Nova Scotia Health to adopt e-referral system for surgical consults
A surgery is performed in the operating room in Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)
Nova Scotia Health is changing the way its physicians make surgical referrals with a new electronic system.
The province says primary care providers will use the Ocean eReferrals system to send their requests for surgical consultations, instead of faxing, emailing or mailing requests directly to a surgeon.
Over time, the province says it will lead to shorter wait times.
Dr. Dafydd Davies, chief of surgery at IWK Health, says having one, uniform system will simplify the practices of both family physicians and specialists.
“eReferral also has the potential to give us data to better track wait times and waitlists so that future resources can be directed strategically,” Davies said in a Wednesday news release.
The system will give patients better information on the status of their referral, according to the province, and will allow for better tracking, review and management of referrals. Eventually, the province says it will include consult wait time information to allow for faster consults.
Patients who give an email address will get automatic notifications when their referral is received, forwarded to a surgeon, and when a consult is booked or changed.
Michelle Thompson, minister of health and wellness, says waiting for care is hard for patients and their families.
“It's also frustrating for health-care professionals when they don't have the information to answer their patients' questions," said Thompson, in the release. "Nova Scotians deserve short wait times that will keep them out of pain and allow them to move on with their lives."
The service will reportedly go live for primary care providers and surgeons at Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health on Friday.
The province says work is underway to expand the use of the system to allow for e-referrals for diagnostic imaging services like MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds.
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