My Health NS making big impact
When I met Richmond Campbell, his excitement for the online personal health information service was contagious.
He is spending less time going to see his family doctor in person, thanks to the new provincial initiative. My Health NS is the first of its kind in Canada.
My Health NS is an online service that not only connects patients with their family doctors and other health-care providers, but allows them to access routine test results. It could be lab tests, diagnostic imaging and specialist reports from the QEII Health Science Centre and other health-care facilities. Furthermore, it allows patients to create medical histories, ask questions and book appointments with their doctor through this secure service.
For Richmond, who has an auto-immune disorder that requires him to get monthly blood tests, the service means he can easily check his results online instead of a visit. Richmond said it best; it saves both himself and his family doctor time, and for the doctor, it’s time to see a needier patient. This is the 21st century and “I don’t want to spend an entire morning going to see my doctor for a routine test result,” says the busy 76-year-old retiree.
Family doctors, including those connected to the QEII, can set up the service so that test results are automatically released to a patient. This online service also has the ability to delay the results so that the primary care provider can have a chance to review the test results first and decide whether to see the patient to discuss them. I very much like the co-management of a chronic condition or health issue.
After a three-year pilot project involving 35 family doctors and 6,000 patients, including Richmond, the online service was launched in July and is now being moved across the province. Being the first in Canada, the federal health minister was part of the launch. Patients whose doctors are participating in MY Health NS, can now receive test results from the QEII, the IWK and other facilities in what was the old Capital Health when the pilot took place. The system will be expanded to other parts of the province by early 2017. The goal and hope is that every Nova Scotian who has a Smart phone, iPad or home computer will sign up to participate. By the end of March 2017, the plan is to have 365 family doctors and 75,000 patients using the service. Richmond says for the system to work well; you want everyone to take part. There is no fee for patients and they can create their own online health record on MY Heath NS. They can enter all their health information or that of their dependants, logging such things as blood sugar readings, blood pressure, weight, immunizations, allergies and medications. Once the record is created, patients view their information or add to it, on a web-enabled device.
A natural worry is about the security of using My Health NS, but it has met the same tests required for the banking industry. In the future, the service will also offer electronic referrals and know how long they must wait for an appointment. My Health NS is good news for all Nova Scotians, including those who feel they have to wait too long to see their family doctor. Family doctors who took part in the pilot were able to free several appointment slots for patients with immediate needs.
Richmond said the real power of MY Health NS came to light when he was travelling in Italy and had to visit an emergency department due to his condition and was able to provide the attending physician with his medical record on his Smart phone.
This is a leading practice in the country. You can get more information or set up your account by visiting MyHealthNS.ca