Prince George, B.C.- A new software program  developed at UNBC will  help health care professionals throughout Northern B.C.  find the most  appropriate health care facility in the province  for  their patients.

The  software was developed by Dr. Waqar Haque a computer science and business professor at UNBC, and students from UNBC’s Computer Science and Business programs.   It  offers  facility profiles and information, enabling health care sites to be assessed on multiple services a patient may require, such as specialists on site, diagnostic equipment available, and patient care services.  In addition, facilities can easily update service changes using a simple web form, which then automatically uploads to the entire system.

Information from health services in more than 26 facilities in northern BC was integrated into the system created for Northern Health.

“This has been a great partnership with UNBC that will profoundly impact care for out-of-town patients,” said Beth Ann Derksen, Northern Health’s Executive Lead of Critical Care. “Transfers between health facilities have usually meant a lot of time spent on phone calls and looking up various information. What can sometimes take up to four hours to do, involving various staff, will be reduced to about ten minutes.”