Patient data sharing plan rolls out in Dubai

By 2018, health professionals will have complete picture at the click of a button.

Dr Mohammad Al Redha says sharing data will give health services an advantage in treating patients. Pawan Singh / The National

DUBAI // A new two-prong patient data-sharing project in Dubai will mean tailored health care, improved communication between hospitals and better crisis management, its supporters say.

Salama is an electronic medical record system for Dubai Health Authority, and the Nabidh scheme is a patient data exchange.

Both will be up and running in all 34 Dubai hospitals by 2018, giving patients and doctors a single electronic medical file.

A command centre will be established to help crunch patient data and distribute it to hospitals, police and the fire service to help manage crises.

Dr Mohammad Al Redha, director of health data and information analysis at the DHA, said programme costs were not yet available.

“This will allow us to make a powerful analysis of what services are needed in Dubai,” he said.

“Security is going to be world class and in line with UAE regulations on privacy and confidentiality.

“It is a complete science that will allow us to look into the future of health care requirements to both prevent and act when required.”

Under the changes, a doctor who sees a patient for the first time will have full access to that patient’s medical history here.

Amani Al Jassmi, director of information technology at the DHA, said: “It will help improve patient care and patient safety, and improve risk management and organisational quality.”

The system will automatically cross-reference allergic reactions to medication, and provide alerts to draw attention to changes in patients’ medications or conditions.

First responders and paramedics will also have access to patient data.

Doctors will know where spare beds are, or where to find specialists with expertise relevant to a patient’s condition.

“Data sharing will help clinics and hospitals keep track of medication, what is available and what stocks need replenishing,” Dr Al Redha added.

“It is our job as clinicians to find where the medication is, the fastest way possible. Doctors will have access to an inventory of medical stocks so they know what is available and where.”

Data will be integrated with the National Unified Medical Record, which will be developed by the Ministry of Health so that information can be shared not just in Dubai, but across the UAE.

“This will provide huge value to the health care service in Dubai,” said Humaid Al Qatami, the chairman and director general of the DHA.

“These two projects are the largest of their kind in the Middle East in terms of the volume of health data that will generate.

“This big-data will help us build evidence based public health policies.”