Business planning for using mobile health technologies in rural/remote Saskatchewan (Phase 2).

In 2009, the eHealth Infostructure Program (eHIP) First Nations & Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) developed and implemented an assessment of emergency management information dissemination. The project was well received within the pilot Regions (Manitoba and British Columbia) with a progress and evaluation report being prepared.  A small working group at the Regional level was developed (inclusive of Regional Information Management Services Directorate personnel) to provide program and technical guidance.

The initial project focussed on the assessment of emergency management information dissemination and communication. The findings from the pilots highlighted that the timely dissemination of accurate information is one of the key elements in program delivery, business continuity and planning, and effective situational management (i.e., emergency events etc.) in rural and remote locations. 

In 2013 the eHIP, in partnership with the Saskatchewan eHealth Regional Office, used the knowledge attained from the aforementioned emergency management project to focus on information dissemination in the nursing environment in rural and remote communities. The findings focused on the identification of daily business flow issues, nurse situation analysis; collection and analysis of Regional, Provincial, and First Nations (FN) information forms; and consultation with Provincial partners.  This project is also referred to as Phase 1. 

One specific area of investment is to enhance FN health service delivery, using innovative techniques such as Mobile Health (mHealth) to assist with information collection at the point of care and information dissemination to healthcare providers who require access to this data for surveillance or case management. Attempting to bridge the gap between geographic remoteness and health care services, mHealth offers the ability to access or enter real time client health information in a secure environment from any remote location with connectivity. mHealth enhances the continuity of care by removing the geographic barrier to information access and thus ensuring that client information is readily available to healthcare providers within the circle of care, regardless of their location. In addition, mHealth technology provides access to electronic apps that enhance service delivery and client education. Client education on sensitive topics such as HIV can be a challenge in FN communities, as clients are hesitant to take home hard copies of educational materials and it can be difficult to find culturally appropriate educational resources.  mHealth technology allows the healthcare providers to explore alternative and more effective means of client education, such as  videos and online brochures.

One of the objectives in the FNIHB Strategic Plan is to ‘advance the deployment and use of interoperable emerging technologies in clinical and public health services and management’   This project will conduct preliminary research to provide evidence toward the creation of a vehicle (e.g. application via tablet or smartphone) to manage and disseminate information in a timely, safe, secure and efficient manner.  Further, FNIHB eHIP will assess existing business practices in support of using emerging technology to help strengthen access, quality and safety of health services delivery to FN communities.