Information about how patient care will change as a result of CST.
-
How will CST change patient care?
-
Here are some highlights of what's changing:
- clinical practices will be more consistent across VCH, PHSA and PHC
- new policies will support the new clinical practices
- patient information will be accessed through a new, shared clinical information system
- nurses, allied health and emergency department physicians will chart electronically
- caregivers will have electronic tools and information to support clinical decisions
- orders (instructions from physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists, midwives and clinical pharmacists) will be placed electronically (a process known as computerized provider order entry, or CPOE)
- a fully electronic "closed loop medication management" process will be adopted
- some medical equipment and devices will change
-
Will we be paperless once the new system is implemented?
-
No, health care will be "paper-light", not paperless. Some clinical documentation will still be on paper, and paper documents will continue to arrive from outside VCH, PHSA and PHC.
Document imaging (scanning) will capture records that remain on paper after go-live. This will include all clinical documentation received in paper format and some non-clinical documentation, such as third party requests for information. Document imaging has clear benefits for patient care and will reduce the costs for storage and retrieval of records.
-
Will there be historical data in the new system? How far back will records go?
-
Within the new system, health care professionals will be able to view relevant, remediated historical records that are currently available electronically. Most of the records will remain available as "View Only" data, due to the risk of errors introduced by mapping data from one system to the other.
Historical paper charts will not be scanned and won't be viewable in the new system. However, any paper that remains in use after the launch of the new clinical information system, such as handwritten documentation and patient-completed records, will be scanned in to the system going forward.
-
When will health care workers outside of VCH, PHSA and PHC sites have access to the new clinical information system?
-
If a health care worker has privileges with VCH, PHSA or PHC, they will be able to access the shared clinical information system from anywhere, including off-site.
While health care workers without privileges at VCH, PHSA or PHC will not be able to access the new clinical information system, reports generated within the system will be distributed electronically through Excelleris. There are also "Read Only" versions of medical records that can be accessed by physicians through the Provincial eHealth Viewer (CareConnect).
-
Will all clinicians and clinical support staff have access to the system and will that access be restricted?
-
With a few specific exceptions, clinicians and clinical support staff will have access to all health information pertaining to a particular patient to whom they are providing care, including information that came from different facilities and programs.
Privacy and security
-
How can we be confident that CST Cerner, and therefore patient information, is secure?
- Having Cerner means we have the benefits of current technology, including adherence to privacy and security standards, as well as 24 x 7 x 365 vendor monitoring and support.
- Will patients be able to access their information?
- While the creation of a patient portal is not in scope for the CST project, the development of a shared patient record across Vancouver Coastal Health, the Provincial Health Services Authority and Providence Health Care increases the quality and consistency of patient information available. This provides the foundation needed for the development of a patient portal in the future.
Our patients currently have the option to access transcribed reports such as consults, discharge summaries and operative reports, as well as a limited number of outpatient lab reports through "MyCareConnect" (formerly My eHealth) an online portal powered by Excelleris. We are currently investigating opportunities to expand the reports available to our patients through Excelleris as a result of CST.
