By Ian Holmes

Maligned IHealth being pushed through from the top: Health Critic

Jun 13, 2016 | 1:54 PM

Island Health will not suspend its new electronic health records system, despite serious concerns from their own doctors.

Accuracy concerns related to drug orders through IHealth at Nanaimo Hospital were revealed in a recent Times Colonist article, with senior NRGH physicians, speaking anonymously, calling the program “unusable and unsafe”.

Island Health spokesperson Val Wilson states they are standing behind the program and continue working with physicians and clinical staff on refining the new IHealth tools.

Provincial NDP Health Critic Judy Darcy says the problem is, this program is being rammed through too quickly.

“Absolutely have to have a system that works for doctors and nurses and other healthcare providers on the front line, but there’s this incredible arrogance of power that says we’re pushing forward at all costs, and it’s driven from the top,” said Darcy.

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“We absolutely need them (electronic records) on the island and everywhere across B.C., but this government drives so hard and they don’t listen to people on the front lines.”

Darcy stresses she supports electronic health record keeping, but says it needs to be implemented properly.

“The critical issue is that people who have to work with this system on the front line are involved from the beginning, are involved 100% in developing it. If it doesn’t work for the front line healthcare providers, then it doesn’t work.”

Island Health started rolling out the more than $170 million IHealth program at NRGH and the Oceanside Health Centre in March. The plan is to extend the system to all of Island Health’s 150 facilities.