Jamieson R
Center for Health Information Infrastructure, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Clin Perform Qual Health Care. 1997 Apr-Jun;5(2):76-80.
Community Health Centres (CHCs) across Canada are providing essential health and social services to many communities, and this function is becoming more vital as provinces concentrate on cutting costs and developing more economic and efficient solutions to the current healthcare system. More than 300 of these community-based organizations currently serve upwards to 13% of the Canadian population, providing a wide range of services in an attempt to promote total wellness in their communities. Over one half of all CHCs are located in rural or remote areas. However, despite the apparent need for, and success of, CHCs, they are among the most underserved health provision groups in the country. Many CHCs lack critical funding and resources, particularly in the area of technology. In this Information Age, the health sector is realizing the importance of using information technologies to increase efficiency, improve services, and maintain viability. Community Health Centres, however, often do not have money for even the most basic technologies such as fax machines, let alone computers and Internet access. Community Health Centres in Canada need to be given the tools they need in order to continue providing quality health care to their communities. This article provides an overview of the current situation of CHCs in Canada vis(-)à-vis the Internet and other information technologies. Some of the practical and organizational challenges facing CHCs in this area will be discussed, as well as potential solutions that could and are being developed to overcome these barriers. It is an objective of this article to facilitate information and resource-sharing and the creation of links between CHCs across Canada. Community Health Centres may benefit from better understanding of the implications of these new technologies, discovering ways in which their peers are using the Internet, and communicating with one another in order to begin basic planning and needs assessments. As part of this overview, a brief update on the status of the HealthNet Community Access Pilot will be provided. The HealthNet Community Access Pilot is a collaborative project aimed at educating and providing CHCs across Canada with the tools to help them begin implementing Internet systems and policies within their own context. Part of this grassroots effort involves developing appropriate technical solutions, software, training materials, and support resources to help demystify and simplify the technology. Some of these tools and recommendations will be available at ITCH '96 for use by other CHCs.
加拿大各地的社区健康中心（CHCs）正在为许多社区提供基本的健康和社会服务，随着各省专注于削减成本并为当前的医疗保健系统开发更经济高效的解决方案，这一职能正变得愈发重要。目前，超过300个这类社区组织为多达13%的加拿大人口提供服务，提供广泛的服务以促进其所在社区的全面健康。所有社区健康中心中有超过一半位于农村或偏远地区。然而，尽管社区健康中心显然有需求且取得了成功，但它们却是该国医疗服务最欠缺的群体之一。许多社区健康中心缺乏关键资金和资源，尤其是在技术领域。在这个信息时代，卫生部门正意识到利用信息技术提高效率、改善服务和维持生存能力的重要性。然而，社区健康中心往往连传真机这类最基本的技术设备都没钱购置，更不用说电脑和互联网接入了。需要为加拿大的社区健康中心提供它们所需的工具，以便继续为其所在社区提供高质量的医疗保健服务。本文概述了加拿大社区健康中心在互联网及其他信息技术方面的现状。将讨论社区健康中心在这一领域面临的一些实际和组织挑战，以及为克服这些障碍可能且正在开发的潜在解决方案。本文的一个目标是促进信息和资源共享，并在加拿大各地的社区健康中心之间建立联系。社区健康中心可能会从更好地理解这些新技术的影响、发现同行使用互联网的方式以及相互交流以开始基础规划和需求评估中受益。作为这一概述的一部分，将简要介绍健康网络社区接入试点项目的现状。健康网络社区接入试点项目是一个合作项目，旨在教育加拿大各地的社区健康中心并为其提供工具，帮助它们在自身环境中开始实施互联网系统和政策。这项基层工作的一部分包括开发适当的技术解决方案、软件、培训材料和支持资源，以帮助揭开技术神秘面纱并简化技术。其中一些工具和建议将在1996年信息技术与社区健康会议（ITCH '96）上供其他社区健康中心使用。
