"It's a real opportunity for people to have a say in what they would find useful and valuable," eHealth Saskatchewan CEO Susan Antosh said in an interview Monday. "It will help us determine our priorities, how we move forward and how quickly. I really encourage them to participate and have their voices heard."
Eventually, every person in Saskatchewan will have an electronic health record - a private, lifetime record of medical information that will give authorized health care professionals immediate access to test results, past treatments and medication profiles.
EHealth Saskatchewan wants residents to visit a website to learn more about electronic health records and participate in a short survey to answer questions on what type of electronic services would be useful to them, the organization announced Monday.
"We are emerging into a world of huge possibilities in technology allowing people access and information to empower them to be an active partner and decision maker in care options with their health provider or in managing the care of a loved one," Antosh said in a statement
"This survey will help us determine what's important to Saskatchewan residents and if they even desire things like access to their own medical test results, for example."
In the survey, residents will be asked how they might like to have access to some health record information and questions will be raised such as whether they would like to able to see information about upcoming tests or potentially renew a prescription online, she said.
There is some infrastructure already in place, or under development, that will feed into the information for the electronic health records, Antosh said.
That includes a radiology information system and picture archiving communication system. The data system captures diagnostic images such as X-rays, CTs, ultrasounds, MRIs and mammography that can be accessed by clinicians from anywhere in the province.
The pharmacy information program includes information about prescriptions filled within Saskatchewan community pharmacies, and more recently, the Saskatchewan lab results repository was created to allow health care providers to view test results for patients.
Information collected through the surveys, combined with feedback being gathered through health sector workshops taking place during the summer, will help shape the future of electronic health records, according to eHealth Saskatchewan.
"I just encourage people to make their opinions known," said Antosh. "That will help us as we go forward to determine what is the best way to move forward and what are the things that are the most value to residents of Saskatchewan."
The survey will be available Aug. 1 on the eHealth Saskatchewan public engagement website at www.ehealthsk.ca and residents can participate until midnight on Sept. 7.
EHealth Saskatchewan is a Crown corporation responsible for planning and building a provincial electronic health record and supporting and maintaining electronic systems that make up the network.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Joe Couture
Quelle/Source: The StarPhoenix, 31.07.2012
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