After years of requests from medical practitioners in Nova Scotia, Health Minister Michelle Thompson announced on Tuesday that the province is implementing a new centralized platform for medical information.
The new clinical information system will replace or connect more than 80 systems healthcare professionals use daily to record and view patient information. Many of these systems are outdated, slow, and information cannot be shared easily between them, frustrating healthcare professionals who, on average, log in to at least five systems to gain a full picture of a patient’s health information.
“For years, healthcare professionals have been frustrated because they don’t have access to the patient information they need, to provide faster and better care for their patients,” said Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness. “It’s a big investment, but once fully implemented it can save time, provide more and better emergency care, reduce wait times for surgeries, cut down on duplicate and costly testing, and make Nova Scotia a more attractive option for healthcare workers.”
Oracle Cerner has been contracted into a ten-year $365 million deal to design, implement and monitor the new system which will be known as One Person One Record. It is expected to take about two years before the new system begins rolling out at hospitals and mental health facilities.
When fully operational One Person One Record is expected to give over 26,000 medical practitioners immediate access to secure up-to-date patient information that can be used to inform medical decisions.
Comments