New technology aimed at improving patient care

Shorter wait times, better care and giving health professionals more time with patients are some of the ways One Person One Record can help improve health care in Nova Scotia.

"One Person One Record is a solution that is needed to change how our health-care system communicates patient information between health professionals and services," said Amanda Tinning, nurse practitioner for the Home Transitional Heart Failure Clinic, in a recent news release.

The new clinical information system will replace or connect more than 80 systems health-care professionals use daily to record and view patient information. Many of these systems are outdated, slow and information cannot be shared easily between them, frustrating health-care professionals who, on average, log in to at least five systems to gain a full picture of a patient's health information.

One Person One Record will allow health-care professionals at any Nova Scotia Health or IWK Health facility to access a patient’s complete, up-to-date information at any time.

“It’s a big investment, but once fully implemented it can save time, provide more and better emergency care, reduce wait times for surgeries, cut down on duplicate and costly testing, and make Nova Scotia a more attractive option for healthcare workers,” said Michelle Thompson, minister of Health and Wellness, in the release.

The province has entered a 10-year agreement with Oracle Cerner, a global leader in integrated health information technology, to design, build and maintain One Person One Record. It will start rolling out at hospitals and mental health and addiction facilities in two years.