Health Informatics

Methods of accessing and exchanging health information using electronic tools and communication are constantly emerging. Health Informatics is the interweaving of health science and computer science.

Electronic Health Record (EHR) and EHR Systems (EHRS)

An electronic health record is a secure and private lifetime record of an individual's health and care history, available electronically to authorized health care providers. It includes lab test results, diagnostic images, medical conditions, perscriptions and other notes. Health care practitioners can make better decisions if they have immediate access to the patient's EHR. Canada is in the process of developing a robust EHR system for storage and access to accurate and secure EHRs. Many hospitals have computerized record keeping systems (HIS) however, they do not communicate with each other or with the health care providers directly. Canada Health Infoway is a not-for-profit organization funded by the Canadian Federal Government and tasked with the job of defining the architecture (blueprint) of the pan-Canadian interoperable EHR system (EHRS). Each province's EHRS must be able to connect to the EHRS in the other provices.

MARC-HI EHR Project

Canada Health Infoway established the pan-Canadian standards, and EHRS Blueprint. A prototype, or reference implementation of the EHRS Blueprint was needed to test the Blueprint standards in a real world implementation. Beginning in 2007, MARC-HI has been building an EHR Reference Implementation based on the EHRS Blueprint standards. Canada Health Infoway has provided funding for this project. In addition the project is funded through private sector partners who have provided seed funding and in-kind donations. It is guided by a Project Advisory Board which comprises representatives from the various project stakeholders. Tools that are developed at MARC-HI are made available to the public as Open Source software through Open Health Tools.

Current Activities and Tools

EHRS Reference Implementation - MARC-HI has the ONLY working Reference Implemenation in Canada - available as a testbed
Everest - HL7v3 standards compliant message creation tool
Messaging, Schema and Unit Testing Tools
EHRS Visualizer (download)
EHR Project Wiki

News

Everest Framework Toolkit Announcement - Mohawk College, February 2010
Mohawk College Innovation Profile at TRRA (Toronto Region Research Alliance) - January 2010
MARC Newsletter - December 2009
MARC-HI Receive NSERC Funding - June 2009
MARC HI - Interview with CH TV - March 2009
Electronic Records Project Boosts Mohawk's Profile - Ken Mann, AM900 CHML, March, 2009
Mohawk team paves the way for electronic health system - Wade Hemsworth, Hamilton Spectator, January, 2009
Derek Ritz named Emerging Leader 2008 - Longwoods Health and Healthcare News, December, 2008
Interoperability Lab Facilitates Adoption of pan-Canadian EHR Standards - Gavin Tong, ITAC Online, November, 2008
Moving to the front lines of applied research - Marlene Habib, Globe and Mail, November, 2008

Publications

Developing an Open Source Reference Implementation of the Canadian Electronic Health Records Solution - Mark Yendt, Duane Bender and Brian Minaji, Open Source Business Resource, November, 2008

Conferences

eHealth Conference - the EHRS Reference Implementation serves as the backbone for the Interoperability Showcase 2008 - 2010
Canada Health Infoway Partnership Conference - presentations 2008 - 2010

Stakeholders

students - as researchers, and in the classroom EHRS curriculum is infused in the Computer Science programs
faculty - as researchers leading student researchers through applied research with cutting edge technologies, and as subject experts in the classroom
partners and sponsors - as recipients of solutions, and as employers hiring graduates with skills in EHRS technologies

Partners and Sponsors