A novel technology for harmonizing and analyzing cancer data. Observations from integrating health connect in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Objective: This article aims to describe the implementation of a new health information technology system called Health Connect that is harmonizing cancer data in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador; explain high-level technical details of this technology; provide concrete examples of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health informatics journal Vol. 30; no. 3; p. 14604582241267792
Main Authors: Dowden, Jeffrey J, Pretty, Ryan W, Shea, Jennifer M, Dermody, Matthew, Doyle, Gregory, Antle, Scott, Bond, Dan
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England 01.07.2024
Subjects:
Artificial Intelligence - trends
Early Detection of Cancer - methods
Female
Humans
Medical Informatics - methods
Neoplasms
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
cancer registry
cancer screening
databases and data mining
data harmonization
machine learning
data integration
electronic health record
dashboard
ISSN:1460-4582, 1741-2811, 1741-2811
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective: This article aims to describe the implementation of a new health information technology system called Health Connect that is harmonizing cancer data in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador; explain high-level technical details of this technology; provide concrete examples of how this technology is helping to improve cancer care in the province, and to discuss its future expansion and implications. Methods: We give a technical description of the Health Connect architecture, how it integrated numerous data sources into a single, scalable health information system for cancer data and highlight its artificial intelligence and analytics capacity. Results: We illustrated two practical achievements of Health Connect. First, an analytical dashboard that was used to pinpoint variations in colon cancer screening uptake in small defined geographic regions of the province; and second, a natural language processing algorithm that provided AI-assisted decision support in interpreting appropriate follow-up action based on assessments of breast mammography reports. Conclusion: Health Connect is a cutting-edge, health systems solution for harmonizing cancer screening data for practical decision-making. The long term goal is to integrate all cancer care data holdings into Health Connect to build a comprehensive health information system for cancer care in the province.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1460-4582
1741-2811
1741-2811
DOI:10.1177/14604582241267792