The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed Wednesday. (Communications Nova Scotia)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed on Wednesday. It will reopen Thursday at 8 a.m.
The ER is usually open 24 hours daily from 8 a.m. Monday to 1:30 p.m. Friday. Nova Scotia Health gave no reason for the Wednesday closure.
Virtual urgent care is available for some conditions at Queens General every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Patients of Queens Family Health can access the same-day clinic for problems that require urgent treatment by calling 902-354-3322.
Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911. For general health advice and information, people can call 811 to speak to a registered nurse 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed at various times this weekend. (Communications Nova Scotia)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be on limited hours for the weekend and early next week.
It will be closed on Friday, Saturday (July 20), Sunday (July 21), Monday (July 22) and Tuesday (July 23) at 1:30 p.m. each day and reopen at 8 a.m. the next day.
For example, it will reopen on Saturday at 8 a.m., but close again at 1:30 a.m. and reopen Sunday at 8 a.m.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
Nova Scotia Health says that anybody experiencing a medical emergency should call 911.
Patients of the Queens Family Health same-day clinic can call 902-354-3322 to book an appointment through the week for new and emerging health problems, depending on provider availability.
You can also talk to a nurse for general health advice by calling 811, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
An X-ray technician is seen in this photo. X-ray reports will soon be available through the YourHealthNS app. (Communications Nova Scotia / File)
X-ray results will soon be available through the YourHealthNS app.
Nova Scotians will be able to see any X-rays done from July 15 onward. The results will be on the app 14 days after the scan.
The report includes findings from the X-ray, a comparison with any previous X-rays, the patient’s history and a summary. Images won’t be available.
“This is just the beginning as we plan to make more records and information available that will help Nova Scotians take a more active role in their health care, ” Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson said Monday in a news release.
Earlier this month, the Nova Scotia government expanded access to health records through the app to everybody in the province 16 and over with a valid health card.
That was after a three-month pilot project involving more than 13,000 patients at six clinics, including Queens Family Health in Liverpool.
The X-ray reports will be in addition to the other information available on the app, including lab and some test results, hospital and health visits, medications and immunizations.
More than 600,000 X-rays were performed in Nova Scotia in 2023.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed at various times this weekend. (Communications Nova Scotia)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed at 1:30 p.m. on Friday until 8 a.m. Sat., June 29
It will close again at 1:30 p.m. on Sun., June 30 and reopen Mon., July 1 at 8 a.m.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
Nova Scotia Health advises people experiencing a medical emergency to call 911. For general health advice, people can contact 811 to speak to a registered nurse 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Patients of Queens Family Health can call the same-day clinic through the week for new and emerging conditions at 902-354-3322. Hours are based on provider availability.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed for the rest of Thursday and will reopen at midnight and be open on Friday.
It will close again for the weekend at 5 a.m. Saturday and reopen on Tuesday at 8 a.m.
Nova Scotia Health is setting up a mobile primary care clinic at the hospital on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will be at the Queen’s Family Health location.
It is a drop-in clinic, so you don’t have to call ahead.
The emergency department at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open. Patients of Queens Family Health with new or emerging problems can access the same-day clinic through the week at 902-354-3322.
Rosalee Smith is one of the Queens County residents participating in the YourHealthNS app pilot project. (Rick Conrad)
It’s been about six weeks since the Nova Scotia government launched a pilot project to allow some Nova Scotians to check their medical records through the YourHealthNS app.
Some 12,000 patients at four clinics around the province were given early access to their lab and X-ray results, list of medications, and visits to the ER and their primary care provider.
Nova Scotia Health says it’s part of giving people more involvement and control over their care, and to help them make more informed decisions.
About 3,700 patients at Queens Family Health in Liverpool are eligible to participate. The other project sites are in New Waterford, Westville and Greenwood.
For some, it’s been a frustrating experience.
Rosalee Smith of Eagle Head said she was eager to sign on to the app when she heard about the pilot project.
“I found it frustrating, because I guess my original understanding (was) perhaps there was going to be a little more information available than maybe what there is.”
Smith says she seems to get different information every time she checks the app.
“I’m not sure how valuable that piece will be until I understand what the information’s supposed to provide. I’ve gone on to the app several times. And sometimes there’s records there and sometimes there isn’t. I’ve never seen any records of my primary care visits, never seen any records of my blood work results.”
