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Digital Health Canada

Digital Health Canada is a member-supported not-for-profit professional association that connects, inspires, and empowers the digital health professionals creating the future of health in Canada. Our members are a diverse community of accomplished, influential professionals working to make a difference in advancing healthcare through information, technology, and data management.

Digital Health Canada fosters network growth and connection; brings together ideas from multiple segments for incubation and advocacy; supports members through professional development at the individual and organizational level; and advocates for the Canadian digital health industry.

Member Engagement in 2022

Digital Health Canada continued to innovate and deliver value to members and stakeholders in 2022. Our staff was flexible in responding to emerging member needs and interests — and expanded upon the robust set of high-quality virtual programs and services with a return to in-person events in fall 2022.

Digital Health Canada membership grew to more than 5,300 members in 2022 (from over 150 organizations across Canada).

The pandemic has elevated the awareness and need for digital tools, health data, and digital health literacy across professional groups, all healthcare settings and sectors, and the Canadian public at large. However, 2022 was a challenging time for so many members in the healthcare sector. There's been no let-up in the intensity, frequency, and scope of challenges for those working in healthcare in Canada. Our stakeholders were challenged by overcrowded hospitals, long wait times in ED, backlogs in diagnostics and surgery, and shortages of clinical staff in the wake of the pandemic and long-term systemic issues.

Now, more than ever, our mission is important to so many Canadian professionals. In 2022, we began engaging stakeholders to develop our next three-year strategic plan (2023-2026) to guide association progress and member impact as we look to deliver positive results and build on our foundation for the future.

e-Health Conference 2022 (Virtual) National Conference & Tradeshow, June 1 & 2, 2022

This interactive and engaging online conference welcomed more than 600 attendees and over 50 sponsors and exhibitors. The virtual national conference featured a pre-conference welcome session (May 30) and two conference days (June 1, 2) including keynote, plenary sessions, and over 45 total sessions delivered over the two days. There was a virtual tradeshow, ePosters, industry symposia, virtual networking lounge and sessions, community board, showcase sessions, and group chat networking throughout the event. This national event was hosted by Digital Health Canada, Canada Health Infoway, and Canadian Institute for Health Information.

By the numbers:

• 665 virtual conference attendees;

• 38 total sponsors, and 20 virtual tradeshow exhibitors

Key Statistics from Attendees Surveyed:

• 78% found the program quality “excellent or good”; 77% rated the overall event value as ”very valuable or valuable”.

e-Health Conference 2023 will return to in-person on May 28 – 30 at the Beanfield Centre, in Toronto, ON.

Regional Events

Western Region (Virtual) Conference took place on March 28 & 29, 2022:

• Day 1: Delivered in partnership with ANHIX and focus on Alberta

• Day 2: Ahead of the Curve, focus on British Columbia

Program details: https://digitalhealthcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-Western-Region-Conference-Program.pdf

UpOnDigital (Virtual): The Update on Ontario Digital Health, March 7, 2022:

• Theme: Ontario government updates on digital health for the year ahead

Program details: https://digitalhealthcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-UpOnDigital-Conference-Program.pdf

Atlantic Region (in-person) Conference was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia on October 4, 2022:

• More than 140 digital health professionals participated in this sold-out event (first 2022 in-person event);

• Theme was Digital Health Literacy: The Patient and Provider Experience.

Program details: https://pheedloop.com/digitalhealthatlantic/site/home/

Driving the Future of Digital Health (virtual) was held November 1, 2022:

• More than 135 professionals attended;

• Theme was The Evolution of Person-Centered Health and Wellness.

Program details: https://pheedloop.com/drivingdigitalhealth/site/home/

In addition, nine Chapter Virtual LinkUps were hosted by the Atlantic Chapter, Alberta Chapter, Saskatchewan, and BC Chapter which have seen more than 400 members register for virtual networking and discussion.

