Fall/Winter 2011 - Alberta College of Paramedics
Fall/Winter 2011 - Alberta College of Paramedics
Fall/Winter 2011 - Alberta College of Paramedics
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emergency medical dialogue<br />
<strong>Alberta</strong>’s new one-stop,<br />
online health resource<br />
MyHealth.<strong>Alberta</strong>.ca<br />
The Internet is becoming a valuable<br />
tool for <strong>Alberta</strong>ns to learn more about<br />
their own personal health. However,<br />
it’s the vastness <strong>of</strong> the web that also<br />
makes it overwhelming and <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
contradictory. Now there is a remedy to<br />
this uncertainty: MyHealth.<strong>Alberta</strong>.ca.<br />
To help <strong>Alberta</strong>ns make informed<br />
health decisions, <strong>Alberta</strong> Health and<br />
Wellness and <strong>Alberta</strong><br />
Health Services launched<br />
the new site in the spring<br />
consisting <strong>of</strong> more than<br />
8,750 health topics and<br />
online support tools.<br />
MyHealth prepares patients<br />
for an upcoming doctor<br />
visit, test or treatment<br />
with easy-to-search test<br />
and treatment guides. The<br />
symptom checker can<br />
help patients determine if<br />
they should use a home<br />
treatment or seek immediate<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional care. It’s also a<br />
quick and easy way to find<br />
the nearest health centre<br />
location.<br />
The <strong>Alberta</strong> government<br />
purchased the<br />
Healthwise® Canadian<br />
knowledgebase in<br />
2010 to provide consumer health<br />
content for MyHealth. Selected for<br />
its comprehensive and evidencebased<br />
content development process,<br />
Healthwise® researchers review<br />
numerous evidence-based medical<br />
resources to prepare information<br />
packets for pr<strong>of</strong>essional writers and<br />
medical content specialists who<br />
draft the knowledgebase content.<br />
A multidisciplinary board <strong>of</strong> health<br />
care experts in Canada and the U.S.<br />
then review and provide comments<br />
to adapt the content for their<br />
respective knowledgebase.<br />
The MyHealth team invited 150<br />
<strong>Alberta</strong> health care pr<strong>of</strong>essionals<br />
from <strong>Alberta</strong> Health Services, <strong>Alberta</strong><br />
Health and Wellness and the clinical<br />
community to review the Healthwise®<br />
content, share it with<br />
colleagues and provide<br />
valuable feedback. This<br />
process ensures the content<br />
remains comprehensive,<br />
reflects current medical<br />
knowledge and holds true to<br />
health practices in <strong>Alberta</strong>.<br />
The next major development<br />
in MyHealth.<strong>Alberta</strong>.ca<br />
will happen in 2012 when<br />
individuals are able to create<br />
their own personal, privatelysecured<br />
health record.<br />
<strong>Alberta</strong>ns will be able to enter<br />
and keep track <strong>of</strong> a variety<br />
<strong>of</strong> personal information:<br />
immunizations, medications,<br />
tests, blood pressure readings,<br />
weight and family health<br />
history. Over time, MyHealth<br />
is expected to evolve into<br />
a one-stop, comprehensive<br />
source <strong>of</strong> health information. For more<br />
information, visit MyHealth.<strong>Alberta</strong>.ca.<br />
- Susan Anderson,<br />
<strong>Alberta</strong> Health and Wellness<br />
21<br />
<strong>Fall</strong>/<strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2011</strong> // www.college<strong>of</strong>paramedics.org
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