients.
Infoway's goal is to have all Canadians' laboratory test results stored in jurisdictional lab information repositories and available to authorized clinicians. As of June 30, 2017, this had been achieved for 97 per cent of Canadians.