Health records app launched in Saskatchewan

People in Saskatchewan now have another option to access their health records.

The province and eHealth have launched a MySaskHealthRecord app.

The app has the same information and functionality as the website — which is available on mobile devices — but in the form of an app.

Diane Dolney, eHealth’s director of citizen and partnership programs, said Wednesday the app is a more user-friendly way to access the information.

“We have heard from our users that they would like a mobile-friendly version of the application available to them,” said Dolney.

She said 70 per cent of the time, when people log into the website, they were doing it from mobile devices and so eHealth wanted to create something more optimized to a mobile device.

The development of the app cost $291,000 and Dolney said the information available in the app is the same as on the secure website.

“We did follow all of our security processes and policies when there was analysis done on the security of the app itself,” said Dolney.

She said the app doesn’t collect data from users as many apps do, though in the Google Play app store, it says the app may share with other companies information like approximate location, app interactions, app info and performance, and device or other IDs.

The website has a feature where a person can receive an email when something is changed or added in their information. Similarly, the app has the ability to have a notification about changes or additions pop up on the user’s phone.

However, the app raises the question of whether a person should get serious health news, such as a cancer diagnosis, from a notification on their phone.

Dr. Nelson Leong, a radiation oncologist with the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, said that’s a question that gets debated quite a bit.

“Patients have a right to access their own information and their own care. There are a few certain, select examples where that’s not, where maybe information will be held back for a little bit. But for the most part, we found that providing information to patients when they ask for it, it’s their information. We can’t really keep it from them,” said Leong.

He said it’s about providers making sure there’s a safe environment for patients to have a discussion afterwards.

“If there’s a sensitive cancer test result, many of my patients have actually told me after that, even if the news isn’t good news, being able to see that information before (a discussion) prepares them more for the conversation to come,” explained Leong.

If some patients don’t want to get information without a doctor present, Leong said they don’t have to look at it; it’s a choice.

“I inform my patients that, ‘If you feel that this information would really distress you and you want someone to interpret for you at the time that you get it, that’s OK too, and you can choose not to look at it and we can go through it at our appointment,’ ” he said.

“It’s not forcing information on patients, it’s just making sure that they can choose how they receive it.”

Development of the app started last year. Telus Health developed the app; that’s the same company that developed the website.