Nurses taking a leadership role in the adoption of communication and informations systems.
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lead story
Nursing and eHealth Moving Forward with a Passion!
Irmajean Bajnok
As this third edition of eHealth for Every Nurse goes to press we are in the midst of implementing the third year of the Nursing and eHealth Project, made possible through the generous support of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC).
This enables us to continue to advance nurses´ involvement in and support of eHealth adoption in health care.
Hear Directly from our eHealth Champions
Tanya Santo
The Nursing and eHealth project, funded by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, has sponsored the development of our eHealth Champion Program. The nurses involved in this role have been grateful for the knowledge gained in the eHealth Champion Workshops, the opportunity to contribute to eHealth in their own organizations and RNAO and the support from the eHealth Champion network.
Here are comments from our eHealth champions that help describe how they are championing eHealth in their work places.
Ontario Nurses Informatics Group (ONIG)
Heidi Chevrier
The Ontario Nursing Informatics Group (ONIG) held an Education Day at North York Central Hospital on Friday November 23rd, 2007 . With well over 60 nurses in attendance much enthusiasm was expressed about the high profile of informatics in health care and the increasing focus on informatics and quality care.
The education day was videoconferenced with 2 sites joining remotely and actively participating in the day.
Regional Cancer Program (RCP) of the Hopital de Sudbury Regional Hospital(HRSRH)
Tracey Parks
Like most other Cancer Centres in the province, the Regional Cancer Program (RCP) of the Hopital de Sudbury Regional Hospital (HRSRH), is facing the need to replace two of our software applications that will no longer be supported by Cancer Care Ontario as of spring 2009.
We have now received approval for our project plan from hospital administration, and the road up to this point has been long, but with relatively few bumps. As a person new to the world of informatics I have been on a steep learning curve over the last year.
eHealth for Nurses Course Curriculum
Richard Booth
Over the last four months, the Nursing and eHealth Course Curriculum, led by Richard Booth, RN and a member of ONIG, has been developed with stakeholder input from the eHealth Curriculum Advisory Committee and RNAO eHealth Champions. Now complete and available on line through the RNAO website.
The aim of this online learning course is to increase the level of knowledge, understanding and expertise of nurses in all sectors regardless of their roles in clinical, academia, management, policy or research.
eHealth Champion Network Teleconference
Tanya Santo
On December 12th, 2007 eHealth Champions had an opportunity to reconnect with other Champions at the eHealth Champion Network Teleconference.
With a total of 40 eHealth Champions on the call, eChampions (as they like to be called) were able to discuss successes and barriers to eHealth awareness, education and adoption; learn about strategies to promote awareness and adoption of eHealth in the workplace; and update their knowledge about eHealth and informatics in nursing and health care.
Raising the Bar: Common Assessment Tool Benefits Long–Term Care Residents
David Abbou
The quality of resident care in Ontario´s nursing homes is key for residents, their families, and the healthcare sector as a whole. The Long-Term Care Homes Common Assessment Project (LTCH CAP) is playing a prominent role in addressing these concerns.
The Project is a partnership with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ontario Long-Term Care Association and the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors, and has been facilitating and supporting the implementation of a standardized and automated common assessment tool known as the Resident Assessment Instrument Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS 2.0).
Hotel Dieu Hospital and Kingston General Hospital Assess Readiness for E Doc
Cindy Bolton
Hotel Dieu Hospital and Kingston General Hospital in Kingston Ontario have initiated a documentation readiness assessment in preparation for beginning electronic documentation.
Electronic Documentation is a strategic e Health initiative within the Joint HDH-KGH Information Management Strategy and is designed to identify opportunities to transition from paper charting to online documentation and to electronically communicate clinical information through the shared Clinical Desktop.
Key Messages
Upcoming Nursing eHealth
Champion Workshops:
Interested in becoming an eHealth Champion?
Find out where a Champion workshop is coming near you.
eHealth Nursing Survey Analysis and Findings
Tanya Santo
Ontario nurses had an opportunity to share their views about technology, information management, nursing and health care through the on–line Nursing and eHealth Survey which was open for two week in January 2007 and available for all Ontario RNs and RPNs and nursing students.
The on-line survey tool was designed to explore issues related to nursing´s views about and their degree of involvement in informatics in health care.
eHealth Advisory Chair Update
Lynn M. Nagle
It has been a busy and exciting fall in the world of health informatics and the initiation of many firsts in Canada. Just to share a few highlights with you – in September, the Canadian Nurses Association launched theCanadian – Health Outcomes for Better Information and Care (C-HOBIC) project.
This Infoway funded work, marks an extension of the Ontario HOBIC program into the provinces of Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island. This expansion of HOBIC represents the first nursing focused initiative that extends beyond a single provincial jurisdictional.
eHealth: A Student’s Perspective
Roger Owusu–Appiah
eHealth is clearly recognized as an important and integral part of a dynamic effective health care system. When Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed Roy Romanow on April 4, 2001, to head the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, the Commission's mandate was to recommend policies and measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of a universally accessible, high quality, publicly administered health care system for all Canadians.
A key recommendation of the report was to encourage the development of a national, personal, electronic health record system. Romanow saw the use of information technology to access health information to be of great importance for strong Canadians and a strong health care system for the future.