The myUHN Patient Portal has reached an incredible milestone – 50,000 registered patients.
myUHN is a secure website that makes appointments, test results, pathology and diagnostic imaging reports and clinic notes available to patients in real-time. It allows patients to share their information with their caregivers or family doctor, empowering them to become partners in care.
myUHN also includes patient education resource links, to help patients and caregivers better understand health information.
The journey to 50,000
myUHN is a demonstration of the organization's Purpose, Values and Principles in action, exemplifying how the needs of patients always come first.
Since its inception, myUHN has been about teamwork; the portal was designed and built in-house by UHN Digital, in collaboration with patients, caregivers and staff.
From the beginning, patients said they wanted real-time access to their health records and information. Their view was that having immediate access to results would reduce anxiety, give them time to process the information and prepare questions in advance of their appointments.
"Our patients are people who are invested in their own health," explains Dr. Joy Richards, Vice President of Patient Experience and Chief Health Professions. "They want their information so they can have more meaningful conversations with their care team in order to make more informed decisions.
"Reaching 50,000 registered patients is a testament to this."
In addition, myUHN is promoted by several community organizations – St. Hilda's Senior Care Community, West Neighbourhood House, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, and many more – as a way to engage patients and provide a seamless quality of care between UHN and our community health partners.
Checking in along the way
Continuous feedback has played an important role in making myUHN work for patients and staff. Bringing patients, caregivers, and staff together often to foster collaboration, identify patient needs and priorities, explore challenges and solutions and make joint decisions has been an important part of myUHN's success.
This past winter, the myUHN Patient Portal team completed a benefits evaluation. Nearly 10,000 responses were received from patients, who reported:
- 94 per cent improved management of care
- 93 per cent improved communication
- 92 per cent better able to make decisions
Through myUHN, stronger relationships have been formed in the delivery of care and there has been a change in the conversations around the collective understanding of how care is offered.
Along with continuous feedback, there has also been continuous improvement.
Recently, Dr. Jason Wasserman, a pathology fellow, created an informative website called "My Pathology Report." The website is a free educational resource designed to help patients understand and interpret a pathology report.
In collaboration with UHN Digital, Patient Experience and the myUHN Patient Portal team, a link to the My Pathology Report website was added to the myUHN Patient Portal. This integration has set the bar in supporting patients as active and informed members of their healthcare team.
What our patients are saying
A lot of feedback has been received from patients and their caregivers on how using myUHN has impacted their patient experience.
Mary King Gavel, a caregiver for her husband, William Gavel, recently shared the following:
"The myUHN Patient Portal has been an amazing experience in navigating my husband's health journey and being his advocate – the portal empowers patients and their caregivers in their healthcare journey," she says. "Speaking from first-hand experience, I don't know how we'd have made it through without such an amazing digital solution, giving us access to diagnostic, clinical notes and appointments.
"I would recommend that all patients and their caregivers – as authorized – look into signing up. It has truly enhanced our patient experience."
Going beyond 50,000
As myUHN reaches this milestone, kudos must be given to administrative, clinical and medical staff for encouraging patients to access myUHN, and supporting and working with patients and caregivers as partners.
Going forward, staff should continue to offer and encourage the use of the myUHN Patient Portal.
"It's great to see how UHN has embraced the Patient Portal," Joy says. "With myUHN having 50,000 patients registered, point of care staff, healthcare professionals and physicians are encouraging patients and caregivers to access their health record information online.
"This is a great example of living our values: the needs of patients come first."
As we look to the future and explore the expansion of portal functionality, it's important to take the time to reflect on this accomplishment and what it means for the UHN community.
For more information on myUHN, please contact the support line at 416-340-3777; or send an e-mail at myUHN@uhn.ca or access the website here.
Follow on Twitter and Facebook: @myUHNPortal
