Telehealth network helps Manitoba standardize health data collection

The province of Manitoba is leveraging its telehealth network to standardize the way it collects, stores and shares health data, according to a consultant with Manitoba Health in Winnipeg. Antoinette Zloty says it only made sense to take advantage of the computer technology being used to deliver the telehealth service to better provide home care services in the various regions of the province."Telehealth has enabled us to use computer technology to exchange health information," she says, noting sharing health data across the vast distances between healthcare facilities can be problematic. Three years ago, the provincial health minister requested an upgrade to the home care data system, which was at the time based on manually inputting data and then transferring it to Manitoba Health. Zloty also notes that there were some questions raised by the Canadian Institute for Health Information regarding the methods of record keeping and sharing by the province. But upgrading to a new health records collection system wasn’t easy. Upgrading the way health records are gathered and stored was made somewhat tricky because the province is divided into 11 regional health authorities. The province had to standardize the way those 11 regional health authorities conducted their business. As well, regional health authorities had to move away from paper-and-pen data entry. Zloty explains that while the health data collection method has remained consistent over the years, gathering and sharing data was somewhat archaic. "Our method of collecting data and faxing it on between health regions was a very time-consuming process," she says. "It seemed we had to have a more efficient way of exchanging information."In 2005, the regional health authorities were asked to participate in a three-month pilot project to evaluate a new standardized system to document home care use. Five regional health authorities agreed to partake in the trial, and the project got underway in early 2006. The pilot project has been deemed a success because the remaining regional health authorities have committed to supporting the new standardized record keeping system. The system is essentially a spreadsheet used by all regional health authorities. The spreadsheet will not be a static tool, but will evolve over time with input from staff at the regional health authorities, according to Zloty. "The tables of information now make more sense since everyone is working from the same definitions and questions can be answered at the telehealth meetings," says Zloty.Not only has more effective data collection and standardization occurred with the use of telehealth, financial savings are produced because the use of videoconferencing avoids the need for employees in all the regions to travel across the province. Moreover, employees of the regional health authorities do not have to lose days on the job in order to travel for meetings. Zloty says the new format for collecting and storing information as well as the use of telehealth to exchange information will better identify present and future home care needs for the overall population, as well as for specific groups, such as aboriginal communities. The number of home care users has risen over the years, says Zloty, and this also contributed to the need for a better information gathering and sharing system. The reduction in the number of hospital beds, accelerated patient discharges and improved patient care in the home as a result of technological advancements have also given rise to the need for a more effective home care data system. The growing number of seniors in the province also demonstrates the significance that home care will play in the future. Zloty notes that the 65-and-over population was about 100,000 in 1978, but that figure grew to nearly 160,000 in 2004 and by 2011 will exceed 180,000. The telehealth network also serves to foster better communications among healthcare facility administrators and staff throughout the province. A videoconferencing system has been installed that will not only allow for more effective communications, but will also help reduce the financial strain on the healthcare system by reducing costs. Employees at the regional health authorities have given the videoconferencing solution a lukewarm reception, but Zloty notes this will change over time. "Over time, people will become more comfortable with the videoconferencing technology and addressing multiple regional sites where they don’t know the staff." Healthcare administrators who collect and analyze home care data now meet on a more regular basis via teleconferencing and work from a common spreadsheet that documents the use of home care services, explains Zloty. The use of videoconferencing provides face-to-face communication that can be more effective than using modes of communication such as email or the telephone, she adds."Before, the communication would have been via managers and not the actual staff who gather and analyze the data," Zloty tells Network Letter. "It is more meaningful if the core staff is present at these telehealth meetings. They see examples of what other regional health authorities have done and what the best practices are."

Telehealth network helps Manitoba standardize health data collection

News | March 5, 2007

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