Michael Green
President & CEO, Canada Health Infoway
You know your height, weight, and current medications. But do you know the results of your lab test?
For many of us, personal health information (PHI) remains siloed in clinicians’ electronic medical records. With access to it, you can make more informed decisions about your care. To be a full partner in your health care journey, it’s essential that your information is accessible to you, where and when you need it.
Studies by Canada Health Infoway have found that patients who have access to their PHI report feeling more confident about managing their care. Making health information accessible and supporting health literacy opens new possibilities for care delivery models — like remote patient monitoring programs — that fit your individual circumstances and enable you to be more involved in your health care.
Making health information accessible and supporting health literacy opens new possibilities for care delivery models.
Emphasizing interoperability
Data must be able to flow freely between different systems and devices. This is interoperability, and it’s essential for the same reasons that municipal water lines must connect to the pipes in your home. Access is restricted when systems are incompatible.
Consider patient portals. In some cases, you might have to access multiple portals spread across different systems. In others, there may be no options at all. Interoperable data enables health systems to integrate with your device of choice — your phone, your computer, or whatever you choose — making it easier for you to access your PHI on your terms.
Collaborative solutions
We can accomplish this work through collaboration. By bringing patients together with providers and experts from governments and industry, we can create solutions to make data access and sharing easier. Co-creation and co-design ensure that you can be a true partner in your care, right from the start.
Ultimately, these partnerships help build bridges within the health care system, rather than walls. With the right data, you can make the health care decisions that are right for you.
