27
Volume2 Issue6
|
I
ssues and
P
eople
Areyouusingdigital
health inyourpractice?
If youusedigitalhealth
inyourpractice,wewant
tohear fromyou. What
difference is itmaking?
What sortofdigital
solutionswouldhelpyou
deliverbetter care toyour
patients?
Email your comments
to:
What isdigital health?
Digital health refers to theuse
of information technology/
electroniccommunication
tools, services andprocesses
todeliver healthcare services
or facilitatebetter health.
Canada’sdigital health initiative
includes creatinganetworkof
systems to securelyconnect
and sharehealth information
withauthorizedcareproviders.
(Definition: CanadaHealth
Infoway [condensed])
What isCanadaHealth Infoway?
CanadaHealth Infoway (Infoway) is anot-for profit organization that helps improve the
healthof Canadians through theuseof innovativedigital health solutions. Infowaypartners
withprovinces and territories, aswell asother organizations suchas theCanadianDental
Association, to support digital healthprojects throughoutCanada.
Whatare itsmainpriorities?
(1)
Bringingcarecloser tohome
, through remote
monitoringandother technologies that connect patients
with their healthcare team, (2)
Supporting individuals
inaccessingcare
through things likeonlinebooking,
e-visits, onlineprescription renewals and refills, andhaving
access topersonal health information like lab test results,
(3)
Supportingnewmodelsof care
inaway that allows
for effectivedeliveryof servicesbya teamof collaborating
healthcareproviders, (4)
Improvingpatient safety
,with
a focusonmedication safety, and (5)
Enablingahigh
performing system
byensuring that policyandcare
decisions arebasedon thebest possible information.
Doyousee theelectronichealth record (EHR) asadaily
tool in thedental officeof the future?
Anelectronichealth record is a shared lifetime recordof
information relevant to thepatient,whichcanbe really
helpful for dentists andpotentiallyotherswithwhom theywork. For example, it’s important
tounderstandwhat othermedications apatient ison soyou know that something
you’re thinkingabout prescribing is safe. Also, if you identifynewallergiesor other health
conditions, it’s important that othermembersof thehealth teamwhoneed to know such
informationareawareof that aswell. There’s a lot of communication that needs tohappen
for thebenefit of patients in thecircleof care.
Whatare the implicationsofEHRs fordentistry?
I thinkmanydentists arealreadyusing technology to improve their
practiceand thecare theyprovide topatients, but I think theyare
also interested inhow theirworkfitswithothermembersof thecare
team. Howdo theyget the information theyneed toprovide the
best qualitycare to their patients?
Muchof yourwork todatehas beengettingproviders in thepublicly funded system
usingEHRs.Doyou thinkdentistswillbecome fully integrated inusingEHRs?
This isastep-wiseprocessand it’sworkingatdifferentpaces indifferent jurisdictions. But there
is potential andwe see it alreadywith thework thatwe’vedonewithCDAon e-Referral and
with theUniversityofSaskatchewan,whereour Interprofessional FacultyAwardwaspresented
to facultymembers indentistry, nursing, andmedicine for theirwork in supportingcare in re-
mote communities (seep. 28). It’s really about joiningup those variousparts of the care team
for thebenefit of thepatient.
a
JenniferZelmer
BSc,MA,PhD
Dr. Zelmer is
executive vice-
president ofCanada
Health Infoway and
editor-in-chief of
HealthcarePolicy
.
Watchan interview
withDr. Zelmer at
