Report: Canada trails other countries in health IT adoption
Non-profit research organization Conference Board of Canada reported that fewer than one in four Canadian primary care physicians use electronic health records (EHR).
The Ottawa, Ontario-based organization compared Canada’s health IT competence to 12 other countries, and discovered that Canada reported the lowest EHR use and the lowest capability to access the records outside of physician offices. The country also ranked low in regards to its ability to share records with other health practitioners, and just 65 percent of physicians said they use the Internet.
"As it comes to electronic medical records found in doctors' offices, we are clearly at the bottom of the heap or pretty close to the bottom of the heap," said Richard Alvarez, president and CEO of Canada Health Infoway, a government-funded organization tasked to develop and implement EHR projects.
The Ottawa, Ontario-based organization compared Canada’s health IT competence to 12 other countries, and discovered that Canada reported the lowest EHR use and the lowest capability to access the records outside of physician offices. The country also ranked low in regards to its ability to share records with other health practitioners, and just 65 percent of physicians said they use the Internet.
"As it comes to electronic medical records found in doctors' offices, we are clearly at the bottom of the heap or pretty close to the bottom of the heap," said Richard Alvarez, president and CEO of Canada Health Infoway, a government-funded organization tasked to develop and implement EHR projects.