This blog post is based on the cover story originally published in the November 2025 issue of doctorsNS magazine. Pictured above: Halifax pediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Dave Burnett

On Dec. 6, healthcare providers at IWK Health in Halifax will see a big change to how they do their jobs. That’s the day that the IWK will change to the new One Person One Record (OPOR) clinical information system. It’s the first step in a process that will eventually see every hospital and Nova Scotia Health facility convert to the new system.

Eventually, every patient in Nova Scotia will a health record that can be accessed by care providers in any facility, ensuring that physicians have the most up-to-date information about their patients at their fingertips.

One IWK physician who’s looking forward to the change is Dr. Dave Burnett, Division Head of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition at IWK Health.

On a given day, Dr. Burnett might attend a meeting with other Division Heads, consult on a child on the ward with liver failure, and complete a gastroscopy and colonoscopy to diagnose a child with Crohn disease, all before heading over to see his regular patients in the IWK GI clinic.

“Pediatric GI has a perfect mix of interesting medicine, therapies that work well for most kids, and a great mix of inpatients, outpatients and procedures.”

One ongoing challenge that he and his colleagues face, though, is working with outdated, inefficient paper- and fax-based patient record systems. When he worked in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Dr. Burnett saw firsthand how efficient online records systems could be.

“Moving back to the IWK’s paper-based system in 2022 made clear the significant need for a CIS here in Nova Scotia.”

When he was offered a chance to get involved with the design and implementation of OPOR, Dr. Burnett jumped at the chance. He has worked on the project for about three years, in a variety of roles, including as a physician advisor and change champion.

 “As an IWK Division Head I have also spent considerable time trying to anticipate the needs of our team, and have advocated for training and resources to support our needs,” he says. Each department has had a chance to ensure the new system will meet its needs.

The new system will be implemented at IWK Health on Dec. 6, and the roll-out will continue across the rest of the province in 2026.

Once OPOR has been fully implemented, patient records and processes will be brought together from across IWK Health and Nova Scotia Health (NSH) – for the first time ever. The new system will replace or connect more than 80 programs currently in place in healthcare facilities across the province. With OPOR, hospital-based physicians and providers across the province will be using the same system, helping those who work at multiple sites and creating standardized access to patient information.

“OPOR will bring us much-improved ease and efficiency of data access,” says Dr. Burnett, “without need to access multiple systems that rely on navigating an MS-DOS-based system – an operating system that dates back to the 1980s! – or scanned paper records.”

Community-based physicians, including family physicians, will be able to see information about their patients on OPOR Provider Portal, a secure, web-based clinical viewer that consolidates patient health information across Nova Scotia. By sharing information from IWK Health and NSH with primary care providers, Provider Portal will support continuity of care for patients.

“With the OPOR Provider Portal, my hope is that community physicians will also have improved access to additional valuable clinical information, like inpatient consults, and lab and imaging reports they weren’t copied on,” says Dr. Burnett.

Consolidating information and making it easier for physicians across the province to access, add to and amend will be a boon for everyone, says Dr. Burnett. Physicians will have the information they need about their patients, when they need it, so they can provide the exact care their patients require.

 “There will be major improvements in patient safety,” he says. He’s also anticipating “more efficient and effective communication, with less chance for errors in documentation and handover.”

“It’s going to be a game changer.”

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