News

Longueuil – Just days before the implementation of the digital health record system (Dossier santé numérique, or DSN), the APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) is raising serious concerns about how prepared employees are in the showcase institutions. According to a recent survey of its members in the CIUSSS de la Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec and CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, over half of those surveyed do not feel ready to use the DSN in their day-to-day work.

“This is not about resisting change: our members understand the need to modernize the system,” said APTS president Robert Comeau. “But right now, too many feel like they are being asked to work with a system that’s incomplete or poorly suited to the realities of their work.”

Training completed, but insufficient for a number of sectors

The survey shows that nearly 80% of respondents have completed the training required by their employer. Yet fewer than 13% feel adequately prepared to work with the DSN starting May 9. Concerns are especially strong in technical medical departments – medical imaging, radiation oncology, nuclear medicine and laboratories – as well as in mental health, clinical nutrition and physical rehabilitation. “The problem isn’t their willingness to train, but the disparity between the training provided and the realities of clinical work,” the APTS president said. “Care pathways are currently incomplete, poorly configured or fail to cover the full range of professional tasks in several sectors.”

Little real practice and serious ethical questions

Nearly 62% of respondents say they were unable to complete the recommended minimum weekly hour of practice in the DSN simulation environment, in part due to a lack of time. In several sectors, the practice tools are considered incomplete or nonexistent, which limits employees’ ability to become sufficiently familiar with the system before it is implemented.

This situation also raises serious ethical concerns. These professionals – particularly in social work, mental health and rehabilitation – worry that they won’t be able to fully meet their professional obligations due to the lack of forms and tools that comply with the requirements of their order.

Clear expectations of Santé Québec

Against this backdrop, the APTS isn’t calling for the project to be scrapped or delayed, but is urging Santé Québec to act quickly to reduce risks for both employees and Quebecers by:

·        ensuring a rapid, targeted catch-up on training, particularly in technical medical departments and the highest-risk clinical sectors;

·        promptly correcting care pathways and clinical tools that are still inadequate or incomplete, particularly in medical imaging, mental health and physical rehabilitation;

·        making public a clear, transparent and realistic clinical catch-up plan for the services affected, taking into account the withdrawal of regular services, accumulated backlogs, the summer period and staffing shortages;

·        ensuring strengthened clinical and IT support after the implementation, with properly trained and readily available superusers.

“Implementing the digital health record system isn’t just an IT conversion; it is a deep shift in professional practice,” said Robert Comeau. “If the transition goes ahead without the necessary fixes, there’s a risk of undermining access to quality care and services, while further exhausting employees. Listening to workers now is how we avoid breaks in services later on.”

The APTS

The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) represents more than 68,000 members who play a key role in ensuring that health and social services institutions run smoothly. Our members provide a wide range of services for all Quebecers, including diagnostic, rehabilitation, nutrition, psychosocial intervention, clinical support, and prevention services.