Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Whitby, Ontario) was recently spotlighted in Canadian Healthcare Technology for being the first in Canada to implement MEDITECH’s Expanse Genomics solution for pharmacogenetics.
Ontario Shores announced earlier this year that it would offer free pharmacogenetic testing for eligible patients to improve outcomes. Initially, the testing is focused on improving the treatment of patients admitted with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, with plans for potential expansion in the future.
By leveraging MEDITECH’s integrated Expanse Genomics solution, Ontario Shores can tailor medication doses to each patient’s unique genetic profile, potentially improving treatment outcomes and shortening hospital stays.
“Anti-psychotic pharmacotherapy is often a trial-and-error process,” said Dr. Phil Klassen, Ontario Shores’ vice-president of medical affairs and research. “While psychiatrists do have some guidance based on research, clinical experience and a patient’s personal and family history, without genetic data, their ability to tailor medication choices to an individual’s unique needs is limited.”
The solution integrates genetic information and evidence-based guidance directly into the Expanse workflow so clinicians are able to easily access important data specific to each patient for more informed decisions and personalized care plans.
“Having discrete data in the EHR is important because you can’t easily update a PDF with new information about a gene or drug,” Dr. Klassen said. “Plus, you need this data for proper research. Researching from PDFs is tedious; you’d have to hire someone to sift through them manually. With discrete data in an EHR, you can load it and get to work right away.”
Read the full article in Canadian Healthcare Technology to learn more about how Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences is advancing healthcare with personalized care.
