Digital Health Strategy 2026 - 2029

The mission of ErinoakKids is to help children and youth achieve optimal levels of independence, learning, health and well-being. Our work is guided every day by our values of Excellence, Collaboration, Integrity and Inclusion. 

Our 2026-2029 Digital Health Strategy enables the ErinoakKids vision of a seamless pathway for children, youth and families through a full continuum of integrated care. 

Through exploring digital solutions to strengthen partnerships, empower families, create opportunities for clinicians to spend more meaningful time engaged directly with families, and better information sharing with the provincial pediatric and community care system, we will continue to improve the client experience of ErinoakKids.

The pillars of the Digital Health Strategy - Connected Communities and Partners, Client and Family Empowerment, Human Centred Care and Innovation and Digital Foundations and Organizational Excellence - align with our Strategic Priorities. As we explore new technologies and connections, we remain committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of those in our care.

Learn more about the four pillars of the Digital Health Strategy below: 

 Connected Communities and Partners    

Intent

Strengthen connection, trust, and collaboration across ErinoakKids, families, and system partners by enabling secure, interoperable, and accessible digital information sharing that reduces administrative burden and supports coordinated, continuous care. 

Ensure solutions meet privacy, consent, and health information protection requirements while remaining easy to use for non-technical audiences.

Key Initiatives

1. Enable secure, modern information sharing with families and partners

• Implement secure digital platforms that allow clients, families, and external partners to send, receive, and update information electronically, reducing reliance on faxing and paper processes. 

• Launch SharePoint-based collaboration sites and secure electronic forms to support referrals, documentation exchange, and communication.

2. Connect with provincial information-sharing repositories

• Align ErinoakKids’ digital ecosystem with provincial interoperability and information-sharing standards, supporting seamless exchange across the broader pediatric and community care system.

• Advance technical and governance readiness to enable participation in provincial repositories, referral pathways, and shared clinical platforms, reducing duplication and fragmentation of care.
• Collaborate with partners to establish consistent expectations for data quality, consent management, and shared accountability. 
• Continue to advance digital information sharing with partner community. 

3. Expand accessible and inclusive digital engagement channels

• Explore alternative and emerging data sources and tools that improve accessibility and inclusivity, such as: 
  • Live captioning and translation technologies to support diverse language and accessibility needs.
  • Conversational tools (e.g., chatbots or guided digital assistants) to provide timely information, wayfinding, and status updates. 

• Embed recognized accessibility standards from the outset to minimize digital barriers for families and partners. 

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 Client & Family Digital Empowerment  

Intent

Empower clients and families with greater control, transparency, and convenience in managing their care through intuitive, secure self‑service digital tools that simplify interactions and support meaningful partnership across the care journey.

Key Initiatives

1. Simplify and standardize digital onboarding for clients and families

• Automatically enroll clients and families into the ErinoakKids Connect portal as part of the intake and onboarding process, reducing barriers to access and improving early engagement. 

• Ensure onboarding processes are simple, intuitive, and supported by clear guidance for families with varying levels of digital literacy.

2. Expand digital self-service capabilities for care management 

• Enhance the ErinoakKids Connect portal to support appointment scheduling and cancellations, improving flexibility for families and reducing administrative workload. 

• Enable two-way communication through text messaging responses, allowing families to interact quickly and conveniently while maintaining appropriate privacy controls. 

3. Enable secure digital submission of health information by families

• Provide families with the ability to securely submit health-related and administrative documents directly to ErinoakKids through online forms with upload capabilities, reducing paper exchanges and family burden. 

• Simplify how families share critical information, reduces delays in care, and strengthen trust through secure, transparent digital processes. 

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 Human-Centred Care Innovation  

Intent

Enhance the quality, safety, and responsiveness of care by introducing intelligent, human‑centred digital tools that support clinicians, reduce cognitive and administrative burden, and enable proactive service planning—while ensuring all clinical judgment and relationships remain clinician‑led.

Key Initiatives

1. Support clinical decision making through Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled access to information

• Explore and evaluate AI-powered electronic chart search and summarization capabilities to help clinicians quickly locate and synthesize relevant information across client records. 

• Reduce time spent navigating documentation so clinicians can spend meaningful time engaged directly with clients and families.

2. Advance responsible use of AI through structured evaluation and governance

• Continue exploring emerging AI-enabled tools and use cases that support service delivery, clinical efficiency, and administrative workload reduction. 

• Evaluate AI initiatives using defined criteria that balance clinical value, staff experience, client impact, risk, ethics, and return on investment. 
• Ensure all AI use aligns with the ErinoakKids’ AI governance framework, reinforcing transparency, privacy protection, bias monitoring, and ethical use.

3. Utilize predictive analytics to anticipate and respond to demand 

• Leverage data and analytics to identify patterns, trends, and emerging service demands across programs. 

• Use predictive insights to support operational decision-making, enabling a more sustainable, responsive, and proactive care environment. 

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 Digital Foundations & Organizational Excellence  

Intent

Enable sustainable, high‑quality care by strengthening the digital, data, and governance foundations that support how people work—leveraging automation, secure platforms, trusted partnerships, and strong cybersecurity to improve efficiency, decision‑making, and organizational resilience.

Key Initiatives

1. Enhance accessibility to data and analytics for informed decision-making

• Establish clear pathways for the efficient and timely dissemination of data and analytics across the organization. 

• Empower staff at all levels with actionable insights to support day‑to‑day decision‑making, quality improvement, and enhanced client care. 

2. Use automation to reduce administrative burden and improve efficiency

• Implement targeted automation across administrative and operational processes to reduce manual effort, duplication, and delays, freeing staff to focus on value‑added and client‑centred work.

3. Complete migration to an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) framework

• Complete the transition to a consistent, enterprise‑wide content management framework, enabling efficient collaboration and information sharing. 

• Maintain high standards of data integrity, privacy, security, and accessibility, ensuring information is trusted, protected, and easy to locate. 

4. Digitize staff records to modernize workforce management

• Migrate staff files from paper‑based records to secure electronic records within ErinoakKids’ information systems, improving accessibility, accuracy, and continuity. 

• Ensure staff records are managed in alignment with privacy, security, retention, and audit requirements, supporting streamlined recruitment, onboarding, and talent management.

5. Strengthen data governance, technology foundations, and partnerships

• Reinforce data governance, privacy, security, and technology frameworks to support trusted use of data, analytics, and emerging digital solutions. 

• Continue an intentional partnership with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital to maintain a secure, resilient, and scalable IT infrastructure. 
  
  
• Prioritize cybersecurity, risk management, and system reliability as foundational to service delivery and organizational trust. 
  
  
• Coordinate planning, investment, and priorities to ensure technology infrastructure supports both current needs and future growth. 

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Download a PDF version of our Digital Health Strategy (2026-2029) here:

Digital Health Strategy (2026-2029)

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