Realizing true digital enablement of healthcare in Canada

Digital Health is a game-changer. It is transforming the way Canadians access healthcare and is critical for patient engagement and empowering people in their own care. As consumers, we are increasingly seeing direct access to our health history, remote connections to care givers, and online access to book our own appointments. Advancements like these are bringing significant benefits to patients through more transparent and timely access to their health information. Further, studies show activated patients – those who are engaged in their own care – have improved outcomes, while also driving down total cost of care1.

Digital Health is also transforming the way clinicians deliver care by coalescing patient health data in a more meaningful way. Healthcare providers are empowered through more informed decision-making and easier access to patient information at the time it is needed. This results in better access to data at the point of care. As a Registered Nurse who has worked at the point of care, I know that care is impacted by the quality of data that is available at the point of care – data can be life-measuring and lifesaving when it is accessible as opposed to collecting dust in a health records filing cabinet; Data is not just for measuring, it needs to be made useful in order to drive positive patient outcomes. 

However, this digital health transformation is not happening quickly enough. While there are services available that help Canadians become activated and take control of their personal healthcare journey – e.g., renew their own prescriptions, view their own health records, and book their own medical appointments online – these services are disjointed, sporadic and siloed. Canadians want better access to all of their health information, not just bits and pieces – and not tomorrow, but today.

In British Columbia and Ontario, patients now have direct access to their lab results, and Alberta has recently launched MyHealth Records, which allows everyone in Alberta to sign up for electronic access to their personal health records. Initiatives like these let us imagine a future where all Canadians have access to their health information anywhere, any time, and through any device. And while discussions around patient data are important, a recent KPMG survey found Canadians are amongst the most trusting the healthcare industry with their personal data2.

The convergence of digital technologies, policy and clinical expertise can lead to true patient empowerment through digital enablement, and it is what my entire career has been devoted to.

By being elected to the Board of Digital Health Canada, I will help members learn the real “how-to’s” of clinical transformation based on my lived experience, I will support their continued professional development, and expose them to global leading practices through my network.

What is your vision for digital health in Canada?

1 Hibbard J.H. et al., ‘Patients with lower activation associated with higher costs: Delivery system should know their patients’ “scores”,’ Health Affairs, 32, pp. 216-22(2013).

2 KPMG in Canada, Me, My Canadian Life, My wallet (2019)