What do Patients want from eHealth?

February 15, 2012 - Efforts have been made in eHealth to increase patient engagement and to allow physicians better access to patients’ healthcare information. Accessible and secure electronic health recording is at the core of these efforts. There has been some success, although much has to be accomplished before patients’ needs are met.

According to recent surveys, here are a few things that patients want to see:

1. Accessing test results online
2. Online prescription renewal
3. Booking appointments online
4. Email access to family physicians for general questions

Among the developed countries, Canada is falling behind in this capacity. Whenever I speak with an information technologist, I ask one question, "Does anyone have their doctor’s email address?" As expected, almost no one responds "Yes."

Patients of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre can access test results online through ‘MyChart’, an eHealth service developed to "streamline the way health record information is delivered and exchanged." There are some places where one can get appointments online but these remain few and far between. And the archaic fax machine remains a necessity almost everywhere for renewing prescriptions. As patients, we can take the lead in expecting to access our medical records electronically and we should appreciate those institutions and doctors currently offering the service.

At a Canada Health Infoway conference last Friday I suggested that patients can become powerful allies in health information development. Advertising about the benefits of eHealth technology should be directed at patients who can then in turn push that expectation onto the system. Our patients need to motivate our doctors to work with this technology. Let’s see what comes of it.

Please join the dialogue by commenting below!