Abu Dhabi // An online database of patients' medical records will start in the northern Emirates next year, connecting public hospitals and clinics under a Dh300 million (US$82m) Ministry of Health programme. The ministry signed a contract yesterday for the project, called Wareed. The ministry hopes to expand it nationwide eventually.
Its aim is to eliminate duplication and to reduce registration times, medication errors, adverse drug reactions and the length of hospital stays. It would take three years for the system to be operating in the ministry's 14 hospitals and 68 affiliated clinics, said Humaid al Quattami, the Health Minister. He said he hoped the system would not only improve patient care, but also increase public confidence in the healthcare system.
"This is a pioneering project which is the first of its kind in the Middle East and which is in line with the world's most advanced public healthcare regimes that will set new standards in one of the most valued facets of our society. It will mean that each hospital and clinic will be able to access and update a patient's record regardless of where they are." Each of the 1.5 million patients in ministry records would get a unique number linked to an online record system.
Doctors and nurses will have access to each patient's record, while people will be able to view their own records online. Security measures will be put in place to protect sensitive medical information. Mr Quattami said two hospitals, probably Al Qassimi Hospital in Sharjah and one in another of the northern Emirates, would operate pilot programmes by mid-2009. If they were successful, two more hospitals and their affiliated clinics would join every three months. It is estimated that all the hospitals and clinics would be online by October 2011.
Mr Quattami said: "As physicians gain unfettered and faster access to medical records, Wareed will bring about improved inpatient and outpatient care whilst acting as an additional barrier against the possibility of medical errors. "Furthermore, it will increase confidence levels in the overall quality and efficiency of the public healthcare system." Dr Salem al Darmaki, the head of the ministry's strategic team, said he hoped that eventually the system would link with a similar one already operating in Abu Dhabi and the new one being set up in Dubai, to create a nationwide system.
A few ministry clinics in Dubai would use the system from the start, in addition to the northern Emirates facilities. Dr Darmaki also said training was a major part of the project. "Training of staff in the hospitals and clinics is a big part of the contract for this. We want to make sure the system works in the best way it can. We are doing this to serve the population of the UAE as a whole."
To protect patients' confidentiality, the system would limit access to some information on patients to specific doctors and nurses. Fingerprint passwords system are also being considered to enhance security. The system could enhance the role of the internet in health care. The ministry said once it was in place, patients could contact their doctor via a home computer, sending and receiving information in an online consultation. The project is to be managed by Dubai-based Hybrid Health Solutions and implemented by a consortium led by IT systems integration and consulting company iCapital. Other members include Cerner Corporation, Gulf Business Machines and Injazat Data Systems, a joint venture of Mubadala Development Company and Electronic Data Systems. Dr Mohammad al Atar, managing director of HHS, said: "This is a highly complex and extensive technology-led project that will bring immediate and tangible benefits to millions of people interacting with the UAE public sector hospitals. Wareed will be the heartbeat of the UAE's network of public hospitals and clinics." munderwood@thenational.ae
