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There is no longer a need to visit the doctor for the sole purpose of learning the results of a laboratory test in Saskatchewan.
To save time and provide better access to patients, the province has launched MySaskHealthRecord, a new website that provides lab test results and medical imaging reports as soon as they become available, along with other personal health information.
“If you’re like me, uncertainty brings fear. I don’t like to wait. Even if it’s bad news, I want to know right away so I can start planning and if it’s good news, even better. I want to know as soon as possible. That is the core of MySaskHealthRecord,” Warren Kaeding, Saskatchewan’s rural and remote health minister, said Tuesday.
The website provides immediate lab test results along with clinical visit and hospital admission history. The goal is to capture all personal health information in one place, with the ability to track things like daily blood sugar and blood pressure readings, medication and appointment reminders along with the option of connecting a health monitoring device.
The plan is also to provide immunization and prescription fill history by January.
Kaeding explained while some other provinces also provide online access to health information, MySaskHealthRecord is unique in Canada. Other provinces only provide limited lab test results, while Saskatchewan will give the full results from the past three years.
The pilot project started in 2016 and since then, 1,200 people have used MySaskHealthRecord, providing feedback for improvement. For example, the province decided to provide near real-time lab test results and make the website mobile-friendly based on feedback.
Kaeding said more than 80 per cent of those involved in the pilot program said doctor’s appointments were more valuable because they had test results in advance. One in five said they avoided a primary care or emergency department visit because they had access to test results.
“Multiply that over an entire province of more than a million people and soon you have quicker, more effective appointments and dollars to redirect towards improving health care,” said Kaeding.
The province assured all personal data is kept safe, secure and free from hacking and identify theft. Private health care or insurance professionals will not have access to the data. The data belongs to the patient and they are the only person who will have access.
However, the province is considering allowing users to share their information with someone else, like family.
Patient advocate Tyler Moss took part in the pilot project. He has a chronic renal condition with little to no function of his left kidney, requiring constant monitoring.
He called MySaskHealthRecord a game-changer and said there were no issues interpreting the lab test results. When the results are posted, they come with reference ranges indicating the severity.
“It will guide you, once you start viewing them result by result, whether it’s something that you need to take up with your physician or not,” said Moss.
He said viewing the results before visiting his doctor makes the appointment more proactive.
“Whatever shock value, if there is any, has been eliminated and you just go in and have a very detailed conversation and a proactive one and you start moving forward with a treatment plan,” said Moss.
The new website has also greatly benefited Naomi Miller. She has osteoarthritis and was born with degenerative disc disease, resulting in several neck fusion surgeries and severe chronic pain.
She uses her home computer to enter a list of her allergies and information about her chronic medical conditions.
Tina Neudorf is Miller’s friend and caregiver. Neudorf also lives with several chronic muscle conditions and relies on a cane or walker to get around.
“It’s nice when (Miller) doesn’t have to make it to an appointment that’s unnecessary because of all the work that’s involved in getting her out and about and getting her there and getting her back,” said Neudorf.
Neudorf said one of her favourite features is the ability to record her reactions to medications, especially those she receives as samples in case she is offered them again. However, the immediate lab test results are clearly the biggest draw.
“It allows time to process the results in the comfort of our own homes and then determine if a visit with the doctor is even needed or if an appointment can wait,” said Neudorf.
MySaskHealthRecord is available to users 18 and older. To sign up, the user must provide an email address, health card and driver’s licence, or SGI photo ID. The province will mail users a unique pin to access their account.
