May

Until recently adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) by specialist physicians has been highly variable—avid interest in a few cases, but certainly not uptake on a broad scale. Why has EMR adoption not been higher?

Over the last year PITO has been undertaking an in-depth analysis of specialist adoption of EMRs. We have observed a consistent “value equation.” If all of the following four variables are in place, the environment becomes favorable for specialists to adopt EMRs:

Dr Douglas Graham was born in Work­ington, Cumberland, UK, on 7 January 1942, the eldest son of Tho­mas and Margaret Graham. The prism of his life reflected his many interests—the practice of medicine in both government and private milieus, his struggle for change in societal and governmental attitudes to addictions, his love of family, his sense of humor, his passion for music, and the magic of radio-controlled airplanes.

Last July Gerry Couture, a 70-year-old trapper and pilot from the Yukon, became seriously ill while on a fish­ing trip with his family. At hospital in Whitehorse the local doctor discovered Couture had a serious kidney problem and put him on a plane to Van­­couver to be seen by a neph­rologist.

In March the Government of Canada launched a campaign encouraging Canadians to use MedEffect Canada to report suspected side effects from health products. MedEffect Canada allows physicians and patients to file reports on adverse reactions via web, phone, fax, or mail. The web site also provides the most recent and reliable health product safety information. Increased reporting of side effects contributes significantly to the safe use of health products. It’s estimated that less than 10% of suspected side effects are reported.