News
September 2021
- MyHealth Enrollments Now Above 150,000
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More than 151,000 Vancouver Island residents are now signed up for MyHealth, a secure online website where patients and families can conveniently access personal health information for care and services provided by Island Health.
MyHealth launched in October 2019, reached 100,000 enrollments on February 23, 2021, and stands at over 151,000 as of September 3. It’s one of the ways that patients and families can view laboratory results, medical imaging reports and scheduled appointments (if booked in Cerner Scheduling).
“The rapid growth in MyHealth enrollments underlines the value patients and families place on quick, easy online access to their personal health information – especially given the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding increase in lab testing,” said Leah Hollins, Chair of the Island Health Board of Directors.
Patients and families can use the site to receive secure messages from Island Health care providers, as well as important updates about the MyHealth service. Once enrolled, those with MyHealth accounts gain access to new features and functionality as they are implemented – including the upcoming addition of echocardiogram reports to available medical imaging reports.
Planned enhancements to MyHealth include physician-authored clinical documentation beginning in January 2022, and increased access to secure messaging and online forms. On the MyHealth website, an updated list of Frequently Asked Questions will be launched September 15.
“[Reaching 150,000 enrollments] means stronger partnerships between Island Health, patients and families,” said Dr. Eric Shafonsky, Associate Chief Medical Information Officer and Physician Lead for MyHealth. “Patient engagement is central to MyHealth, and we are grateful to the many patient partners involved with MyHealth whose insights continue to shape this site and its features. We are also grateful to the laboratory, medical imaging, registration and virtual enrollment line staff at Island Health who helped over 150,000 people enroll.”
Enroll in MyHealth online at www.islandhealth.ca/myhealth, by phone (1-844-844-2219), in-person at Island Health Laboratory and Medical Imaging locations, or at the central admitting desk at any of Island Health’s main hospitals. Once your own MyHealth account is created, you can request access to someone else's MyHealth account if needed. To obtain proxy access in the care of a loved one please follow the instructions found at this link.
Stories
At Island Health, the stories we share become part of our fabric. They connect us. Patients to healthcare workers, patients to patients, healthcare workers to each other. We learn from stories and, more importantly, from connecting with each other. The stories on this page reflect how IHealth has played, and will continue to play, a role in person-centred care.
August 2021
- IHealth Perspectives: Miranda Noyes, Peer Mentor for Electronic Clinical Documentation
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Miranda Noyes works as an Occupational Therapist in the Emergency Department at Victoria General Hospital. Coming up on 3 years with Island Health, Miranda's curiosity was peaked when she heard that departments were calling for volunteer Peer Mentors to support the transition to Electronic Clinical Documentation.
As a first time Peer Mentor, Miranda wasn't sure what to expect. We talked to Miranda about her experience, and whether she would recommend being a Peer Mentor to others.
What was it like, was it what you expected?
Miranda: It was learning alongside people, I didn't ever feel like an expert. Colleagues were understanding of that, too, which I think made it less intimidating for all of us – it was more like we were all learning together.
Did you feel prepared and supported?
Miranda: Definitely supported. As prepared as I could be, I would say. I felt prepared for each day as we went along.
What really helped was that my physio counterpart and I got pulled from our case loads. I would really recommend this, if at all possible. Thanks to Caryn Mackay who advocated for us to be dedicated to the role of Peer Mentor.
And I have to give a lot of credit to Christa Robertson [physio Peer Mentor counterpart], it was great to have her there working side-by-side together.
Was there anything that surprised you?
Miranda: What surprised me was how ready we felt by the week leading up to go-live, we felt ready to actually do the real thing, not just in “play domain" but with real patients. I expected more nervousness.
What were your key takeaways from the experience?
Miranda: For me, personally, really getting to know other staff I haven't worked with before. Colleagues I don't always get to work with or hang out with...seeing other learning styles and learning from them.
We were all learning new things at once, I was so impressed by how people took it on and took it upon themselves to learn other ways, or found tricks and wanted to share them with everyone.
There was real value in doing the training, then everybody in the room trying it, then people giving tips and tricks to the whole room.
What advice do you have for others who might be considering being a Peer Mentor?
Miranda: Just try it, I think they might like it more than they think. It's a short period of time. Think of it less as teaching other people, more as learning alongside your colleagues.
Would you volunteer as a Peer Mentor again?
Miranda: Definitely.
For more information, or to express your interest in being a Peer Mentor supporting the change to Electronic Clinical Documentation, please speak with your Manager.