In Healthcare, IT Is Vital – Part 2: Focusing on follow-up from birth

You can work in information technology in many sectors; however, in a hospital, it’s different. Every outage can slow a diagnosis, every delay can postpone care, and every security breach can threaten the confidentiality of some of the most sensitive data. Protecting patients, countering increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, and maintaining a huge network that is active day and night: these are unique responsibilities at the heart of the hospital environment.

Behind these challenges are passionate women and men who have chosen to apply their expertise in the service of healthcare. Their work is measured not just in data, but in lives.

Last week we introduced you to Patrick McClintock's work. Over the next few weeks, we will introduce you to a new member of the information technology team, someone who is behind the technologies we use every day.

Focusing on follow-up from birth

At the MUHC, Raif El-Chabab is the Technical Manager for Quebec’s Newborn Hearing Screening Program. Each year, approximately 85,000 babies are born in Quebec.

The goal: to detect hearing loss early and guide parents to the right resources.

The system developed makes it possible to track each birth, record the tests performed, and ensure communication between institutions. If a test is negative, that's great. If it is positive, follow-up is initiated with a diagnostic confirmation centre, then with an audiologist or rehabilitation centre. The challenge is to ensure that 100 per cent of children are followed up, with none overlooked.

Trained as a mathematician, Raif worked in the banking sector before joining the MUHC in 2017. In 2018, he began working on this provincial program. “Here, I’m helping people. It’s not math for math’s sake, it’s about improving health,” he says.

A lover of children, he also volunteers at the Montreal Children's Hospital. “Three hours a week, I give parents a little break. Once, I even took a little patient for a walk while singing. Giving without expecting anything in return is very fulfilling.”

Experts serving healthcare

Whether it’s deploying clinical applications, analyzing data, supporting newborn screening, or maintaining IT infrastructure, IT professionals share a common belief: in healthcare, IT is not just about systems. It is a direct commitment to patients.