A week after initially speaking to QCCR, Smith said she could see a partial list of her medications, her lab results, ER visits, but no bloodwork results and no primary care visits.
Her mother, who has a different primary care provider, was able to see all of her health visits, but her medications and lab results were incomplete.
She says friends of hers had the same experience — sometimes their records were there and sometimes they were incomplete. She said other people told her their records were complete.
Smith filled out three feedback surveys through the app. When she didn’t get a response, she contacted Nova Scotia Health directly and sent a two-page form to correct her medical record.
She even left a comment on a sponsored Facebook post on the weekend from Nova Scotia Health about the app.
No one had responded to any of her concerns, until Wednesday afternoon, when she got a reply in response to her Facebook comment. She was told her complaint was forwarded to the department’s technology department and that someone would contact her directly.
“I think it’s a good app,” Smith says.
“I think the features and the types of things that we’re trying to put out here for information, it’s good. But let’s do it right. And if we’re in the pilot project, listen to us when we make the comments.”
Andrew Danylewich of Liverpool checked the app when the pilot project launched. He said he was able to see only a list of his hospital and health visits. And that hasn’t changed since.
“But I haven’t been able to see my labs and medications. I did check to see if my prescriptions were up and they weren’t there yet. It’s not terribly useful yet, but I can see potential in the future once they get it rolling properly.”
Officials with Nova Scotia Health said this week that patients are giving them some good feedback on the app, and that people seem eager to use it.
Scott McKenna, chief information officer with Nova Scotia Health, said in an interview on Monday that if people send their questions or concerns via the survey, someone is supposed to follow up.
“We need to ensure that we’re getting back to every citizen,” he said.
“Our teams are doing a really good job at that. Obviously, there are some individuals who we need to get back to on that. The intention of our staff is to look into every issue. … Because we have to make sure it works as it’s intended to work.”
Dr. Tara Sampalli is Nova Scotia Health’s senior director of implementation science and evaluation and global health systems planning.
She said department staff review the feedback every week so they can address concerns as they come up.
“Everybody is reviewing everything. Nothing is going unnoticed. We improve in real time. And that’s part of this. We want to hear. You’re providing us some really good information from the community and what people are seeing or not seeing.”
McKenna says that overall, response to the app has been positive. And that it seems to working for the majority of participants. But he urges people to keep sending feedback on the app, even though they may be frustrated.
He said staff are trying to consolidate records from disparate parts of the health care system, and that they’d rather give an incomplete record than an incorrect one.
The pilot project runs to the end of March. Those who have access to their records now won’t lose it when the pilot is over.
Sampalli says the department is working on a broader information update for Nova Scotians.
Rosalee Smith says she looks forward to that.
“I don’t want it to be political. This is about our health. So I think it’s good progress. I’m not here to bash. My point is if it’s not going to work right or if it’s got issues, then let’s figure out how to fix the issues.”
Some Nova Scotians will be able to access their medical records via the YourHealthNS app. (Communications Nova Scotia photo)
By Rick Conrad
Patients at Queens Family Health in Liverpool will be providing valuable input to Nova Scotia Health over the next few weeks as part of a group of people around the province with early access to their health records on the YourHealthNS app.
About 3,700 patients of the clinic can sign up and see their doctor and ER visits, medications, test results and immunization record. They must have a valid Nova Scotia health card and be 16 or over.
It’s part of a pilot project involving the Queens clinic and three others around the province to give Nova Scotians easier access to their health records. In total, about 12,000 people are eligible to participate. The other clinics are in New Waterford, Westville and Greenwood.
Nova Scotia Health will be sending out letters to the eligible patients at Queens Family Health. But people can start using the app now.
Dr. Ashley Miller, the chief medical information officer with Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health, says it can be costly or cumbersome now for patients to get access to their own records.
“So I think people are really appreciative of having a single source of truthful information related to health care, but they’re very much wanting to access their own health data,” she said in a recent interview.
“And I see this in my own patient population all the time. It’s very valuable to have access to your own information so that you can appropriately self advocate but also so that you can do research on your own. You can consult your own network of friends, colleagues, family to make decisions about your own health.”
Miller says officials wanted diversity in demographics and geography for the pilot.
“We were looking for clinics who were early adopters, people who understand the importance and potential of digital transformation in enhancing the experience of Nova Scotians. So it was a combination of working with the willing but also looking to have a representative sample so we could really learn from this pilot experience and inform our next steps.”
