Canadians Are Enthusiastically Embracing Digital Health Services; Opportunities Exist to Extend Availability of Services

TORONTO, March 2, 2023 /CNW/ - According to a recent survey conducted for Canada Health Infoway (Infoway), Canadians are embracing digital health services like never before and they are highly satisfied with the services they are accessing. The survey also indicates where further progress can be made to meet the increasing demand.

The online survey, conducted in November 2022 with 12,445 Canadians across all provinces and territories, shows that 94 per cent of Canadians are interested in accessing digital health services.

"It's great to see this extraordinary interest in accessing digital health services," said Michael Green, President and CEO, Infoway. "It's clear that Canadians want health care to be as convenient as every other aspect of their lives and they recognize that digital health services are the hallmark of a modern health system."

Canadians are also increasingly able to access their personal health information online, including: lab tests and diagnostic results; immunization history/records; a list of current medications and medication history; and specialist consultation notes/records. Thirty-six per cent have done so as of 2022, double the number (18%) who had done so in 2016.

Those who accessed their health information online said it made a huge difference to their health:

• 89% said they felt more informed about their health;
• 84% said they could better manage their health;
• 73% said they could set and make progress toward health goals;
• 53% said they were able to avoid in-person visits with health care providers; and
• 41% said they were able to avoid a trip to the emergency room (ER).

The steady progress in enabling access to digital health services has stimulated Canadians' desire to access a greater range of services, such as: sending a prescription renewal request electronically; having a physician send a prescription directly to a pharmacy without needing a paper prescription; accessing clinical notes from a medical encounter with a primary care provider or specialist; and consulting with health care providers virtually.

"The federal government understands the importance of digital health as a key enabler to a modernized health system," Green said. "We will work with our federal, provincial and territorial partners and other health system stakeholders to ensure that all Canadians have access to the digital health services they want and deserve."

Download the 2022 Canadian Digital Health Survey: Interest in and Access to Digital Health Services.

Infoway will publish more findings from the 2022 Canadian Digital Health Survey in the coming weeks, followed by the full survey results.

Infoway conducts the annual Canadian Digital Health Survey to gain insights into Canadians' attitudes and perceptions about digital health. It is the cornerstone of our research and analytics function, which also includes working with partners to gain insights into clinicians' attitudes and perceptions about digital health, to quantify the value of digital health solutions and to conduct   landscape scans of emerging issues.

Learn more about Infoway's research.

Check out Infoway Insights, our interactive data and analytics hub that provides detailed visualizations of data about virtual care, the health landscape and prescriptions.

About Canada Health Infoway

At Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) we believe a more connected and collaborative system is a healthier system, and we work with governments, health care organizations, clinicians and patients to make health care more digital. We're working to ensure that everyone is able to access their personal health information, book appointments, get prescriptions, view lab test results and access other health services, online. We're working with our partners to transform the health system because we know that digital in health can be as transformative as digital has been in other aspects of our lives. We're an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government. Visit us online at www.infoway-inforoute.ca.

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SOURCE Canada Health Infoway