First Nations Health Care in Transition: The Alberta Story

Applying e-Health concepts

The e-Health vision is taking hold for First Nations communities in Alberta, and all stakeholders are starting to recognize the immense potential of Internet technologies. It's a home-grown solution that touches hundreds of First Nations people everyday.

It's also a good news story worth sharing.

The opportunity

Alberta First Nations have a decentralized population with a high percentage living in remote areas. They also have perhaps the poorest health status in Alberta. The past decade, however, has seen a natural progression in the delivery of health care services in these communities, thanks to the use of information technology.

The first significant piece of technology used in Alberta First Nations communities was an information system designed simply to collect client data, such as health history, lab results and immunization records. The original rollout included one application, one computer and one phone line. It met with mixed reaction. As Mel MacLean, a Regional Program Manager in what has become Alberta's TeleHealth Team describes it:

"Our communities were simply not fully buying-in to an information system. The application was great, but the processes surrounding it weren't working. We needed a new way to deliver service."

By 2001, the mindset had started to change from simply using technology as a tool, to actually leveraging its advantages for changing business processes. With that shift, Alberta's eHealth vision was born.

The response

One of the first steps in bringing this vision to life involved looking at what was technologically possible. Of Alberta's 44 First Nations communities, 21 had sufficient broadband access to accommodate videoconferencing - a key tool in realizing a number of e-Health goals. As well, bi-directional satellite equipment provided high speed Internet access to healthcare workers in all Alberta First Nations communities with a health centre.

The TeleHealth Program Team coordinated their efforts with the end-users - those in the community who knew what the most immediate needs were. While Health Directors and staff in general identified definite gaps that could be addressed with technology, the technical team worked toward ensuring a stable and sustainable infrastructure.

There were problems at first - technical glitches and a steep learning curve for some - but now Health Centres are starting to function as business units with a single infrastructure and a range of solutions. The Program Team has evolved from simply supporting an application to supporting infrastructure and the over 400 users in community Health Centers.

Positive outcomes

For Alberta, e-Health has come to characterize not only technical development, but also a state of mind, a way of thinking, an attitude and a commitment to innovative thinking for improving healthcare in First Nations communities by using information and communication technology. That's why Alberta First Nations, in cooperation with Health Canada will continue to work toward ensuring access to quality health services and removing barriers to good health for First Nations communities.