Second phase of Dubai Health Authority’s electronic records implementation to start in August 2017

Integrating medical files

Al Qatami said following the completion of the registration process, each and every patient registered in these centres will have one integrated medical file across all facilities that will help a doctor follow a treatment protocol in the event of a hospital transfer and to ensure homogenous treatment.

Salama is a DHA-wide project that aims to centralise access to records for patients and doctors through the new portal across DHA facilities in the emirate of Dubai.

To date, more than 1.4 million DHA patient medical records and more than 12 million transactions have been transferred to the Salama system, according to the DHA.

Al Qatami said to ensure the smooth transition to the new electronic system, patients are requested to provide their Emirates ID, medical card and health insurance.

The implementation of this project is a milestone for the DHA to achieve the authority and Dubai Government’s ambition to move towards digital healthcare.

A radical shift in electronic health services

Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, director general of the Smart Dubai Office, said the Salama EMR launch by the DHA marks a radical shift in the region’s electronic health services. “This project implementation strengthens the overall infrastructure of the health sector in Dubai and will eventually lead to ensuring customer satisfaction and achieving sustainable development,” she said.

In another development, the DHA’s Pharmaceutical Services Department has announced the adoption of a smart system that monitors the temperature of pharmaceuticals to preserve the quality and safety of medication.

Ali Al Sayed, director of the Pharmaceutical Services Department, said the monitoring is considered one of the most important global issues and one of the biggest challenges international health organisations face, as it directly affects the quality, safety and the effectiveness of the medication.

“After conducting a series of studies on international practices in the field of smart medication management systems, the pharmaceutical services department adopted an international-standard smart system that monitors and tracks the temperatures of medication through the installation of smart devices and tablets that can be controlled and tracked electronically,” said Al Sayed. “These systems aim to guarantee a continuous cold chain that will maintain the quality and safety of pharmaceutical medication.”

Registering and documenting temperature

Al Sayed revealed that the smart system adopted by the DHA includes computer tablets incorporated with the medical refrigerators and refrigerator rooms. He added that these tablets will register and document the temperature automatically, and display the data in a graph format that shows the correct temperature limits and documents them.

“The tablets will also send alerts through text messages and emails in the case that the temperature exceeded the required limit. It will provide electronic reports regarding the medical storage and safety of the medication,” he said. “These systems can also be controlled electronically through their own website.” The small smart technology will document the temperature while transporting the medication from the storage to the DHA pharmacies.

“The system was implemented by the authority to maintain patients’ safety and achieve customer satisfaction, as these systems preserve the safety of the medication by tracking and controlling the temperature the medication is subjected to throughout the transportation process until the medication reaches the patient,” he said.