Dubai Health Authority completes final phase of Salama electronic medical records system roll-out

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has completed the third and final phase of the unified electronic medical record (EMR) system Salama, in Latifa Hospital, Hatta Hospital, Thalassemia Centre, Dubai Gynecology and Fertility Centre and all DHA Medical Fitness Centres across the emirate.

Salama, which was launched in February 2016, is a DHA-wide project that aims to provide patients and doctors access to medical records through a patient portal and ensures that the electronic patient medical record is available across all DHA health facilities.

Humaid Al Qutami, chairman of the board and director general of the DHA, said the authority is keen to achieve initiatives and projects that aim to fulfil its goals towards a happier and healthier community in line with the vision of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leadership.

Al Qutami pointed out that the authority has completed the Salama project in record time as it was initially expected to launch in 2018, however the authority hurried it up due to the urgency and importance of having such a unified electronic medical records system.

Amani Al Jassmi, director of information technology at the DHA, said Salama allows vital patient information such as the medical history of the patient and their family, the surgeries the patient has undergone, lab test results and X-ray reports, to be accessed by any DHA doctor at the ease from all DHA facilities across the emirate.

Al Jassmi added that this reduces the patient’s waiting time, reduce costs and allow patients to communicate with doctors quickly. “Patients are not the only benefiters of the electronic medical records system, as Salama will also allow doctors to use pre-customised order sets in seconds to provide patients the care they deserve faster,” she said.

“It helps nurses access patients’ medical records instantly and from anywhere in the DHA IT infrastructure. In addition, it allows admins to prepare and print reports for patients more quickly so that they can focus their time on more important tasks.”

Allied health staff are now enabled to assess patients’ progress by using historical lab results to make more informed decisions on their care.

Al Jassmi said what makes Salama special is the fact that the electronic medical records system integrates 25 applications into one interface. “It also provides healthcare providers across the DHA network with quick access to patient records,” she added.

Healthcare providers on the DHA network will receive consolidated and integrated patient information, giving them a comprehensive overview of the patient’s condition.

“At present, 11,000 DHA employees have been trained to use Salama, while the 60 employees who have worked on implementing Salama have been trained in the UAE and in the US by the international company EPIC,” she said.

The first phase was launched in April in Rashid Hospital, Barsha Health Centre, Airport Medical Centre, Dermatology Centre, and Dubai Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre.

The second phase of the electronic medical records went live in August in Dubai Hospital, Dubai Diabetes Centre, the Family Gathering Centre and all Primary Health Care Centres.

According to the DHA, 1.4 million patient medical records and more than 112 million transactions have been transferred to the Salama system. ... ... ...