October 22, 2003
Online Health Record in Canada
Electronic health records have been recommended
as key to modernizing health systems by federal and provincial health panels including the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada. In Alberta the government unveiled an on-line database of patients' medical information yesterday in a move that it hopes will improve treatment and save lives. Using this online Electronic Health Record will allow physicians, pharmacists and hospitals to view and update medical information including patient's drug prescriptions and lab tests online,
"Health care providers now have access to important patient information when and where they need it," according to Alberta Health Minister Gary Mar. Under the plan, patients cannot refuse to have their medical records included on the computer system. While they can ask a doctor to "mask" some sensitive information, the doctor can refuse the patient's request. The plan is to have 5,200 health providers on the system by the spring and all hospitals and most doctors will be logging on by 2005.
Security on Alberta's computer record system will require users to punch in a unique identification number along with an electronic tag with constantly changing digital numbers. Once online, a user will be limited to certain streams of information. For example, a pharmacist would only be able to access a patient's drug prescriptions.