Books by heart Creating a therapeutic reading environment for cardiology patients by Suzanne Rent Dr. Gabrielle Horne in her office with a stack of Atlantic Canadian books.
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r. Gabrielle Horne, a cardiologist, researcher and writer, remembers telling a colleague that IT could be used to improve the spirits of her cardiology patients. The colleague asked Dr. Horne for specifics. “What if we had an e-book program for patients?" Dr. Horne suggested. Horne approached Andrew Nemirovsky, senior director IM/IT at Nova Scotia Health, with her idea. Nemirovsky, who’s also a registered nurse, immediately understood. That comment has since evolved into a project called Books by Heart, which will eventually provide all cardiology inpatients with a tablet linked to a local Wi-Fi network so they can access a selection of e-books and audiobooks written by Atlantic Canadian authors. “From the moment the idea sparked, that little moment, it’s had a momentum of its own,” Dr. Horne says. “Normally with a new project you have to convince people it’s a good idea. I haven’t had to convince anyone. It’s just caught fire.”
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