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For Medical Staff

Top Story: IHealth activation of CPOE at South Island Tertiary sites rescheduled to April-May 2024

The February-March 2024 activation of electronic ordering (i.e., Computerized Provider Order Entry, or CPOE) at RJH, VGH, Gorge Road Hospital and South Island Surgical Centre is being re-scheduled to April-May 2024.

A technical issue related to the Organization’s move to cloud-based servers has come to light in the course of detailed planning work with Oracle Cerner. This has implications both for the South Island Tertiary Go-Live and for the entire electronic health record (EHR) of Island Health.

Read the full memo here.

Following detailed analysis, consideration of options and consultation across clinical/medical, technical, project teams and corporate partners, the decision was made to re-schedule the Tertiary CPOE activation. Rescheduling the Go-Live dates will allow time to complete the work required; ensuring a sound infrastructure and quality activation for staff and patients was paramount in the decision.

Exact dates will be shared after further joint discussion and planning with site clinical operations and medical staff leadership.

Next Steps for Medical Staff: 

  • Medical staff will be invited to register for online learning and education.
  • Medical staff are welcome to drop in to Engagement Labs at VGH (Room S275) and RJH (Royal Block 203) on Wednesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. to meet with staff from Provider Education and Experience, view a demo and ask questions.

Please share this information with colleagues. Thank you for your continued dedication to this important quality improvement initiative.

My IHealth Journey - for medical staff

The go-live at Victoria General Hospital, South Island Surgical Centre, Gorge Road Hospital  and Royal Jubilee Hospital is scheduled for April and May, 2024. A full set of training and support activities and resources have been planned, to help prepare you for the transformation. Click on the image at right, and download a PDF version to refer to on an ongoing basis.

NOTE: This version will soon be updated to reflect the new go-live dates. 

Support for medical staff

Continued Learning:

Provider Education and Experience (ProEX) has Skill Sharpeners available for individuals or groups. These sessions are offered by request, provided you have finished the required EHR training for the site where you work. To request a Skill Sharpener session, email EHRProvidereducation@islandhealth.ca

New physicians:

ProEX also works with the Island Health credentialing team to ensure that new physicians receive their education prior to their first shift.

eCoach in the EHR:

eCoach provides on-screen support tips within PowerChart and FirstNet – a great first source for help prior to contacting the Clinical Service Desk. You will find it in the grey navigation bar at the top of Oracle Cerner PowerChart and FirstNet.

Training for medical staff

Register for online education sessions through LearningHub. You can sign up for a LearningHub account using the link below.

MyHealth Patient Portal Training (30-minute on-line course):

Island Health medical staff now have the ability to select their authored clinical notes for release to patients who are enrolled in the MyHealth patient portal. The 12 clinical note types available for release in Phase One are:
  • Admission Note
  • Cardiology Consult
  • Discharge Summary
  • Gastroenterology Consult
  • General Surgery Consult
  • Internal Medicine Consult
  • Nephrology Consult
  • Operative and Discharge Note
  • Operative Report
  • Orthopedic Consult
  • Procedure Note
  • Respirology Consult

This course will prepare you for creating MyHealth released notes through the review of best practices for patient-centred clinical documentation. It also includes information on how to select note types that will be released to the MyHealth portal.

Resources for medical staff

Medical staff representing surgical and medical specialties are working to harmonize clinical documentation practices and order sets in the EHR.

Medical Staff of Island Health

Learn about IHealth news and important announcements in the News section on Island Health’s dedicated website for medical staff.

Inviting feedback and input from medical staff

As you begin working in the EHR, you will be directly involved in improving the quality of care and the standardization of information across the region. Multi-disciplinary teams will see more information made available to them, as we activate more EHR modules across Island Health services and locations.

You’re invited to provide feedback and input that can improve the EHR, including suggestions for enhancements to the system that improve functionality, user experience, and safety. Please contact us with your suggestions.

IHealth stories featuring medical staff

Read these recent stories featuring medical staff and their experiences with IHealth:

Video image

Video: NRGH staff share how CPOE has improved patient care

Pediatrician Dr. Peter MacDougall, Emergency Physician Dr. Kevin McMeel and RN/Clinical Educator Carol Zanette talk about how adopting electronic ordering has changed practice for the better at NRGH.

Medical and clinical staff at computers

IHealth workflow validation sessions seeking region-wide input

As IHealth expands use of the electronic health record (EHR) across Island Health sites and services, attention is now focused on looking at clinical workflows that guide the best quality care journey for patients and care providers.

Nanaimo obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Regina Renner

Video: IHealth interview with Dr. Regina Renner — the importance of workflow validation and order sets

In this short video, Nanaimo obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Regina Renner talks about the importance of incorporating perspectives from across Island Health – including Nanaimo staff who have experience with the full electronic health record – in preparation for the future activations. Upcoming workflow validation sessions give staff across disciplines a chance to contribute to the design and build of IHealth for the whole Island Health region.

Dr. Pooya Kazemi

Specialty Leads Work Collaboratively on Clinical Documentation and Order Sets

Medical staff who represent different surgical and medical specialties will work with their colleagues to harmonize electronic clinical documentation practices and digitized order sets within their specialties.

Physicians from mid-Island support launch of clinical documentation at Victoria hospitals

Medical staff "paying it back, paying it forward"

​Physicians rounding together during the first days of ‘go-live’ in early October at Victoria General Hospital (VGH) were able to share perspectives from the IHealth project’s past, present, and future transition to electronic clinical documentation.

Health care providers consult computer

Island Health medical students’ ER experience improved with EHR change

Medical students in some of Island Health’s busiest emergency departments are now able to practice their documenting skills with electronic clinical documentation, thanks to a recommendation from three ER physicians who advocated for an enhancement to the Cerner Electronic Health Record (EHR).

Joelle Dennis

Victoria OB/GYN powers up her clinical documentation using templates

Obstetrician and gynecology specialist Dr. Joelle Dennie has taken her use of the electronic health record (EHR) to the next level. She recently discovered tools in the Cerner PowerChart program that automate and streamline the way she handles clinical documentation.