Home-care IT

CHCA urges governments to focus on IT in home care

OTTAWA – A study of the potential use of information communication technology in home care, conducted by the Canadian Home Care Association (CHCA,) contains nine recommendations that arose from the cross-Canada consultations and discussions involving hundreds of home care leaders.

The over-riding message is that there needs to be a focus on information technology to the community where Canadians experience the majority of their healthcare.

The final report, titled Integration through Information Communication Technology for Home Care in Canada , found that governments increasingly recognize the role of home care in relieving pressure on hospital beds and emergency rooms.

However, the report findings identified that there has not been a shift in strategic thinking and funding decisions related to technology to adequately support this vital sector of health care. “The lack of a strategic approach is evidenced by the disjointed funding and implementation of information communication technology in the home care sector,” said Nadine Henningsen (pictured), Executive Director of the CHCA.

Technology helps to improve the care at the point of delivery and the quality of life for those requiring home care. For the home care provider, ICT improves the ability to see more patients, decrease paperwork and access the right information at the right time enabling collaboration with other providers. Effective application of ICT ensures that the system is appropriately and efficiently used and improves the ability to measure, assess and manage health care.

“Home care is at a critical crossroad - demand is growing, and resources remain scarce. It is essential that we equip our dedicated clinicians with the tools they need to deliver home care in a more efficient manner,” said Richard Alvarez, President and CEO of Canada Health Infoway. Infoway was a sponsor of the study.

The full report can be accessed through the Canadian Home Care Association and Canada Health Infoway. (See http://www.infoway-inforoute.ca/en/News-Events/InTheNews_long.aspx?UID=319)

About the Canadian Home Care Association
The Canadian Home Care Association (CHCA) is a not-for-profit membership association dedicated to ensuring the availability of accessible, responsive home care and community supports to enable people to stay in their homes with safety, dignity and quality of life. Members of the Association include organizations and individuals from publicly funded home care programs, not-for-profit and proprietary service agencies, consumers, researchers, educators and others with an interest in home care. Through the support of the Association members who share a commitment to excellence, knowledge transfer and continuous improvement, CHCA serves as the national voice of home care and the access point for information and knowledge for home care across Canada.

About Canada Health Infoway
Canada Health Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the Federal government. Infoway jointly invests with every province and territory to accelerate the development and adoption of electronic health record projects in Canada. Fully respecting patient confidentiality, these secure systems will provide clinicians and patients with the information they need to better support safe care decisions and manage their own health. Accessing this vital information quickly will help foster a more modern and sustainable health care system for all Canadians.