Primary Healthcare Delivery

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Primary Healthcare Delivery First Nations Inuit
eHealth Ernie Dal Grande, National eHealth
Program Manager, First Nations and Inuit Health
Branch, Health Canada
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eHealth Defined United Nations WHO

• The use of information and communication
  technology in the health sector (digital data
  transmitted, stored and retrieved electronically
  for clinical, educational and administrative
  purposes, both at the local site and at a
  distance) (WHO HQ 2002 Mitchell 1999).

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Why eHealth?

• Better health care and health for all by
  improving citizen access to health care any where
  they live, while providing good quality health
  information to help individuals make informed
  decisions
• Improve the decision-making process by empowering
  health care professionals with the information
  required to plan and deliver health care service
• Improve health system administration and
  management with quality information (planning,
  monitoring, allocation of funds, evaluation)

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Some of the Main eHealth Components

• Health Information for the Public
• Electronic Health Record/Electronic Medical
  Record
• Telehealth/Telemedicine/Telecare
• Public Health Surveillance systems
• Drug Information Support
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Laboratory Systems
• Registries
• Privacy Protection
• Standards

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eHealth Summarized

• Telecommunications (increasing demand for more
  bandwidth, start with what you can afford and
  increase over time as utilization goes up)
• Point of Service Technologies (wide range of
  enabling tools, fully integrated to meet broad
  business needs)
• Technology Support/Expertise ( health
  professionals are busy enough without having to
  worry about IT)
• Health Service Delivery People ( need to see
  value to doing daily business electronically-must
  change mind set and business processes)
• Health Organization Partnerships (partnerships
  help with integration and data sharing- eHealth
  is breaking down traditional jurisdictional
  boundaries)
• Private Sector and NGO Involvement (this
  expertise is a vital part of transition and
  change management)
• Business Process/Protocols (forcing the health
  sector to improve efficiency and update ICT and
  data management policy, regulations, laws)

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eHealth Lesson Learned

• That e-Health deployment is a strategic business
  issue rather than a technology issue. Business
  needs and overall Health System costs drive
  e-Health deployment as the Enabler of Change
• Be prepared to deal with Political,
  Technological, Financial, Organizational and
  Human Challenges
• You must believe in the cause and stay with it.
  It will take time, effort and resources and it is
  a continuous learning process, with mistakes and
  corrections part of the journey
• e-Health encompasses two distinct but
  interdependent components Information Management
  and Information Technology

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Contact

• Ernie Dal Grande
• National eHealth Program Manager
• First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
• Health Canada
• Ottawa
• ernie_dal_grande_at_hc-sc.gc.ca
• 613-954-1736