eHealth
eHealth is the use of information and communication technologies
to support, educate, inform and connect health care professionals
and the people they serve.
Health Canada's eHealth Solutions Unit (eHSU) works to develop
eHealth tools to support the use of health technology in Canada's
First Nations and Inuit communities to be connected, informed,
and ultimately healthier. Their overall aim is to enable front
line health care providers working in First Nations and Inuit communities
to improve people's health through innovative eHealth partnerships,
technologies, tools and services. eHealth is about providing
the right information to the right people at the right time.
The benefits of eHealth
As many First Nations and Inuit communities are in remote locations,
the development of innovative eHealth partnerships, tools, services
and technologies is integral to the overall improvement of First
Nations and Inuit health. Some examples of the many benefits that
can be realized by communities include:
- Enhanced access to the information needed to deliver health
services, improve client care and respond to emergencies;
- Increased professional development opportunities for remote
health professionals;
- Improved collaboration, teamwork and service delivery between
remote and non-remote health professionals;
- Innovative health care options;
- Improved access to a broad range of services through the use
of new technologies, processes and partnerships; and
- Increased job satisfaction among nurses and healthcare providers.
The eHealth toolbox
Please note: not all components of the eHealth toolbox
are available in all regions. Please contact
the regional office to identify availability.
Developing successful eHealth solutions requires combining knowledge
and technology in several key areas. These are the tools that make
up the eHealth toolbox.
- Connectivity - Enabling electronic communications infrastructure
through:
- High-speed and broadband tele-communications networks
- Fibre-optic cable;
- Wireless local area networks (WLANs); and
- Phone lines.
- TeleHealth - Providing
remote communities with access to clinical and non-clinical health
care professionals from a distance through the use of information
communications technologies.
- Health information systems - Applications to support
service delivery, reporting and program planning
- Health information for First Nations and Inuit community
members - Facilitating on-line access to health information
through:
- Internet portals;
- Web mail;
- Web sites; and
- Videoconferencing.
- Information for health providers - Supporting efforts
to ensure that health care providers have access to vital health
resources, including:
- Virtual health libraries;
- Diagnostic support;
- Prescription support; and
- Continuing education.
- Privacy protection and standards - Upholding the health
privacy of patients within all communications by:
- Applying Health Level Seven (HL7) standards for the exchange,
management and integration of data related to clinical patient
care; and
- Providing on-line privacy training.
Innovative eHealth solutions
The eHealth Solutions Unit has been a pioneer in developing innovative
eHealth solutions within Canada's First Nations and Inuit communities
and the world. The Alberta First Nations TeleHealth Program (AFNTP)
is an initiative aimed at redefining health care service delivery
for First Nations communities in the Alberta Region - an area that
includes roughly 700,000 hectares of reserve land on which some
58,000 people live on 123 reserves within 44 First Nations. The
following four success stories illustrate some of the ways in which
the eHealth Solutions Unit is changing the way health care is delivered
to First Nations and Inuit communities in Canada.
Learn more about eHealth
To learn more about how Health Canada supports eHealth solutions
in Canada for First Nations and Inuit communities, please contact
the eHealth Solutions Unit.
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