Canada Health Infoway wants Canadians to know about the importance of digitizing their health histories.

The federal agency’s new public education campaign serves as a call to action for Canadians, encouraging them to understand the benefits of electronic health records (EHRs), namely how they will improve their health care.

‘EHRs are seen as nothing more than something administrative,’ says Wendy Novachko, marketing director, Canada Health Infoway. ‘We needed to create relatable situations that invoked an instant understanding of the impact this important and complex task will have to making health care better for all Canadians.’

Developed by Toronto-based Bensimon Byrne, the ‘Knowing is better than not knowing’ effort includes TV ads depicting medical situations that illustrate the pros of the EHRs – like an ER patient who is unable to speak, whose doctors would otherwise have no access to his medical history, allergies and medications. Also included in the media mix, which was planned by Bensimon Byrne and executed by ZenithOptimedia, are online ads, print ads built to run around newspaper content and a microsite that explains (via a user-friendly animation) how EHRs are being implemented and who is involved.

Infoway’s effort constitutes the first significant communication concerning EHRs in Canada. Almost 300 EHR projects are already completed or under way across the country.