Ontario's Digital Health Vision in the post-COVID-19 Pandemic Era: A Canadian Perspective

Abstract

The Canadian healthcare system has successfully enabled the average Canadian to live a longer life since the early 1980s. Yet, the prevalence of chronic diseases among Canadians is higher than ever, thereby increasing pressure on the healthcare system to develop a new vision based on the realities of the post-COVID-19 pandemic. The responsibility for Canada's healthcare is allocated amongst multiple actors and/or agencies, as the federal government and provinces/territories have significantly different responsibilities. Our study aims to discuss digital health strategies in Ontario, Canada. We examine best practices across the world and propose a digital health vision for Ontario and elsewhere. The lack of an integrated healthcare system often limits access to digital health tools, thus creating a fragmented digital health environment with organizational silos of health information. As a result, healthcare services may not use the advantages of digital health tools efficiently and effectively. We discuss some of the challenges of creating a digital health vision, such as financial feasibility, privacy, ease of use, and reaching vulnerable populations.