IWK Health and Virtual Hallway have joined forces to improve genetic health literacy among health care providers and improve access to specialized genetic services for those who need it most. As part of a 12-month CAN Health Network commercialization project at IWK, the partners have developed interactive digital education modules for clinicians to enhance genetic literacy, reduce avoidable referrals and streamline patient care.
Advanced genetic technology has significantly increased the potential for patients to receive diagnostic genetic testing to help inform medical treatment, however these advances have also created challenges for medical genetics service providers. As referrals from community and non-genetic specialist health care providers are outpacing current capacity, patients are experiencing increasingly long wait times to access genetic testing. Providing educational supports can help make patient care more efficient and reduce avoidable referrals to medical genetics services.
“Genetic testing has the potential to revolutionize care by enabling early detection and personalized treatment, but without adequate education, these advancements can become bottlenecks in health care delivery,” said Lee Anne Boutilier, Director, Precision Medicine, IWK Health. “By improving genetic health literacy, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, reduce inefficiencies, and lower health care costs, positioning health care organizations at the forefront of medical innovation and patient-centered care.”
Nova Scotia-based Virtual Hallway is a platform designed by doctors, for doctors, to connect primary care providers directly with specialists to seek advice on patient care. The new education modules, developed by IWK Health and delivered through Virtual Hallway’s platform, will help clinicians make informed decisions about when and how to refer patients to specialized genetic services, and enhance their understanding of the underlying genomic science and how the results impact prognosis, management planning, risk reduction, and treatment approaches.
“Genetic testing has the power to transform patient care, but only if clinicians have the knowledge and support to use it effectively,” said Dr. Jacob Cookey, Co-founder and Medical Education Lead, Virtual Hallway. “This partnership with IWK and CAN Health improves genetic health literacy and empowers providers to make informed decisions—aligning with our vision at Virtual Hallway to connect clinicians to the collective wisdom of every other clinician to improve patient care.”
“Improving genetic health literacy is key to optimizing resources within the health care system,” said Dr. Dante Morra, Founder and Chair of the Coordinated Accessible National (CAN) Health Network. “We are excited to support the collaboration between IWK Health and Virtual Hallway, to help reduce unnecessary referrals and ensure that genetic testing is used effectively to improve care for patients and families.”
The CAN Health Network supports innovative companies like Virtual Hallway with access to real health care environments where they can implement their market-ready solutions, gain valuable feedback from end users and expand across the Network and beyond.
“The CAN Health Network is doing important work to help bring new Canadian health care innovations to market, improving health care outcomes and experiences for all Canadians,” said the Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Small Business. “The partnership between IWK Health and Virtual Hallway is going to enable clinicians to better interpret genetic information so they can make informed decisions about when and how to refer patients for specialized testing. Congratulations to both IWK and Virtual Hallway for putting this project into action.”