eReferral CoP Session #5

On June 17, 2025, the eReferral Community of Practice (CoP) came together to collaboratively discuss how to establish and interpret metrics. This page outlines the group’s discussions.

Metrics – A Discussion Across Provinces

Understanding and establishing metrics is a topic that is faced by all jurisdictions working to implement eReferral. As such, two provinces, Ontario and New Brunswick, presented their current and past experiences with eReferral metrics, offering both challenges and successes. 

Establishing Metrics – Setting the Stage

• Establishing a Data Governance Framework will enable teams to develop structure and clarity of the stewardship, ownership, management, accountability and authority of the data​ as well as outline how the data can be used and analyzed.
• Similarly, it ensures that there are goals or strategies to manage and monitor the data to support the purposes for which the data is being collected.
• It is encouraged that teams leverage multiple data sources, ensuring that the data is as fulsome as possible – there are multiple unique identifiers that enable this.
• When possible, integrate data into dashboards, reports, and visuals to provide accessible and meaningful insights to support monitoring, reporting and change management related activities.

The Challenges

1. Sender data is a complex data point within the eReferral usage analytics. The standardization is limited when compared to other data elements like receiver data.
2. Issues can arise when the data has multiple identifiers i.e., clinicians work out of multiple locations and/or organizations, or there is variety in how clinicians enter their personal information throughout their utilization.
3. Sender data volume and variability make analysis a challenge; key factors influencing reporting include fax referrals transcribed into the system, multiple practice locations or organizational affiliations, and user location data i.e., postal code or region.
4. Defining meaningful metrics can sometimes be a challenge due to how data is collected, i.e., retrospective.
5. Metrics may also need to be changed and revised over time as the datasets change and grow. New factors may begin to affect calculations that were not previously present; Ongoing monitoring and maintenance of the data collection, analysis, and methodology is encouraged.

Questions?

Have questions? Complete this submission form and a member of the eReferral CoP will respond as soon as possible. Note: Some questions may require discussion and will be presented at a future quarterly eReferral CoP meeting.  

If you are just looking to stay informed on the eReferral CoP meeting topic, an update will be available following each quarterly session.