With Canada a decade in to our national e-health journey, Infoway’s Board decided that it was time to assess progress and decide where course adjustments might be indicated to optimize value for individual Canadians, clinicians, government, and administrators between now and 2018.
Over the last few months, our ear has been to the ground across the country, connecting with more than 500 people through interviews, focus groups, and stakeholder forums.
Last week, we checked in with thought leaders from across the country to see if we had correctly interpreted what we had heard and to seek their help in delivering on our shared goals for improving health care for all Canadians:
- We heard from international leaders about their experiences with innovation in health care.
- Participants explored what success looks like for individuals, clinicians, and the health system as a whole, as well as how health IT can help us get there.
- Delegates shared their insights and lessons learned about what could and should be done to transform the health system.
Why not join the conversation?
For context, click on the video (at left) and watch the closing plenary ”Seizing Opportunities“ panel from last week’s symposium. Participants included Don Drummond (Queens University), André Picard (Globe and Mail), and The Honourable Brad Wall (Premier of Saskatchewan). The panel was moderated by Brian Postl (University of Manitoba).
We’ve also posted presentations and videos of the “What Success Looks Like” and “International Experiences” panels from the symposium.
We look forward to your thoughts.
This is directed to Jennifer Zelmer. I am a nurse and do clinical program development for the Telemedicine service at Thunder Bay Regional HSC. Our program is one of the most vigorous in Ontario. This year we will support more than 8,000 clinical visits from one site, in addition to hundreds of admin events and more than a thousand education events. Our LHIN 14 supports a relatively small population over a huge land mass and many remote communities. A perfect setting for telemedicine. In the midst of our obvious success we have one huge failure. We have been unable to provide service to the most vulnerable, the most isolated and the highest risk. I am speaking of the > 20,000 persons living in the most remote First nations communities. The services we offer are substandard and episodic. The disconnect between Telemedicine and the Federal Nursing Stations is a huge issue and I would like someone to initiate a dialogue about this issue. The service networks do not want to have this discussion and for the most part will not acknowledge this failure.
If you are aware of anyone interested in pursuing this please redirect this inquiry. If this issue has already been flagged and there are plans for change also please let me know.
Thankyou
Hello Anne,
We are consulting with our colleagues here at Infoway who can provide appropriate contact information for you. We’ll back to you as soon as we can with that.
Dear Anne,
Thanks again for your comment and question about telehealth services for the First Nations members of your community. A few years ago, the Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) Northern Chiefs Council co-funded with Infoway some early-stage projects designed to explore the needs of 24 NAN First Nations communities in Northern Ontario. Our main contact at the KO Northern Chiefs Council for these projects has since moved on, but you may wish to connect with the e-Health Ontario Regional Office at the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada. Their contact information can be found here: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/contact/fniah-spnia/fnih-spni/esu-usc-eng.php
Indeed very valuable info as usual. We need to be more informed in order to improve our health and the health system. The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation says that each day, in Canada, 120 people die of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest!