Evolution of a national approach to evaluating the benefits of the electronic health record

Demonstrating the value of eHealth investments to users and other stakeholders, and driving ongoing optimization of benefits are increasingly important components of eHealth implementations in Canada. For these reasons, Canada Health Infoway is working with provincial partners to make research and evaluation an important component in Electronic Health Record (EHR) investments. Leading provinces working with Infoway, including British Columbia, the Province of Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador, are making evaluation a central part of their eHealth strategies and using evaluation results to optimize the benefits of investments. We provide an overview of benefits evaluation strategies and lessons learned. Examples of early evaluations completed and those currently underway provide insights into the challenges and benefits of investments in EHR.