Blog: Infoway Connects

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Laurie Poole, RN, BScN, MHSA

We often hear from providers, health care teams and organizations about the transformative effects telemedicine has had on our health care system, but nothing is as inspiring as patient stories. These stories touch our hearts and remind us why we do what we do.

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Cynthia Baker

Digital health technologies continue to transform the health system and the delivery of nursing care, making it essential for educators to ensure nursing students are exposed to digital health.

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Shelagh Maloney

If you’re looking for Canadians, apparently you have to look online: According to Statistics Canada, 83 per cent of households had access to the internet in 2012 and Ipsos Reid reports that nearly half of us have actively looked for health information online.

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Simon Hagens

A few months ago, Canada Health Infoway’s ImagineNation Data Impact Challenge put out a call to all authorized users of Canadian health data sets to determine if important health and health care questions, like duplication rates for tests and exams, or the impact of prompt discharge summaries on re-admission could be answered in a timely, privacy-sensitive manner.

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Shelagh Maloney

Earlier this year, we held a #HCSMCA tweet chat on our upcoming Digital Health Week to ask for input on what the focus of the week should be. And while there were lots of great ideas and discussions, one that stood out was that you wanted patients included.

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Shelagh Maloney

Between 9,000 and 24,000 people die each year from preventable adverse events in hospitals. This is a startling stat and one we should keep top of mind as we approach Canadian Patient Safety Week, from October 26 to 30.

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Dr. Rashaad Bhyat

It is 3:45pm, and I am running behind. Patients are gathering in the clinic waiting room, while I pull out my hair in frustration as I wait for a medical record department to fax a copy of a patient’s report that is not yet in my local EMR.

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Shelagh Maloney

With some vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles making a resurgence, quick and easy access to immunization records is more important than ever before. Digital health offers public health officials the ability to pull records quickly and provides parents the peace of mind of knowing their children’s records are easily accessible.

Posted August 11, 2015 by Anne Fazzalari

Technology impacts every aspect of our daily lives and academia is no exception. The tools of the trade for educators have changed today and now include everything from smart boards to social media to online chats between students and professors. Often, the term ‘next gen’ conjures up images of Star Trek or the next new shiny car/computer/phone model. In this instance, it’s a double entendre of the next group of clinicians who will be practicing in a technology-enabled environment like no other before, as well as the next ‘major upgrade’ of Infoway’s Clinicians in Training initiative.

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Finnie Flores

Being able to access health data from multiple sources at the point of care is one of the key drivers of the need for interoperability. Another equally important use of health data is to gain insights into the health system as a whole—often referred to as secondary use or health system use of data (HSU). In this case, point of care data is de-identified and aggregated to support improvements to the health system, including informing clinical program management, health system management, population and public health, and research.

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Valerie Leung

Are you or your organization considering a digital health implementation or optimization? Change is often driven by frontline clinicians and your voice can make all the difference. Learn how others have reaped the benefits of digital health while advancing professional practice…this is what the National LEADing Practices initiative is about.

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Maureen Charlebois and Jennifer Zelmer

It’s always wonderful to see a friend receive well-deserved recognition so we are delighted to celebrate Dr. Kathryn Hannah’s appointment as a Member (C.M.) of the Order of Canada on July 1, 2015. The honour was bestowed upon her for her efforts to advance the use of health care technology in Canada. It reflects Kathryn’s deep contributions to health informatics in Canada and elsewhere.

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Keren Taylor-Hughes

Successful change leaders need knowledge that covers many areas due to the wide range of changes they lead and the people they support. I have tried to compile a list of skills and knowledge areas a change leader should have, acknowledging not all change leaders can have all them all.

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Mark Nenadovic

Before I took on a new role as the Group Director for Infoway’s Certification Services program, Infoway had partnered with the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) to conduct a joint review of digital health certification services in Canada.

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Simon Hagens

We at Infoway, and a few of our partners, had some nagging questions about our healthcare system. Questions for which we needed answers, but didn’t have them: duplication rates for tests and exams, follow-up rates for abnormal tests, or the impact of prompt discharge summaries on re-admission. I would imagine many of you have unanswered questions, too.

Posted on June 15, 1015 by Cassie Frazer

The benefits of electronic patient appointment booking (“e-booking”) seem to be straightforward and easy to anticipate for patients. Compared to conventional appointment scheduling, e-booking is convenient, saves time and can result in improved patient and provider satisfaction. Generally speaking, once a practice has begun to use an e-booking solution, their patients and staff cannot imagine ever going back.

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Judith Morley

National Cancer Survivors Day is June 7. As a cancer survivor, I am marking this a special day by sharing my story of how digital health helped me throughout my cancer journey.

I had never heard of digital health when a routine colonoscopy led to a devastating cancer diagnosis in January 2008. By the time I was declared cancer-free seven years later, I was not only an avid user of digital health, I wouldn’t dream of giving it up.

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Shelagh Maloney

No one likes taking time from their busy lives to go to the doctor’s office. Imagine if that trip required hours of travel? Worse still, imagine making that trip while dealing with pain and mobility issues caused by arthritis — all for a simple follow-up. These are the issues many of Dr. Léo Picard’s patients have to deal with, and this is why he uses telehealth.

Posted on May 28, 2015; Authored by: Dr. Peter Rossos, CMIO & Gastroenterologist, UHN and Trevor Hodge, Executive Vice President, Canada Health Infoway

CMIO & Gastroenterologist, UHN

There is no doubt that we have made great strides in Canada on increasing adoption and use of digital health systems. Surveys are now showing that more than 250,000 Canadian healthcare professionals currently depend on access to electronic health information from outside their organizations to make treatment decisions. But we all know that to deliver the best possible care, we still need to increase the data and information flow among clinicians and organizations when and where it’s needed. And we are still a long way from being done.