Ottawa Hospital Pioneers Advanced Big-Data Analytics to Improve Patient Care
The Globe and Mail website noted that an important goal for hospitals is improved care. Delivering it in a way that is safe and appropriate for patients – as well as effective and useful for workers in the health system – is especially critical. For Dr. Alan Forster, executive vice-president and chief innovation and quality officer at The Ottawa Hospital, and Deanna Rothwell, its director of analytics, harnessing digital innovation is key to personalizing treatment, advancing research and streamlining operations. Building capacity to use data is especially critical as there are calls for a national health-care data strategy and infrastructure in Canada, Dr. Forster points out. The aim is to create an “open innovation platform” to test ideas in a safe, regulated environment. “We have to open minds to new ways of doing things.”