An initiative by the Government of Prince Edward Island to enhance the digital health literacy skills of residents.
Collecting and using health data
Your health data isn’t just numbers—it’s a tool used to support care delivery.
Who collects health data?
- Doctors, nurse practitioners and other health professionals across various health care settings (e.g. clinics, hospitals, long-term care homes, and pharmacies)
- Government, health authorities (e.g. Health PEI), national health organizations, researchers
- Other organizations such as insurance companies and health technology companies
How is health data collected?
- Health care visits: when you receive care data might be collected about you (your name, date of birth, medical condition, family health history, etc.) or new data may be generated (e.g. lab results, prescriptions, care plans).
- Personal devices: fitness trackers and smartwatches can monitor things like heart rate, steps taken, sleep patterns and even blood pressure that you can collect and share with your health care providers.
- Surveys and consultations: sometimes surveys (e.g. phone interviews or online questionnaires) are used to collect health data from a smaller number of people to better understand a larger population.
- Research: health data can be gathered during studies aimed at understanding health issues, treatments and patient outcomes.
- Public health monitoring: different sources can be used to help identify trends, outbreaks and potential risks to public health. The sources may include direct reporting (e.g., from health care providers) and data from laboratories.
How health data is protected
PEI, like all other Canadian provinces and territories, has laws in place to keep personal health information secure and confidential.
How health data benefits you
When your doctor or nurse practitioner reviews your health history and test results, they use that data to make informed decisions for your care. This could include adjusting your medication or care plan and determining how best to monitor your health.
How health data benefits your community
Health data can show patterns and trends, like increasing numbers of asthma cases or flu outbreaks. This information helps health teams identify community needs and plan for the future. For example, data can support the creation of new prevention programs or specialty clinics.
Bottom line
Your data helps you. Community data helps everyone. Together, health data supports our healthcare providers and the system to create plans to help improve everyone’s health through big and small changes.