opinion: a strong digital infrastructure is foundational in reforming our primary care system
a high-functioning health-care community requires tools that connect primary care teams to other silos in health care, such as hospital-based specialists and community retail pharmacists.
3 minute read
according to a recent study, improving our digital health infrastructure is a priority for canadians. getty
the events of the last few years put an undeniable spotlight on the gaps and challenges in our health-care system. while most of these issues predated the pandemic, the need for change feels increasingly urgent. the current state of primary care is front and centre, and for good reason — over 6.5 million canadians are currently without a regular primary care provider, and with an aging cohort of family physicians as well as difficulty attracting new graduates to the specialty, that number is only expected to rise.
a strong primary care system keeps people out of er
as the research of dr. barbara starfield has demonstrated, a high-performing primary care system is the backbone of a strong health-care system because it improves health outcomes and helps to alleviate pressures on other parts of the system. for example, easier and timely access to a primary care provider can often mean patients don’t end up in the emergency department for minor ailments, and are receiving preventative care, such as regular screening for serious diseases, which enables earlier intervention.
this month, the public policy forum released a report called primary care for everyone: an urgent to-do list for reform, developed by a group of highly esteemed medical experts, including former federal health minister dr. jane philpott. the report incorporates early findings from ourcare, a national initiative led by dr. tara kiran that surveyed more than 9,000 canadians on what they expect from primary care. as a family physician, while every point outlined in the report resonated, what really stood out to me was the emphasis on data and digital infrastructure.
dr. rashaad bhyat is a clinician leader on the engagement team at canada health infoway, and a family physician. supplied
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i like to think of health care as an ecosystem or a series of neighbourhoods. to build a high-functioning health-care community, it needs to be underpinned by a strong digital infrastructure — tools that connect the primary care team to other silos in health care, such as hospital-based specialists and community based retail pharmacists. at a minimum, this could mean wide-scale implementation of existing tools that already improve digital interoperability and communication within what the college of family physicians of canada calls the “patient’s medical neighbourhood.” tools like prescribeit, a national e-prescribing service, are already connecting prescribers to community retail pharmacies, enabling the electronic transmission of prescriptions, and streamlining communication through the integrated messaging tool.
priorities outlined in the report, such as the implementation of the “one patient, one chart” concept, building canada-wide primary care data capability, and even freeing up more time for patient care by cutting the administrative workload of clinicians, are themes that all connect the need for a strong primary care digital infrastructure and the need to improve interoperability of systems.
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the digital health landscape has evolved gradually in each of our provinces and territories, and there are currently many systems in use that are siloed and may not yet communicate efficiently with each other. many organizations are working on behalf of canadians towards the goal of modernizing the health-care system with standardized health data and digital tools. on this journey, we must prioritize connected care, in part by building and implementing interoperable tools that can work with, and improve the systems that are already in use. designed to work in the backend of pharmacy management software systems and physicians’ emr systems, prescribeit is one example of an interoperable, integrated digital health tool that connects clinicians, and provides patients with a more streamlined health care experience.
as evidenced by the results of the ourcare study — a pan-canadian project that is gathering public input on health-care reform — using interoperable solutions to improve our digital health infrastructure is a priority for ordinary canadians — not just health-care experts. by implementing existing tools like prescribeit that enable better interoperability between different providers within the patient’s medical neighbourhood, we can take small steps towards modernization. now is the time to move forward with intention.
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dr. rashaad bhyat serves as clinician leader on the engagement team at canada health infoway. he is a family physician with a passion for digital health and practices in an emr-enabled clinic in the greater toronto area.
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