Digital Health • Cardiovascular Network of Canada — CANet

Digital Health

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CANet offers innovative digital health solutions for the management of complex cardiovascular conditions.

Our vision is a transformed healthcare system, driving quality and affordable care for better cardiovascular health outcomes.

CANet has created VIRTUES®.

A holistic, comprehensive digital health approach that provides equity of care to meet the needs of all patients, regardless of geographical, cultural, or systemic barriers.

VIRTUES® — An Innovative Digital Health Solution to Help Patients Manage Complex Health Conditions

To address the critical needs of patients, VIRTUES provides secured digital health tools to access efficient and quality care in all regions across Canada for improved quality of life and better health outcomes.

With patient information collected in VIRTUES, patients receive personalized CareSets for their medical conditions.

Patients may receive different CareSets (modules) in VIRTUES based on their current health conditions and needs.

(example of various CareSets pictured below)

What is a CareSet?

A CareSet is a package of Guideline-Driven Recommendations and Educational Resources that address relevant health conditions tailored to a patient’s needs.

VIRTUES CareSets

  • Antithrombotic Management (Blood Thinning)
  • Post Myocardial Infarction Care (Heart Attack)
  • Rate & Rhythm Management for Atrial Fibrillation
  • Lipid Management (Cholesterol)
  • Hypertension Management (Blood Pressure)
  • Physical Activity
  • Healthy Eating

  • Blood Sugar Management (Diabetes)
  • Smoking Cessation
  • Alcohol Reduction
  • Heart Failure Management
  • COVID-19
  • Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices (CIED)

CareSets In Action

Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices (CIED)

Accessible via mobile and desktop devices, the Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices (CIED) CareSet provides remote support to patients with a CIED.

Features:

  • helping patients who live with pacemakers and ICD implants through a shift to patient-centred care
  • a patient-orientated CIED management model that allows patients to view up-to-date information about their ICD/pacemaker and receive communications about transmissions
  • accessible feedback between a patient and their care team regarding the need for any action or therapy

Highlights:

  • Over 500 patients (ICD and Pacemaker) are currently enrolled in the VIRTUES CIED study.
  • Patient and CIED clinic staff feedback are continuously incorporated into the design of the CIED CareSet, which includes demographics, medical conditions, laboratory data, medications, and education to allow a comprehensive analysis followed by the determination of the most appropriate management plan by the caregivers and the patient.
    • Feedback is then further incorporated into all other VIRTUES CareSets.

COVID-19

The COVID-19 CareSet improves access and delivery of quality care, reduces stress for COVID-19-positive patients, decreases exposure to all communities, and protects essential front-line healthcare workers from the virus.

Features:

  • patient monitoring and management from the onset of their symptoms
  • temperature
  • O2 saturation
  • pulse rate (with a provided home-based pulse oximeter)
  • symptom log tracking with critical alerts for communication between a patient and physician
  • feedback and communication between a patient and their COVID-19 care team regarding the need
  • for important action or therapy

Highlights

  • In use by over 800 patients across Ontario.
    • 5 hospitals in Ontario (London, Toronto, St. Mary’s, Niagara, and Ottawa).
  • A patient requiring immediate hospitalization was identified through COVID-19 CareSet.
    • The attending physician was able to arrange prompt ambulance pick-up and admittance of the patient, following COVID-19 safety protocols, into the hospital.
    • The patient successfully recovered — a tremendous demonstration of COVID-19 CareSet.

VIRTUES provides access to expert care at home in patients’ communities.

To date, over 1,800 patients have used/continue to use the VIRTUES digital health platform.

Patient-Driven Cardiac Care

By collecting, integrating, and analyzing data, VIRTUES has the capability to deliver personalized Guideline-Driven Recommendations and Educational Resources for each patient’s specific medical condition tailored to their needs.

Patient Feedback

  • “I appreciated being able to upload my information to VIRTUES and be monitored by health care professionals.”
  • “I am so thankful for VIRTUES. It was so difficult being isolated, sick, and alone like I was with [my partner] in critical care. My stress level was so high and the clinic helped me through it. Amazing service and it definitely made me feel connected to the health care system without leaving my home.”
  • “I liked knowing that a professional was monitoring my vitals and symptoms through VIRTUES. Also, when something was unusual the comments and the phone call to ask for more were very reassuring.”
  • “VIRTUES is simple, effective, and informative. The follow-up calls from doctors are immensely helpful to understand this virus and to know what to expect. Therefore it reduces anxiety. Thank you to all medical professionals and support staff for their time and genuine care.”

Get Involved

Want to learn more, partner with us, or a patient who wants to get involved with a study? Contact us!

What is 7+4?

Privacy and Security

Working with our partners, VIRTUES is compliant with all Canadian healthcare privacy laws.

VIRTUES is being used in centres with privacy impact reviews and REB approval in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec

Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) Compliance

VIRTUES platform infrastructure maintains Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) compliance with data-at-rest and in-transit encryption, firewall services, data backup services, and data replication to a second site for disaster recovery capabilities.

 

AWS Data Centre Service Delivery

VIRTUES service delivery infrastructure is located within a tier 3 data centre, maintaining all standard security and operational certifications.

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)

VIRTUES is also unique in comparison to other virtual health care models.

The digital health platform uses Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standards describing data formats and elements for exchanging electronic health records in hospital systems.

The Health Level Seven (HL7) International healthcare standards organization created the standard.

ISO 27001, 27017, 27018, and SOC II Certified

VIRTUES maintains ISO 27001, 27017, 27018, and SOC II certifications and a federal government security clearance level of “Secret” for data sets that require that level of protection.

The infrastructure is hosted by ThinkON, a Canadian organization with established security practices that both ISO and SOC II auditors have reviewed.

In The Media

Healthcare Tech Outlook

Multidisciplinary Healthcare Network for Enhanced Cardiac Treatment

CANet is recognized as one of Canada’s ‘Top 20 Canada Healthcare Tech Solutions Providers’