Drummondville docs express doubts about Quebec EHR

DRUMMONDVILLE, QC – Fourteen internists from Drummondville sound the alarm regarding the Digital Health Record (DHR): they believe that the transition risks their ability to provide “safe care” and are asking that the postponement of the project be considered.

“The minimum conditions do not seem to us to be met in Drummondville to allow a safe deployment of the DHR. In its current state, the project raises serious concerns regarding the safety of the deployment, the continuity of care, and the actual capacity of the facility to meet the needs of the population,” wrote the 14 doctors in a letter obtained by Le Devoir.

Dated April 9, the letter was addressed to the CEO of the CIUSSS of Mauricie-and-Centre-du-Québec (CIUSSS MCQ), Natalie Petitclerc.

The DSN will first be rolled out in two regions: North of the Island of Montreal and Mauricie-and-Central Quebec. These two pilot projects were scheduled to launch in late November 2025, but Santé Québec announced it was pausing the rollout due to a cost overrun of approximately $100 million for the project.

Once the two pilot projects are up and running, the government agency will assess their success, and the system is expected to be expanded throughout Quebec.

Reached by Le Devoir, the CIUSSS responded that it was “at a decisive stage in the implementation of the Digital Health Record, which represents a demanding phase for the teams.”

“The concerns expressed regarding access to services and the smoothness of care pathways are legitimate and are taken seriously,” added Dr. Olivier Roy, medical and professional services director of the CIUSSS MCQ.

One of the signatories spoke with Le Devoir on Monday, after a day of training that gave him a headache. “I pray that it will be postponed, I feel like we’re heading toward a precipice,” said Dr. Daniel Viens.

In their letter, the 14 signatories — out of a total of 16 internists in Drummondville — write that it is “reasonable to anticipate a marked slowdown in consultations, examinations, interventions, and several clinical processes” due to the rollout of the SNCD, scheduled for May 9.

They fear that the delays will lead to “potential harm to patients,” who lack backup plans to obtain care.

In this regard, Dr. Roy responded on behalf of the CIUSSS that “the temporary reduction of certain activities is an essential measure to ensure a safe transition to the SNCD.” It aims, he says, “to limit risks for patients, to facilitate the handling of the digital file in a real context, and to avoid an overload that could hinder its optimal use.”

From a practical point of view, the authors of the letter point out that the emergency department, for example, only has a single computer screen. However, “the effective and safe use of the DSN would require at least two screens,” the doctors said. They asked the CIUSSS to reassess “the relevance of maintaining the current schedule.”

The minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, Gilles Bélanger, fears that the pilot project of the Digital Health Record (DHR) will not be ready by the scheduled launch on May 9th.

He is particularly concerned about issues of data sovereignty and the training of those who will use the DHR, he stated in a press scrum on Friday, on the sidelines of the Primary Health Care Congress (PLS) in Montreal.

Meanwhile, the vice-president of Information Technology at Santé Québec, Erika Bially (pictured), asserted that “the DHR will be delivered on May 9.” “We got approval from the steering committee. All the indicators are green or yellow, and everything that is yellow has an action plan, which will allow the project to be delivered on May 9.”