Increasing and optimizing the use of electronic medical records
The problem
In New Brunswick, more than a third of physicians still rely on paper records — meaning fax machines and files locked in cabinets, inaccessible outside of clinic hours. Of the doctors who have transitioned to electronic medical records (EMR), a 2023 survey found that most were using only basic functions. Properly implemented, EMR can greatly reduce physicians’ administrative load, improve practice efficiency and patient care. But these systems can be expensive, challenging and time-consuming to get going — a high up-front cost for already-stretched physicians.
The solution
The New Brunswick Medical Society (NBMS) plans to increase EMR adoption by building a practice support team. Their work will include onboarding new physicians, training clinical champions and superusers to optimize EMR use, and consulting with physicians to identify gaps and provide recommendations for government and technology providers.
“This grant will allow the NBMS to build a practice support team to encourage and facilitate EMR adoption and optimization. We anticipate that having more physicians switch from paper to electronic records, as well as providing ongoing support to help those using EMRs do so more optimally and efficiently, will result in significantly less time spent on administrative tasks and a more streamlined charting process.”
The innovators
Founded in 1867, the NBMS represents 2,000+ practicing, future and retired physicians. Its mission is to support the profession and improve the health care system for patients. It established Family Medicine New Brunswick (FMNB) which brings physicians together with other allied health professionals to deliver care for the diverse needs of patients in the province The effectiveness of an EMR system is crucial to supporting collaborative health care models like FMNB.