About 12,000 patients at four clinics across the province will have access to their medical records through the YourHealthNS app in a new pilot project.
Patients will receive information from their clinic this week about how to log in to view their medical history. Participating clinics include the New Waterford Collaborative Practice, Westville Medical Clinic, Greenwood Family Health and Queens Family Health in Liverpool.
“We made it easier for Nova Scotians to navigate the healthcare system and now we’re taking it one step further by giving patients more access and control over their health information,” said Premier Tim Houston. “The addition of patient records makes it easy, convenient and faster for Nova Scotians to access their own information, all in one place, to better manage their own healthcare.”
The information patients will have access to includes:
- visits to their primary care provider, including the date, time and reason
- virtual care appointments, including the date, time and reason
- hospital and emergency department visits, including length of stay and discharge information
- their list of medications, along with the prescription name, dosage and how long they should take the medicine
- information on diagnostic imaging scans – magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) computed tomography (CT) and X-ray – limited to date, body part, referring physician and treatment method
- lab results, including blood, urine and general lab tests.
The diagnostic imaging information and lab results will be available seven days after the ordering provider receives them.
YourHealthNS is part of a larger digital health transformation at Nova Scotia Health that includes virtual care, the Care Coordination Centre, the Oncology Transformation Project, the One Person One Record clinical information system and using health data to better manage health outcomes for patients.
Quotes:
“As a physician, I believe that the preference and the ultimate goal for any family doctor is the well-being of our patients. Providing them the autonomy to view their health records and the opportunity to review this first-hand is always something I have stood for. This affords the patient the opportunity to be an active participant in their health, which I am in total support of, along with this initiative. It is a step in the right direction, and I am looking forward to how it will unfold. I am proud to be part of a collaborative team that is willing to champion this project, and I am certain it will yield great results.”
— Dr. Emmanuel Ajuwon, New Waterford Collaborative Practice
“I am excited to witness the ongoing transformative potential of the YourHealthNS app in empowering patients and enhancing the delivery of healthcare services. By enabling patients access to their health data, we are fostering a culture of collaboration, and patient-centered care, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for Nova Scotians.”
— Dr. Aaron Smith, Medical Executive Director, Northern Zone, Nova Scotia Health
Quick Facts:
- all historical health data records will be available to pilot participants
- people can choose whether they access the records
- YourHealthNS has been downloaded more than 175,000 times
Additional Resources:
News release – New Mobile App Provides Better Access to Care, Information: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2023/11/01/new-mobile-app-provides-better-access-care-information
-via Nova Scotia
