Introduction
The pan-Canadian Patient Mediated Access (PMA) is a set of pan-Canadian specifications aiming to create a modern healthcare ecosystem and promote the building blocks in which patients have the control and authority to securely manage and share their health information with authorized healthcare providers and caregivers.
pan-Canadian Shared Health Links (CA:SHL)
The CA:SHL specification is a Canadian Interoperability Specifications (indicated by the CA: prefix) based on the HL7 Health Links Specification, that defines building blocks enabling patients to generate shareable links that encode their health data such as patient summaries or immunization records. These shareable links can often be downloaded onto their devices and converted in a QR code format, facilitating patient-mediated data sharing and interoperability within the healthcare ecosystem.
Note that currently the information included into the CA:SHL is minimal, as the CA:SHL profile is in the process of being contributed to IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise), with the aim of becoming an internationally adopted Integration Profile. As part of this transition, the names of the profiles, actors, and transactions are subject to change and align with international standards and conventions.
Shareable Health Links offers an Integration Profile around SMART Health Link, with the goal to provide implementers with a set of building blocks using the Actor and Transaction paradigm, and a consistent way to conformance test their implementations.
The initial phase of CA:SHL focuses on a subset of the standards, that can be used to build a Minimum Viable Product.
The following are some examples of the benefits of SHLink:
- Enables patients to create, share, and manage their health data using standardized operations based on HL7 standards.
- Facilitates convenient access to health information through easily shareable links, such as QR codes.
- Enhances patient control over their health data, allowing them to decide who can access their information.
- Promotes seamless coordination and collaboration among healthcare providers by providing timely and accurate health information.
- Supports improved continuity of care through efficient data sharing during patient transitions across different care settings.