Blog: Infoway Connects

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Katie Bryski

Have you ever wondered where a work day has gone? A few minutes troubleshooting here and there can add up with astonishing speed. In a busy clinic, those small diversions carry a heavy weight.

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Katie Bryski and Dr. Rashaad Bhyat

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, virtual care is filling a larger role in health care. Telephones, video chats and secure messaging allow clinics to keep their digital doors open while ensuring that clinicians and patients stay safe and maintain physical distancing. In our last blog post, we discussed some of the factors behind Canada’s rapid adoption of virtual care. In this follow-up, let’s dive a little deeper and see how a virtual care appointment might unfold.

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Katie Bryski and Dr. Rashaad Bhyat

It’s an uncertain and frightening time for health care. The COVID-19 virus has brought unprecedented new challenges for the health system; we are all in uncharted territory as we attempt to flatten the curve. But while it isn’t business as usual for health care right now, Canadians are finding that it is business as virtual.

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Tanya Achilles

In 2016, driven by Canada Health Infoway’s (Infoway’s) e-prescribing initiative, Infoway and Health Canada undertook a project to create the Canadian Clinical Drug Data Set, a national drug terminology. This was a first of its kind in Canada and created a product that was already available in many other countries. What was unique to the Canadian approach was that the work was led as a partnership between the national drug regulator and the national digital health agency. Leveraging Infoway and Health Canada’s expertise and engaging an advisory group of vendors, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, safety organizations and jurisdictional representatives, a clinically focused drug terminology was developed by transforming and enhancing existing Health Canada drug content.

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Jamie Bruce

The world has changed significantly over the past few weeks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Terms such as “physical distancing” have entered the lexicon, parents are taking on the challenge of homeschooling and Zoom video meetings have become a daily norm for many of us. For health care workers, it has meant very quickly finding a way to connect with patients virtually whenever possible for the sake of everyone’ safety — the doctor’s, the patient’s, and their families. I’m proud that Infoway is playing a role in making that happen through its Electronic Medical Record (EMR)-Virtual Care Investment Program.

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Dr. Rashaad Bhyat

In February, the Canadian Medical Association, working with the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, released their Virtual Care Task Force’s report entitled “Virtual Care Recommendations for Scaling Up Virtual Medical Services.” With the release of the report, I speculated that 2020 might be a watershed year for virtual care in Canada, particularly in my specialty of Family Medicine.

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Shelagh Maloney

The World Health Organization (WHO) established World Health Day in 1948 to raise awareness of the importance of health. On this World Health Day, that simple message – health is important – has never been more relevant.  

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Anil Patel

Health care organizations need the ability to share health information consistently and efficiently, and the current COVID-19 public health emergency illustrates why.

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Simon Hagens

In 2014 Infoway published “Understanding the Gap Between Desire for and Use of Consumer Health Solutions.” This analysis revealed that while eight in 10 Canadians wanted access to their personal health information, only four per cent had accessed it electronically.^[1]

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Michael Green

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Much of the world’s attention since we began the new decade has been focused on the identification and spread of the Coronavirus, now known as COVID-19. While the World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet declared it a global pandemic, the virus has been labeled a Public Health Emergency of International Concern since January and scientists from across the globe are tracking the virus and trying to predict what will happen next.

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Ian Lording

Communication is key for any team. This is especially true in health care, where siloed services and a fragmented system can make it difficult to provide efficient care. One solution is e-prescribing, which transmits information seamlessly between prescribers and pharmacists. Recently, I was fortunate to speak with pharmacist Peter Namis and family physician Dr. Mohamed Alarakhia about their experiences with PrescribeIT^®, Canada’s national, not-for-profit e-prescribing service.

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Katie Bryski

According to a recent study, nearly nine in 10 Canadians consult the internet for health information.^[1] Unfortunately, “Dr. Google” isn’t always a trustworthy source. False and misleading information can put people at risk, sometimes with far-reaching consequences.

Posted by Michael Green on February 4, 2020 

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Canadians want better access to health care and services and they are keen to go online, from their mobile phones or other devices, to view lab test results and other personal health information. They also want to use e-services that make health care more convenient, such as e-booking of appointments and virtual visits with their doctors. Canadians who have this kind of access feel more in control of their health and better able to manage their conditions.

Posted by Katie Bryski and Ellie Yu on January 27, 2020

How involved are you in making decisions and taking action to improve your health and wellness? How confident do you feel navigating the health system?

Posted by Tanya Achilles on January 20, 2020

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Both here in Canada and south of the border people are grappling with the cascading effects that opioids are having on individuals, health systems, social services and more. Families and governments alike are seeking accountability for the crisis in which we’re living and ways to move forward to address this crisis.

Posted by Dr. Jason Wasserman on January 8, 2020

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Have you ever received a pathology report from your doctor and wondered what everything meant? Did you go home and Google the medical terms? Were you frustrated that you couldn’t find what you were looking for, or that everything seemed to be intended for Americans? Now there’s an easier, safer, more reliable way to learn about your diagnosis, and the information is written by Canadians for Canadians.

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Krista Balenko

Telehomecare is enabling more Canadians to receive care at home, transforming the patient experience and helping to improve their quality of life by avoiding hospital stays and trips to the emergency department. It has also saved a significant amount of money for health systems across the country.

Posted on December 3, 2019 by Dr. Rashaad Bhyat

The past several decades have seen tremendous advances in medical care. As a society, we often celebrate these results and applaud how innovation has improved our health and our lives overall. But what is often overlooked are the unintended — and often unnoticed — consequences of these advancements.

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Seema Nayani 

This blog post builds upon a conversation with pharmacist Abhay Patel during our PrescribeIT^® panel webinar on March 28, 2019.