LHSC hires 90 people as it looks to eliminate paper records
The days of your doctor scratching notes on paper are numbered at LHSC.
The hospital has announced plans to hire nearly 100 people to fully digitize medical records.
The multi-year project will commence in the 2024.
Once implemented, the flow of information within LHSC and its 11 partner healthcare facilities, is expected to improve.
“It speeds up response time. It ensures there are no gaps in information at transitions of care,” said Andrew Mes, a digital health executive at LHSC.
In today’s healthcare system, Mes said gaps can occur because paper cannot travel as fast as electronic records.
“So as patients go from one care provider to another, that is an area of risk, where that information is either lost or wrongly transcribed, we reduce that risk by having everything in a digital format and within one system,” Mes explained.
Andrew Mes is a digital health executive at LHSC. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
He says a firewall will back up the new system.
However, Mes would not comment on the cost of the project, other than to say it is in the "multi-millions."
So far, 68 positions to support digitization have been posted, according to Kristin Stillert, the Director of Recruitment at LHSC.
“We’re looking for clinic expertise. Some will be technical to provide support analyst roles and business system analyst-type roles. We are also hiring for project manager roles to help with the different streams of the project.”
While the digitization project will be expensive and time-consuming, Mes argues it is worth it.
He says improved record-keeping is crucial, not only for patient care but also for education and research.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The Slovak prime minister is stable after 'miracles' in the hospital as suspect appears in court
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's condition was stable but serious Saturday as the man accused of trying to assassinate him faced his first court appearance.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Flash floods due to unusually heavy seasonal rains kill at least 68 people in Afghanistan
Flash floods from heavy seasonal rains have killed at least 68 people in Afghanistan, Taliban officials said Saturday, adding the death toll was based on preliminary reports.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Oilers focus on Saturday's game, try to ignore prospect of elimination from playoffs
They're on the verge of being eliminated, but there's only one thing the Edmonton Oilers can do, says their coach: Remain focused.
N.B. man takes talent to the air, hoping others catch his love for extreme pogo stick performing
Duncan Murray is one of only a handful of Canadians to be considered a professional extreme pogo athlete.