Embracing Digital Innovation
Technology is helping to transform health care across the country, and that means people have more tools available to them in managing their own health and communicating with health care providers. To help highlight the progress Canada has already made, we are sharing real stories from Canadians who have firsthand experience with digital health solutions such as e-mental health, remote patient monitoring, patient portals and more.
Access
John and Jane's Story: e-Mental Health Solution Supports Patients
Meet Ontario patients John and Jane who share their experience using an e-mental health solution called Big White Wall. The solution provides online support and resources that patients can use 24/7. Big White Wall is an Infoway-sponsored project conducted by the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN).
Heather's Story: Managing Gestational Diabetes Remotely
Meet Heather from Montreal, Quebec, who was part of an Infoway-funded telehomecare project that not only enabled her to take on a more active role in the management of her gestational diabetes, it allowed her to do so remotely, which meant fewer medical appointments.
Dr. Dylan Blacquiere’s Story: Making the Health Care System Accessible
As a stroke neurologist, digital health has allowed Dr. Dylan Blacquiere to offer the same kind of expertise to patients who live in remote communities as he could to those in his local hospital. Providing expertise to remote patients allows them to receive better care and experience better outcomes.
Dr. Leo Picard’s Story: Connecting with Patients Remotely
Dr. Leo Picard, a rheumatologist in Moncton, New Brunswick, implemented video consulting in his practice in order to provide timely care and follow-up consultations to his patients in remote areas.
Heather's Story: Accessing Care in a Remote Community
Watch how Heather and her son Nicky are connecting with specialized medical care hundreds of kilometres away through video conferencing.
Judith’s Story: Improving Treatment in Emergency Situations
Judith discusses how accessing her health information electronically helped saved her life when she needed emergency medical attention while travelling.
Kimberly’s Story: Reducing Medication Errors
As a community pharmacist, Kimberly uses digital health to obtain critical patient information. Learn how access to lab results prevented Kimberly from prescribing the wrong medication to a patient.
Sean’s Story: Providing Targeted Care
As an Alberta Health Services paramedic, Sean explains how digital health allows him to provide more targeted care. Learn how having access to MedicAlert Digital Health Records helped Sean give the best care possible to a 17-year-old having a seizure on public transit.
Convenience
Toni's Story: Digital Access to Health Information Saves Time
Meet Toni, a busy mom from Duncan, British Columbia, who accesses her family’s medical information securely online through the Closing the Circle of Care project, which provides patients with digital access to their health information, while honouring the Cowichan Tribes’ Indigenous teachings and approach to care.
Nathalie's Story: e-Consultation Tool Improves Access to Care
Digital health is improving access to care for many Canadians, including Nathalie Achim, from Gatineau, Quebec. In this video, Ms. Achim explains how a recent medical issue that required the input of a specialist was resolved quickly and she didn’t need to see the specialist at all.
Monique and Dr. Marie-Andrée Fortin’s Story
Her doctor’s ability to quickly access her information through her digital health record gives Monique confidence as a patient. For her doctor, it means there is no digging through paper files, increasing efficiency at their practice.
Managing chronic conditions
Nancy's Story: Keeping Patients at Home with Remote Patient Monitoring
Nancy is enrolled in a Community Paramedicine Program that provides digital health tools in the homes of patients so they can measure their vitals such as blood pressure, weight and oxygen levels. The information is sent to Emergency Medical Services in Middlesex-London, Ontario so paramedics can intervene before minor issues become more problematic.
Karla's Story: Patient Portals
As a nurse working with chronic disease patients, Karla explains how electronic portals are enabling patients to be a more active part of their care team.
Sara’s Story: Managing Type 1 Diabetes
Sara and her son Marcus use digital health to support managing Marcus’ Type 1 diabetes, giving their family peace of mind.
Efficiency
Cheryl's Story: Collaboration between Care Teams
Learn how Cheryl, a mother with a young daughter with special needs, makes her visits with health care providers more efficient through the use of electronic health records.
Dr. Alex Summers’s Story: Making Informed Decisions
As a resident at St. Michael's Hospital, Dr. Alex Summers uses electronic medical records in the emergency department, allowing him to more efficiently communicate with colleagues and keep track of patients’ care.
Dr. Kendall Ho's Story: Treatment in Emergency Situations
Hear Dr. Kendall Ho give an example of how secure, instant access to a patient's health information in an emergency provides a comprehensive patient picture that helps health care providers deliver treatment.
Dr. Tunji Fatoye's Story: Improving Patient Safety
Dr. Fatoye uses a secure electronic system that allows authorized health care providers to access the right patient information at the right time. Hear his story and how it's helping his patients.
