Health Providers Who Share Patient Health Information Electronically
High indicator results are desirable.
Percentage of health providers who have reported being able to electronically (excluding fax) share patient data, including clinical summaries, with health care providers outside of their practice
Total number of health providers (based on weighted survey responses from the National Survey of Canadian Physicians)
Total number of health providers who reported “Exchange of patient clinical summaries with care providers outside of your practice” for the following question:
“Please indicate which of the following aspects of clinical care communication between providers occurs electronically directly from/to your practice system (not via fax/e-fax)?”
(based on weighted survey responses from the National Survey of Canadian Physicians)
Methodology
Name
Health Providers Who Share Patient Health Information Electronically
Short/Other Names
Not applicable
Description
Health providers who exchange patient health data and information with other providers outside of their main practice setting using electronic tools (excluding fax)
Rationale
This indicator supports the measurement of health providers’ use of electronic tools and systems for care coordination and collaboration. The use of electronic tools to share patient information supports efficient care delivery as patients progress through the health system. Electronic information exchange between providers in different practice settings can be supplemented by traditional means of information exchange, such as faxing and mailing documents.
This indicator can help measure provider uptake of electronic information exchange tools as an early indicator of availability of these tools and of clinician behaviour change.
Interpretation
High indicator results are desirable.
HSP Framework Dimension
Health system inputs and characteristics: Health system innovation and learning capacity
Areas of Need
Not applicable
Targets/Benchmarks
Not applicable
Available Data Years
(calendar years)
Geographic Coverage
- All provinces/territories except Quebec
Reporting Level/Disaggregation
- National
- Province/Territory
- Provider
- Age group
- Gender
- Specialty
- Practice setting
Indicator Results
Update Frequency
Every 2 to 3 years
Survey frequency varies by types of health provider.
Work is underway to collect future information for this indicator from Statistics Canada’s survey data sources.
Latest Results Update Date
Updates
Not applicable
Description
Percentage of health providers who have reported being able to electronically (excluding fax) share patient data, including clinical summaries, with health care providers outside of their practice
Type of Measurement
Percentage or proportion - Rate
Denominator
Description:
Total number of health providers (based on weighted survey responses from the National Survey of Canadian Physicians)
Inclusions:
Health providers surveyed who provide direct patient care
Numerator
Description:
Total number of health providers who reported “Exchange of patient clinical summaries with care providers outside of your practice” for the following question:
“Please indicate which of the following aspects of clinical care communication between providers occurs electronically directly from/to your practice system (not via fax/e-fax)?”
(based on weighted survey responses from the National Survey of Canadian Physicians)
Inclusions:
Health providers surveyed who provide direct patient care
Method of Adjustment
Sample weight
Adjustment Applied
None
Geographic Assignment
Not applicable
Data Sources
- 2024 National Survey of Canadian Physicians: Use of Digital Health and Information Technologies in Practice
Caveats and Limitations
Indicator results are not fully representative of all health providers in Canada. In 2024, survey respondents were limited to physicians. Future reporting will include other providers.
Additionally, due to the existing variations in provider settings, populations, specialties and geography, there may be limitations in the generalizability of results.
Indicator results are statistically weighted using membership data from the Canadian Medical Association.
Results for Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island are based on small volumes. Caution should be used when interpreting these results.
Finally, indicator results are influenced by providers’ knowledge of the digital solutions they use. This could result in more favourable responses, as they may be unable to differentiate between tools like e-fax and fully electronic solutions.
Trending Issues
None
References
Canada Health Infoway. 2024 National Survey of Canadian Physicians: Use of Digital Health and Information Technologies in Practice. Accessed September 17, 2024.
Canadian Institute for Health Information. The state of the health workforce in Canada, 2022. Accessed September 2023.
How to cite:
Canadian Institute for Health Information. Health Providers Who Share Patient Health Information Electronically. Accessed April 25, 2025.
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Comments
This indicator is part of a set of common indicators to measure progress on the priority areas to improve health care announced by federal, provincial and territorial governments in 2023. Additional information is available on the Shared Health Priorities web page.
Work is currently underway to collect future information for this indicator from Statistics Canada’s survey data sources.