Within 30 minutes of discharge from the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), vital health information for patients headed to alternative care sites, such as a long-term care home, will be made available to staff.
This expedition of patient care instructions is the result of a first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art health information exchange system being implemented at the LHSC. Called the "Ontario eHub Health Information Exchange" the system allows different electronic health record systems to share information. This ends the longstanding practice of long-term care home workers needing to call the hospital for patient information after a patient has been discharged to a home.
"By enabling seamless coordination of care and information, patients and their loved ones will no longer be responsible for relaying their medical history to health care professionals as they transition to long-term care,” said Andrew Mes, the LHSC's digital health executive and corporate information officer. “We are using the latest technology to streamline the exchange of health information with our long-term care partners.”
Patient information that can be shared through the new eHub includes medication, health history, allergies and care plans. Currently there are 29 long-term care homes participating in the initial phase of the eHub system, with more slated to join later this year.
The LHSC is one of the first hospitals in the province to successfully implement the eHub system. Work is already underway to expand the system so in future hospitals will also be able to exchange patient information with one another.
