Only 13% can reach all their records: study

OTTAWA – Canadians increasingly expect their health information to be available when and where they need it. Whether it’s a lab result, medication history or hospital discharge summary, timely access to health information helps patients take charge of their health and allows health providers to deliver safer, more coordinated care.

However, electronic access to a complete health record remains uncommon. Only 13% of Canadians reported having online access to all core components of their health records, and nearly one-third reported having no electronic access to any of their health information.

These challenges are familiar to Laurie Proulx, a CIHI patient partner who lives in Ottawa and has received care in several healthcare settings across Ontario over the years.

“Patients often don’t have a lot of power in the system, and unfortunately there isn’t much ‘closing the loop’ in healthcare interactions,” Laurie says. “I receive care in different hospitals that have no common data infrastructure, so I have separate logins for many portals and I piece together the picture myself.”

The latest CIHI report on electronic health information shows that Canada has made important progress in modernizing health information systems. But fragmented systems still prevent health information from moving easily between patients, providers, care settings and jurisdictions.

Many Canadians are accessing their health information electronically and using digital tools to manage their health. The CIHI report shows that:

• 69% of Canadians can access at least one type of health information electronically.
• Nearly 1 in 3 Canadians (32%) use digital tools, such as websites, apps and monitoring devices, to better understand and manage their health.
• Only 13% of Canadians reported having online access to all core components of their health records, and nearly one-third reported having no electronic access to any of their health information.

Health providers
Health providers are increasingly using digital systems, but information doesn’t always flow seamlessly between care settings. The report shows that:

• 58% of health providers believe digital health services are useful for patient care.
• While more than 90% of health providers had access to a digital health system, just over half (52%) electronically share patient information with providers outside their own practice.
• 1 in 6 providers (17%) report barriers that prevent them from routinely accessing electronic information from other care settings, often because systems aren’t integrated.

When providers lack access to complete patient information, it can contribute to delays, duplicated tests and additional administrative work. “Too often I’m logging into multiple systems and piecing together information myself. National standards are essential so information can follow the patient and allow me to focus on the patient in front of me,” said Dr. Chandi Chandrasena (pictured), chief medical officer, OntarioMD.

Building a more connected health system
Digitizing health information is only part of the solution. To fully realize the benefits of digital health, health information must also be collected, organized and shared consistently so different systems can communicate securely.

That’s the goal of CIHI’s Connected Care initiative. In collaboration with members of the public, clinical care providers, First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, governments and digital health partners, CIHI is establishing common national data standards and a unified data architecture so health information can move securely across providers, care settings and jurisdictions.

“Connected care not only prevents details from being misplaced but also gives patients a means to take more charge over our own health and care journey,” said Laurie Proulx.

For healthcare providers, who are increasingly facing burnout and administrative burden, connected care not only saves time by reducing duplicative work, it also makes patients safer. Having timely, consistent access to a patient’s health and medication history is essential to making the right patient care decisions.

Ensuring that health information is managed responsibly
Responsible safeguarding of health information is foundational to connected care and successful digital health initiatives. CIHI’s Health Data Stewardship Framework provides guidance for the ethical, secure and transparent collection, sharing and use of health data. Developed through extensive collaboration across Canada, it helps build the trust needed for connected care while respecting privacy, jurisdictional responsibilities and Indigenous data sovereignty.

Progress is already underway
Across Canada, provincial and territorial governments are making progress toward more connected digital health solutions:

• Prince Edward Island launched MyHealthPEI, giving residents secure online access to their personal health information.
• New Brunswick released a strategy to build a more modern, connected and patient-centred digital health system.
• Ontario’s Project AMPLIFI connects hospitals and long-term care homes so health information follows patients during transfers in care.

Together, such initiatives are helping move Canada toward a future where health information follows the patient. As more systems become connected, Canadians will spend less time repeating their health history and more time receiving coordinated, informed care.

By continuing to advance connected care and responsible data stewardship, we can build on the progress Canada has made in digital health to date and create a health system where information is available whenever and wherever it’s needed.

Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information