Queens Family Health has five family physicians and one nurse practitioner. Miller said they were also looking for clinics who would give regular feedback and evaluate how care was affected by using the app.
One of the goals is to cut down on unnecessary visits to the doctor’s office to get test results. They’re already getting feedback from around the province.
“Twenty-nine per cent of people who answered this survey so far said yes that in fact it actually prevented the need for a visit. So in a health care system where we know the demand exceeds the capacity currently, the potential for patients to gain access to care without needing to book an appointment with a provider is really appealing.”
Miller says that within the first day of the project’s launch last week, more than 700 lab and diagnostic records were accessed.
As for privacy, Miller says she understands if some patients are hesitant.
“One of the benefits of this application is that none of the personal health information is stored in the actual application itself.”
And she says people don’t have to participate or use the app if they’re unsure. If you do, however, you can opt out at any time.
Scott McKenna, Nova Scotia Health’s chief information officer, says they’ve put privacy and security “front and centre”.
“One of the principles of this is that we would rather miss one of your health records than serve you up incorrect health records,” he said in an interview.
“We’ve done a lot of matching with a high level of confidence across multiple fields to make sure that record’s confidence before we serve it up. And we may even hold back on your health records becasue we weren’t sure.”
Miller says she’s also not concerned about people diagnosing themselves instead of visiting their doctor. In fact, she says, research has shown that it’s better to give patients more control over their information.
“Patients are better able to interpret their own health care experience and their medications and their treatment as well as advocate for themselves when they have access to their data.”
Miller says she encourages patients in the pilot project to give feedback on the app.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool is on restricted hours until next week. (Rick Conrad photo)
By Rick Conrad
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be on restricted hours until next Wednesday (Feb. 14).
It will be open most days this week from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It will be open all day Thursday (Feb. 8) at 8 a.m. It will be closed at 1:30 p.m. Friday, all of Saturday, and reopen Sunday at 8 a.m.
Here is when the ER will be closed this week, according to Nova Scotia Health:
from 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6 and reopens Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 and reopens Thursday. Feb. 8 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 and reopens Sunday, Feb. 11 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 and reopens Monday, Feb. 12 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12 and reopens Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 and reopens Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 8 a.m.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
Patients of Queens Family Health can call 902-354-3322 for same-day treatment for certain conditions.
According to the latest numbers from Nova Scotia Health, as of January, 1,113 people in Queens County were still looking for a family doctor or nurse practitioner. That’s about 10 per cent of the population.
Some Nova Scotians will be able to access their medical records via the YourHealthNS app. (Communications Nova Scotia photo)
By Rick Conrad
Patients of Queens Family Health in Liverpool will be part of a pilot project that will give people access to their medical records through the YourHealthNS app.
About 12,000 patients at four clinics around Nova Scotia will get information from their clinic this week about how to log in to see their medical history.
The other participating clinics are the New Waterford Collaborative Practice, Westville Medical Clinic and Greenwood Family Health.
“We made it easier for Nova Scotians to navigate the healthcare system and now we’re taking it one step further by giving patients more access and control over their health information,” Premier Tim Houston said Tuesday in a news release.
“The addition of patient records makes it easy, convenient and faster for Nova Scotians to access their own information, all in one place, to better manage their own healthcare.”
Nova Scotia Health says patients can choose whether to participate and access their records. If they do, they’ll be able to see their complete health history.
That includes visits to their doctor or nurse practitioner, including date, time and reason; virtual care appointments; hospital and emergency department visits; their list of medications; lab results such as blood tests and information on diagnostic imaging scans like X-rays and MRIs.
The YourHealthNS app was launched in November 2023 at a cost of $10 million. It has been downloaded more than 175,000 times.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad photo)
By Rick Conrad
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed today from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Nova Scotia Health gave no reason for the temporary closure. This will be the 13th time this month that the emergency department has been closed for all or part of the day.
A Nova Scotia Health official told QCCR last week that the ER has a “significant” staff vacancy rate and needs to hire 10 more nurses. She did not know how many more doctors are needed.
The emergency department at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater is open. Or Nova Scotia Health suggests calling 911 if you have a medical emergency. For general health advice and information, call 811.
Patients of Queens Family Health can also call the same-day clinic at Queens General at 902-354-3322.
If you’re on the Need a Family Practice Registry, you can access VirtualCareNS.
