Digital Health has never been more important to Canadians than it has been over the past year.
There is growing demand from Canadians to use technology to better manage their healthcare. Health Canada conducted a survey in 2020 with respondents across the country and found:
- 79% of the respondents wanted access to their personal health information, 77% wanted electronic prescription renewals, and 75% wanted booking appointments online
- More importantly, 86% of respondents felt that they were more informed about their health as a result of accessing their personal health information electronically and 80% felt they could better manage their health with the information
At PocketHealth, we know how important Digital Health tools can be in optimizing your healthcare. Here are a few ways that technology can help:
- Health and Wellness Wearables: There are numerous options in the wearable market that help keep track of various health metrics, from counting your steps and encouraging movement, to heart rate monitors, to sleep tracking devices. These can be useful in developing healthy habits and in monitoring certain important health indicators in high risk patients, like those with heart conditions.
- Telehealth Services: In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, telehealth and virtual care demand has increased, with 64% of Canadians reporting they had at least one virtual encounter with the health care system in the past 12 months. What is exciting about this trend is that patient satisfaction with virtual visits is incredibly high. Patients cited several benefits of telehealth, including avoiding exposure to communicable diseases, saving time and money, and getting more timely access to care.
- Access prescription related services: More and more Canadians are using digital methods to manage their prescriptions, from having physicians submit new prescriptions to pharmacies digitally, to electronic renewal requests. Much like Telehealth, the benefits can include ease of access, time and money saved, as well as exposure avoidance.
- Electronic Health Records: An Electronic Health Record, or an EHR, is a secure digital record of a patients’ holistic health information. When you create an EHR, you are able to store your important relevant medical records, such as past exams, lab reports, and any other important health documents, all in one place. This helps to paint a complete picture of your health. More importantly, it can help you and your team be more informed and involved in your health status. PocketHealth Connect’s Health Records feature allows you to store any and all of your health records alongside your imaging for a complete view of your medical information. You can also add up to 4 family members and all of their relevant documents into your account.
Whatever digital health tools you are using to improve your healthcare, PocketHealth is here to help make it easier to access and store your sensitive health information.
For more on digital health week, please visit Canada Health Infoway