CHIEF Executive Forum

Digital Health Canada's CHIEF Executive Forum provides a place for senior professionals and leaders in digital health and healthcare to collaborate, exchange best practices, address professional development needs, and offer their expertise in setting the agenda for the effective use of information and technology to improve health and healthcare in Canada. In 2022, more than 180 members from 22 Corporate Member Organizations and 54 Executive Member Organizations participated in CHIEF Executive Forum. CHIEF events included the following:

• CHIEF Executive Forum C90 (virtual) February 24, 2022

  • ○ Topic: Best Practices and Lessons Learned in Building a Robust Cyber Defence Program;

• CHIEF Executive Forum (Virtual) Spring Symposium – April 28 & 29

  • ○ Spring Symposium details: https://digitalhealthcanada.com/chief-executive-forum/chief-events/

• CHIEF Executive Forum (In-Person) Fall Symposium – September 22, 2022 in Toronto, ON

  • ○ Fall Symposium details: https://digitalhealthcanada.com/chief-executive-forum/chief-events/

CHIEF Executive Forum – Cybersecurity Working Group

This national working group, with input from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, aimed to raise the bar on cyber security in Canadian healthcare organizations and develop a national framework and enhanced guidelines that emphasize people, process, partnerships, and technology working hand in hand. The working group develop a resource for digital health professionals called Code Grey: Where Security Practices Meet Patient Care. This resource had over 1800 views in 2022.

For further info and to download the paper: https://codegrey.digitalhealthcanada.com/

In addition, the CHIEF Executive Forum Symposium event led to work on a Pan-Canadian Digital Health strategies and priorities resource. This resource brings together digital health strategies and priorities from Canada's provinces and territories with the goal of increasing inter-provincial collaboration, aligning digital health strategies nationally, and leveraging regional efforts. Work continues in 2023 on this strateegy resource for members. See more: https://digitalhealthcanada.com/provincial-strategy-resources/

Webinars

• More than 4,500 viewers registered to join a weekly webinar session through the membership year at Digital Health Canada

  • ○ Many Digital Health Canada members participate in Webinar Wednesdays and access to a large library of past webinars in our Resource Library

  • ○ Industry Showcase webinars are special events presented by some of Canada's leading digital health and healthcare organizations. Topics include successful public-private partnerships, ground-breaking case studies, or interesting innovations. More than 375 registered to attend two industry showcase events this year.

Training & Education Highlights

• More than 100 professionals engaged with Core HI Education professional development resources;

• In 2022 there were 245 CPHIMS-CA recognized credential holders;

• New corporate organizations registered for group education packages;

• Exam Development Committee and colleagues assessed exam bank and began development of new exam form for 2023;

• Five new Digital Health Canada Faculty Members were welcomed in 2022;

• Hundreds of users have engaged with the Digital Health Canada ‘Learn’ Learning Management System launched as a one-stop-shop for digital health education, professional development, and learning community engagement.

Awards

The Women Leaders in Digital Health Awards celebrates the top ten female visionaries who are harnessing the power of IT to transform health and healthcare in Canada today.

The annual Women Leaders in Digital Health Award is unique among power lists and award programs in that it recognizes women at any stage of their career and is inclusive of all women of influence no matter where they might be in the health IT field. Each year, ten new Women Leaders in Digital Health are recognized for the work they have accomplished in the last year. The 2022 Women Leaders in Digital Health were announced during Digital Health Week in Canada (Nov 14 - 20): https://digitalhealthcanada.com/news/meet-the-2022-women-leaders-in-digital-health/

The Digital Health Canada Awards 2022 will be announced and awarded at 2023 e-Health Conference in Toronto in May . These national awards celebrated Canadian digital health leaders and innovators across six categories. For more information: https://digitalhealthcanada.com/digital-health-canada-awards/

Promoting IMIA to our Members

• Digital Health Canada is promoting the benefits of engaging with IMIA with our members;

• Updates and messages have been included in social media feed and member newsletter to highlight the work IMIA is doing.

Publication History

Article published online:
26 December 2023

© 2023. IMIA and Thieme. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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