MyHealthPortal Patient Advisory Committee

Interior Health’s MyHealthPortal is an online system which allows the public to access their personal health information.  Up to 10 volunteers are invited to join the Patient Advisory Committee with flexible meeting times.

Open to: Volunteers across the Interior Health region

Lead Organization or Department

Interior Health

Aim

The goal of this committee is to include patient input on content, the risks and benefits to patients and processes involving MyHealthPortal.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of involve on the spectrum of engagement (www.iap2.org). The promise to you is that the health care partner will work with you to ensure that your ideas and concerns are reflected in recommendations and provide feedback on how your input affected the decision.

Eligibility

• The health care partner is looking for a cross section of patient partners – from rural and urban areas, from a variety of age and ethnic backgrounds, who have a family physician and patients who do not.
• Patient portals have been shown to be of particular benefit to those with chronic diseases, so a member to represent this aspect would be desirable.
• Volunteers who reside and use Interior Health facilities.
• Volunteers should feel comfortable using a computer for  teleconference and webinar for meetings.
• Patients should have previously attended a PVN orientation session and signed the Volunteer Agreement.  If you have not attended an orientation but are interested please contact the Engagement Leader directly to see if accommodations may be possible.

Logistics

• Vacancies: 8-10
• Meetings will be held monthly and will be 1 hour in length, this may change at times during the project as needed
• Meetings will be held by teleconference during weekday working hours.  If a volunteer is unable to make meetings during this time early morning or evening meetings will be offered to ensure they receive input from a wide range of volunteers.
• The project duration is December 2016 – July 2017

Reimbursement

There are no expenses anticipated for the group.

Background

• MyHealthPortal provides patients with 24 hour access to their health information via their phone, tablet or computer through a secure portal from the Interior Health website. Features include the ability to view Interior Health lab results, diagnostic imaging reports (such as X-ray, CT and ultrasound), certain upcoming appointments, recent hospital visit history, and the opportunity to update address and phone number information.
• Current content is being rolled out across the Interior Health region with the existing content described above. Additional content, such as other health records (like consults, discharge summaries), cardiology reports and access for patients under 16 years is being gradually included under the guidance of a clinical advisory group consisting of mainly physicians and specialists.
• To balance this oversight by clinicians we would like the opinions of patients to provide input on the priorities of additional content and views and opinions on the risks and benefits to patients as more content is added. The group will also be asked to provide feedback on processes currently in place and new content developed (including survey and focus group processes) – and help determine their clarity, ease of use, appropriateness and effectiveness.
• Interior Health(IH) hopes to achieve a balanced development plan to enhance MyHealthPortal - which has examined all the risks and benefits from a clinical and a patient perspective. IH hopes to identify obstacles and constraints and develop mitigations strategies to ensure this culture change; to put the patient at the centre of their own care, and a process that occurs smoothly and effectively.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Carol Stathers
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Okanagan, Interior Region
778.516.3308
cstathers@bcpsqc.ca