Computer upgrade to force 2-day health services cutback
Many non-emergency services will not be available for two days next week at most health authorities in Nova Scotia as the province upgrades its computer system.
Just like updating home computer software, Meditech— the computer system supporting most of the province's health system — needs a reboot.
Between Nov. 4 and 5, most health authorities won’t be offering blood collection, specimen testing or diagnostic imaging like X-rays and electrocardiography. Capital Health and the IWK won’t be affected.
Emergency services will still be available.
“If you have an order from your physician or your nurse practitioner to get your blood test done or an X-ray done in the next few weeks, you might want to try and get in and do that before next Tuesday and Wednesday,” said South Shore District Health Authority spokesperson Theresa Hawkesworth.
Some walk-in clinics, such as the health clinics at Eastern Kings Memorial Community Health Centre and Western Kings Memorial Health Centre, will also be affected.
Elective surgeries won’t be available in some regions.
“Anything that's routine would not be done,” said Cape Breton District Health Authority spokesperson Lynn Gilbert.
Hawkesworth and Gilbert ask patients to be patient as staff temporarily revert back to pen and paper.
“All the work the system normally does electronically will have to be done manually by the staff in the services that we will have, so we’re trying to minimize the workload that has to be done,” said Gilbert.
"If they're coming in for emergency services or something urgent, make sure they bring their health card because we won't have our computer services and we'll have to register people manually,” said Hawkesworth.
“That could take a bit longer. So people may experience delays."
