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Use of Electronic Medical Records Doubled over Six Years
TORONTO, Nov. 15, 2012, 2012 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) --
Canadians Say Clinicians Using Electronic Records More Likely to Know
their Health History
More Canadian physicians than ever are
embracing the move from paper to electronic medical records (EMR),
according to new surveys released today. More than half of Canada's
family physicians (56%) used EMRs in mid-2012, up from 23% in 2006
according to the Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care
Physicians in 11 countries.
"EMR implementation in Canada has found its momentum," said Richard
Alvarez, President and CEO, Canada Health Infoway. "Twice as many
doctors have access to an EMR compared to six years ago, and Canadians
are seeing the results. We need to sustain this growth."
Recent increases in EMR use include the results of investments made by
Canada Health Infoway in collaboration with provincial/territorial EMR
programs. Support from the federal government through the 2010 budget,
matched by provincial/territorial partners, has made it possible for
more than 11,000 clinicians in community-based practice to have access
to EMRs. This is in addition to the 25,000 health care providers in
ambulatory (outpatient) clinics who will have access to EMRs through
the program.
The Commonwealth Fund survey also shows that EMRs provide health care
providers with a more complete picture of their patient's health. For
example, 46 per cent of family physicians now say that they can access
their patients' lab test results and 42 per cent said that they could
easily generate a list of all medications used by a particular patient.
Better access to key data helps to explain results of a new Harris
Decima survey in which Canadian adults who said that their family
doctor or regular source of care recorded or looked up information
about their health electronically were more likely to believe that
their care provider always knew important information about their
medical history.
"More than half of Canada's family doctors have switched from paper to
digital," said John G. Abbott, CEO, Health Council of Canada. "Given
the range of benefits, from improved patient outcomes to valuable time
gained, it is essential that Canada's remaining doctors invest in
electronic medical record systems."
The findings are based on responses from 2,124 Canadian primary care
physicians along with physicians from 10 other countries who
participated in the 2012 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy
Survey. The survey was conducted between March 2012 and July 2012.
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 information and communications technology
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.
Backgrounder
Electronic Medical Records (EMR) progress in Canada
What is an EMR
An electronic medical record (EMR) is a computer-based medical record specific to one clinician's
(e.g. physician) practice or organization. It is the electronic record
clinicians maintain on their own patients, and which details
demographics, medical and drug history, and diagnostic information such
as laboratory results and findings from diagnostic imaging. It is often
integrated with other software that manages activities such as billing
and scheduling.
EMR Benefits
Health care professionals need timely access to the most up-to-date
information when making patient care decisions. However, traditionally
lab test results, X-rays, medication histories, and other pertinent
information have often been in many different locations resulting in
duplication, extra administration tasks, or relying on a patient's
memory - ultimately contributing to delays in clinical intervention and
treatment.
EMR systems are benefitting clinicians and their patients in many ways
including:
-- Efficiency: Less time chasing paper-based information such as
lab test results, clinical notes, freeing up more time for
patients
-- Enhanced patient safety: Improved provider capacity to respond
to emerging clinical issues and concerns (such as drug
recalls), quicker access to information can speed diagnoses and
treatment
-- Prevention: 73 per cent of Canadians want email or phone
reminders when preventive or follow-up care is required
according to a 2012 Harris Decima survey. EMRs can help
accomplish this more efficiently than paper records.
-- Improved patient experience: Quality of care and the patient
experience benefit when clinicians have ready access to the
health information they need to make informed care decisions
For examples of clinicians' experiences with EMRs, see this link.
Progress with EMR Investments
Infoway's EMR initiative is providing new tools to support clinicians at the
point of care, leveraging Electronic Health Record (EHR) investments by
making core clinical information such as lab results, medication
information, diagnostic images, or discharge summaries available.
Infoway and jurisdictional investments have accelerated EMR progress by adding
more than 11,000 EMRs for community-based clinicians as per the
breakdown below.*
______________________________
|Jurisdiction |EMR systems**|
|________________|_____________|
|British Columbia|2,000 |
|________________|_____________|
|Alberta |1,100 |
|________________|_____________|
|Saskatchewan |970 |
|________________|_____________|
|Manitoba |800 |
|________________|_____________|
|Ontario |5,900 |
|________________|_____________|
|Nova Scotia |470 |
|________________|_____________|
|Total |11,240 |
|________________|_____________|
* Other jurisdictions are also joining the program so the use of EMRs is
expected to continue to increase in the months ahead.
**The more than 11,000 EMRs for community-based clinicians shown above
are in addition to EMRs that are being made available to 25,000
clinical staff who work in out-patient clinics across Canada.
SOURCE: Canada Health Infoway
To view this news release in HTML formatting, please use the following URL: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2012/15/c8059.html
SOURCE: Canada Health Infoway
Dan Strasbourg Director, Media Relations Canada Health Infoway 416-595-3424
dstrasbourg@infoway-inforoute.ca
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