Program to improve Canadians’ digital health experience

TORONTO – Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) is pleased to announce the Digital Health Learning Program, a set of materials designed to improve Canadians’ digital health knowledge and healthcare experience.

According to recent research, 84 per cent of Canadians said they would use technology to help manage their health, and eight in 10 Canadians who used health technology in the past year said they were better able to manage their health.

Despite their appetite for digital health, only 54 per cent of Canadians know what health resources are available to them and only 51 per cent know how to tell high quality from low quality resources.

The Digital Health Learning Program aims to bridge this knowledge gap. The program will initially offer materials covering topics in Virtual Care, Health Data Access, Security and Privacy, and Proactive Health Management, and will be available in multiple languages in order to be accessible to as many communities as possible.

These learning areas were identified as priority focus areas through a rigorous environmental analysis and consultations with healthcare and community organizations as well as patients, families, and caregivers. The program aims to improve the digital health learning of the Canadian population by increasing awareness and knowledge of the appropriate use and availability of virtual care services. Improved digital health learning will enable individuals to better manage their health and increase their comfort with digital healthcare solutions.

“The pandemic has accelerated our digital health progress significantly and demonstrated to Canadians just how important and helpful digital health can be,” said Michael Green (pictured), president and CEO of Infoway. “Most Canadians want to integrate digital health tools into their healthcare experience and the Digital Health Learning Program, which reflects the needs of our many and diverse partners, will help them optimize their experience.”

Infoway has also partnered with Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) to launch a complementary initiative – the Clinician Change Management project – which aims to provide practitioners and their support staff with training and tools to adopt and deliver safe, high-quality virtual care.

Learn more about the Digital Health Learning Program and explore the materials and resources at www.infoway-inforoute.ca/en/patients-families-caregivers/digital-health-learning-program.

About Canada Health Infoway
At Canada Health Infoway we believe a more connected and collaborative system is a healthier system, and we work with governments, healthcare organizations, clinicians and patients to make healthcare more digital. We’re working to ensure that everyone is able to access their personal health information, book appointments, get prescriptions, view lab test results and access other health services, online. We’re working with our partners to transform the health system because we know that digital in health can be as transformative as digital has been in other aspects of our lives. We’re an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government. Visit us online at www.infoway-inforoute.ca.