eHealth

The delivery of Health Care is information-intensive business.  

  • Health care providers need access to timely and accurate information to make the best decisions for patients, clients, and residents.
  • Administrators require sound evidence to make good decisions about how to do things better.
  • You want the best information available to ensure that you make the right choices for you and your family.

Western Health is using information technology to ensure that the right people have access to the right information at the right time and to overcome geographical challenges to improve the accessibility and timeliness of our services. Some key examples include: 

  • The development of secure and private electronic health record (EHR) containing a wide variety of information such as test results, medications, allergies, and hospital visit history.
  • A picture archiving and communications system (PACS) that allows the storage and transmission of diagnostic images such as x-rays and ultrasounds. This technology allows a patient’s image to be transmitted to a different hospital in seconds to be viewed by the appropriate specialist.
  • A telehealth network, whereby individuals and clinicians are brought together using remote video conferencing technology.

Many of these initiatives have been undertaken in partnership with the province’s other regional health authorities and the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health information. Western Health is committed to working with these partners, as well as health care providers and the general public to use e-health to support health care providers in maximizing the quality, safety, and timeliness of health care delivery. 
 
E-Health defined:

The application of Internet and other related technologies in the healthcare industry to improve the access, efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of clinical and business processes utilized by healthcare organizations, practitioners, patients, and consumers to improve the health status of patients.

As already published in HIMSS News,Volume 13 Number 7, p. 12. “HIMSS SIG develops proposed e-health definition”