Support for CAISI Project recommended in Toronto Central LHIN Equity Report section on Access to Information
The Toronto Central LHIN discussion paper on Equity (July 2008) had a section discussing Access to Information. In this section the paper spoke in support of the CAISI Project and recommended funding for the CAISI Project in the next 12 months, see the details of this section below
"Access to Information
One of the pre-conditions for equitable access to care is understanding enough about the healthcare system to know how and where to go for care. That such information is not equitably available is why the navigation support discussed earlier is so critical to more marginalized populations. But it also highlights the importance of improving access to health information.
This could use innovative web-based delivery. For example, the LHIN could see its own site as a portal connecting residents to information on providers across the network and providing plain language information resources about health issues, conditions and treatment options.
The Toronto Central LHIN could also encourage or fund community groups to provide popular and accessible sources of information about their services. One promising idea is the proposal for a
Toronto in Colour project, which would enable groups representing different ethno-cultural communities to post and share their needs assessments, service planning, community research, epidemiological data and other information.
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Recommended Action |
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Expected Outcome |
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11.4 Fund and support Toronto in Colour in the next 24 months |
More rich and nuanced understanding of health and social needs and situations of diverse racialized communities; Experience in developing equity-geared information and knowledge management systems that can be generalized. |
Development of electronic health records and integrated health information management systems will be a critical part of overall system transformation. As in other facets of health reform, to the extent that improved information management will improve accessibility and navigation, then this can disproportionately benefit the more disadvantaged. But these benefits will not happen automatically. Equity will need to become one of the factors routinely considered in developing information system requirements and architectures.
Information resources and management will need to be specifically designed to meet the challenges of isolated and vulnerable populations. Councils have addressed the dangers of the ‘digital divide’ in which access to computers and the Internet is limited, with an adverse impact on access to healthcare services. These equity constraints will need to be proactively taken into account in information planning.
Valuable examples of IT innovation with an equity angle are already underway in Toronto. The award-winning CAISI project (Community Access to Integrated Services and Information) is a database to store the health and other relevant records of homeless people so that they do not need to repeat their histories as they move from shelter to shelter or hospital to hospital, and so that each healthcare provider has up-to-date information. This project has involved homeless people directly on its planning committee in developing the database and the kinds of information that need to be collected.
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Recommended Action |
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Expected Outcome |
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11.5 Fund and support the CAISI project (Community Access to Integrated Services and Information) in the next 12 months |
Improved accessibility for a very disadvantaged populations; Experience in equity-driven IT innovation that can be adapted to other populations and issues |
