Nova Scotia Health has paused the text message notification feature for appointments on the YourHealthNS app.. (Nova Scotia Government YouTube channel)
Nova Scotia Health is still working on glitches in its new text message and appointment reminder service through the YourHealthNS app.
It suspended the new features last Wednesday when some people reported getting incorrect information about their appointments.
At least 2,100 texts, or about 10 per cent of all messages, were sent to phones with the wrong information. Other messages weren’t clear whether the appointment was in-person or virtual. And some got notices of appointments that didn’t even exist.
Nova Scotia Health said Monday that it has introduced a seven-day delay before appointments appear in the YourHealthNS app.
Appointments will only appear for the coming month. And notifications will be stopped on specialist appointments not made through hospital booking systems, like private clinics.
The text message reminder feature will be on hold while officials test the changes and make sure they work properly, Nova Scotia Health said.
More information about ultrasound reports is now available on the YourHealthNS app. (Communications Nova Scotia)
Nova Scotians can now see more information from their ultrasound reports on the YourHealthNS app.
Scans completed from Aug. 5 onward were available as of Monday. The report includes the body part examined, the reason for the scan, findings and a comparison with any previous ultrasounds.
Results will be available 14 days after the ultrasound.
The reports will add to the information like date, time and location of the scan currently available through the app. Images won’t be available, according to a news release from Nova Scotia Health.
In July, the province expanded access to the health records in the app to everybody across the province, who are 16 and older with a valid Nova Scotia health card.
More than 309,000 ultrasounds were performed in Nova Scotia in 2023.
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.
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.
