I believe that one
of the important keys to the advancement health care in Canada is
the adoption of a single electronic health care record for every
Canadian; a record that will be made available across all health
care sites and across all jurisdictions.
With universal access to a patient’s health care history, we will
be
able to ensure that health care providers are providing the appropriate
service, at the appropriate location, making best use of all available
information.
The most significant enabling strategy for the development of the
single electronic health record for every Canadian is the recognition
that the information technology systems must be standards based
and interoperable.
Regional, provincial and federal health care organizations are making
progress towards the day when they will have the ability to
access any patient’s health care history from any health care site
in any province or territory.
Implicit in our vision of this future is the assumption that: when
we
finally overcome issues of inter-jurisdictional regulations and
standards, Canada’s networking infrastructure will be ready to support
the required high-speed connectivity, both public and private, between
all health care institutions in Canada.
