Cervical screening in Canada, 2023-24
Information Technology (IT) systems to support cervical screening
Ten jurisdictions have provincial IT systems for cervical screening. Of those, six have integrated the IT system with other screening programs. Most jurisdictions that have a provincial IT system use it to support operationalizing the cervical screening program and as a data repository.
IT systems
| P/T | Program has a provincial IT system for cervical screening | IT system is integrated with other screening programs (e.g., colon, breast, lung) | IT system is integrated with other health data systems (e.g., Hospital EHR, RIS, Population Registry) related to cervical screening | IT system is used for operationalizing the cervical screening program (e.g., to send reminders, recall, follow-up, etc.). | IT system is used as a data repository (e.g. storage and reporting) | Where is the IT system hosted (e.g., cloud-based, on local server)? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YT | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| NT | ✓* | |||||
| NU | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| BC | ✓ | ✓ | Some | ✓ | ✓ | Local server |
| AB | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Local server | |
| SK | ✓ | ✓^ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | On a Citrix server; data in an Oracle database |
| MB | ✓ | IT system is linked with laboratories for cytology report uploads by program, and cervical cancer screening history look-up by pathologists (for recommendations) IT is not integrated with population registry, but is uploaded monthly with MB Health population data |
✓ | ✓ | Local server | |
| ON~ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Cloud-based |
| QC | ✓** | |||||
| NB | ✓ | ✓‡ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Local server |
| NS | ✓ | ✓ | IT system receives full population registry information weekly | ✓ | ✓ | Local server |
| PE | ✓ | Yes (colon, lung planning for summer 2023) | Yes, client registry | ✓ | No, provincial clinical information system is considered main data repository | Local server |
| NL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Cloud-based |
*NT: Database currently being created for territorial screening programs.
^SK: The Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (SCA) is developing an integrated software across all screening programs (cervical, breast, and colon). The implementation date of CanCheck software is not yet determined.
~ON: The Ontario Cervical Screening Program (OCSP) has access to various administrative data bases which provide data on people who are eligible for cervical screening, cervical screening test results, and limited data related to colposcopy. Data is organized through a provincial IT system which is used to inform the OCSP’s correspondence program and other program features such as monitoring, reporting and evaluation.
**QC: Nous travaillons à mettre en place un système d’information pour tous les dépistages, dont le col de l’utérus.
**NB: NB integrated with colon screening program; planned future integration of lung.
‡NB: Currently integrated with the colon screening program; planned future integration with the lung screening program.
-YT, NU, ON: No information was provided at the time data were collected.