Electronic Medical Record – for Patients

Community healthcare providers such as your family doctor or nurse practitioner are beginning to use a provincial Electronic Medical Record (EMR) to help improve your healthcare experience.  

What is an Electronic Medical Record?

An EMR is an electronic version of a patient’s paper chart. It is part of a larger provincial strategy to capture a single electronic patient record across healthcare settings (e.g., hospital, clinic, etc.).

How will an EMR impact me?

Your full care team will have improved access to your health information to support decisions about your care. 

• Better identification of possible medication interactions
• Electronic tracking of your healthcare needs such as alerting your doctor when preventative care is needed (e.g., Pap test, blood work) 
• More ways to communicate with your doctor/nurse

What is the Patient Portal?

As part of our Electronic Medical Record solution, a new Patient Portal will gradually be implemented. Each clinic will begin to introduce features of the Patient Portal as they become comfortable with the use of the system. Your primary care clinic will communicate with you when any new services become available.   

The Portal will help you to become more informed about your health and provide you with more choice in how you consult with your nurse or doctor. 

New options may include:

• Self-booking of some appointment types online
• Enabling you to provide more information, electronically, in advance of your appointment to help your health-care provider understand your medical concern
• Ability to attend a medical appointment by video, where appropriate
• Receiving appointment reminders or messages from your care team

Use of the patient portal services offered in your clinic is your choice. 

For an overview of the Telus Collaborative Health Record Patient Portal, select the link below:

Overview of the patient portal | CHR Education centre

How will my privacy be protected? Will my information be secure?

The privacy and security of your personal health information is a necessity. Every care provider is required to follow and uphold strict protocols on how to protect your personal health information in compliance with the Health Information Act and other applicable legislation.  

Access to patient records will be regularly audited.

When will healthcare Providers be on the EMR?

The majority of community-based providers will have implemented the EMR by Spring 2024. However, clinics will gradually begin to introduce some of the Patient Portal features as they become more comfortable with the system. 

Please be patient as your family doctor and/or nurse practitioner learn to use this new tool.

To learn more about the electronic medical record, please email the provincial EMR Program at EMRprogram@gov.pe.ca.