- © 2004 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
Alberta is going ahead with its plan to place confidential patient information online for use by health care professionals, despite concerns about security and allegations of a hidden agenda.
Beginning in April, Albertans' demographic information, drug and allergy histories, and lab results will be posted online at the Alberta Electronic Health Record. Diagnostic imaging results, online prescriptions and referrals will be added later.
Emergency departments and a third of physicians should be on board by spring, with health centres and the remaining physicians logged on by 2005. The province says putting this information at the fingertips of doctors, nurses and pharmacists will speed up treatment and reduce errors.
But many opposition politicians allege the online record system provides information that could be used to further privatize health care. NDP leader Raj Pannu predicts that Ralph Klein's Conservative government will eventually use the record of health system use in the database to bill people on a per-use basis.
But Alberta Health and Wellness dismisses this allegation. “It was never contemplated,” says Todd Herron, an assistant deputy minister. “This is about getting the right types of surgery sooner. It's about doing business better.”
Other opposition MPPs cite potential security risks of posting private information. (Although doctors can opt out of participating in the system, individual patients cannot.) But Herron says security was “front and centre” in all discussions. Health professionals can only access the Electronic Health Record by entering their user ID, PIN and another number that appears on their personal authenticator (an electronic device that looks like a key fob). The number on the authenticator is digitally synchronized with the central computer and changes every 60 seconds.
The health professionals' credentials will determine what information he or she can access: a pharmacist has less access than a nurse, a nurse less than a doctor. The system also tracks all accessed records, making electronic audits quick and efficient.
Begun in 1997, the $59-million database, which will contain information for 3 million patients, is unique in Canada and is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.
“We welcome it,” says Alberta Medical Association (AMA) spokesperson Shannon Rupnarain. “It's going to provide valuable pieces of information for physicians to provide better care. And it may help speed up the ability to treat patients.”
In December, AMA members voted overwhelmingly in support (85%) of expanding computerized information technology. — Bradford Mackay, CMAJ