By Don Newsham
If you asked me to characterise the early years of Digital Health Canada (known as COACH during its first four decades) I would say we were building, advancing, and mainstreaming. Members, starting with 7 and now over 7500, came together to learn, connect, communicate, and collaborate.
Ten years ago in a 40th anniversary issue of the official COACH journal of the time, Healthcare Information Management and Communications Canada, a ‘Dash Through the Decades’ article summarized and celebrated the first 40 years of the association. Launched in mid-1975 as COACH (the Canadian Organization for the Advancement of Computers in Health), decade one was characterized as ‘Computers advancing into healthcare’. Decade two saw ‘Health information systems everywhere’, while decade three was labeled ‘Launching Health Informatics and the Health Information Hi-Way’. The period from 2005 to 2015, decade four, was titled ‘Taking “e” records and Health Informatics mainstream’.
Evolving to Digital Health Canada, decade five saw huge change, challenge, and innovation in healthcare, in the digital industry, and in the impact and use of digital tools across Canadian healthcare organizations and systems.
How would YOU characterize the last 10 years?
While you think on that, consider what some 2015 association leaders predicted for 2015 to 2025. I quote, “Today, we can see the near-term potential of personalized, precision, participatory medicine, self service/monitoring and care backed by electronically connected care teams, continued exponential growth in health data and information, printable organs and body parts, smarter and smarter (and smaller, more wearable) devices. Also on the radar are robot interactions and digital assistants for healthcare, genomics data for many of us, the Internet of things, health 2.0…3.0 and on and the integration of e-health, mobile, virtual, and telehealth”.
How did we do?
Personalized medicine, connected care teams, massive diverse ‘big data’ sets, wearable monitoring devices (including the watch I’m wearing as I write this), digital assistants, federated omics databases, internet everywhere (my car included), interoperability and integration are in the thoughts, project lists, and delivery reports of every digital health professional.
While this narrative will not attempt to headline or encapsulate the association’s 5th decade, we can clearly see the many innovations that quickly evolved all around the digital healthcare Canadian and global communities in recent years.
Weigh in on your characterization of the last 10 years. You can share your perspective by completing the form at the bottom of this page.
It must be noted that Digital Health Canada itself was also part of the change and innovation that took place during the 5th decade. ‘Dash Through The Decades’ prognosticated the next ten years of the association: “Well, much will change again. Membership in the many thousands or tens of thousands, services available on all devices and personalized to member needs, combined personal, virtual and continuous conferences, a very broad array of leading practices and guidelines, specialized support and advisory services for members and organizations, the most desired health informatics information service of the country, and many more great changes, value and service to our community are on the horizon”.
In late 2017, the association took on a new brand and a new name: Digital Health Canada. Today, Digital Health Canada can be described as connected, evolving, and impactful, focusing on advancing healthcare through technology and fostering a thriving digital health ecosystem. Three words provide a strong view of the contribution of the professionals and profession: Connect, Inspire, and Empower all those enabling digital health care in Canada. Over 7500 Digital Health Canada members enjoy a broad array of services, resources, leading-edge information, peer and executive connections, high-value education, and professional development events and collaborative networking opportunities. Serving individuals, public and private sector organizations, start-ups, colleges and universities, and students, Digital Health Canada opens the door to advance, advocate, and enable digital health for Canadians.
All of this from the past 10 years and yes, the past 50 years and in the next decade, much more. As well noted again from 2015, “people, connecting, networking, volunteering, writing, staffing, sharing, learning, celebrating and associating together in their much-loved association” …Digital Health Canada.
Don Newsham served as president of the COACH Board of Directors from 2004-2006 and as CEO from 2006-2015. Learn more about Digital Health Canada’s 50th Anniversary here.