Al Ain: Patients at Al Ain Hospital have been advised to bring all their identification documents with them on their next visit as the hospital has started computerising data to eliminate paper-based medical records.
The documents required include health cards, insurance cards and identification papers such as identity cards and passports.
The information will be stored and updated electronically with important safeguards to protect patients' confidentiality, said the hospital's spokesperson.
The move is part of a system that will shortly be deployed across all the hospitals and clinics operating under Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA). This will make the SEHA the only fully electronic health-care system in the region.
Safety
The new Health Information System will improve hospital functions and eventually eliminate paper medical records. It will also improve patient safety, enhance patient confidentiality and reduce the need for additional testing when a patient is referred to another SEHA facility anywhere in Abu Dhabi, the spokesperson added.
Carl Stanifer, CEO of the SEHA, said: "The system is created and designed to help health organisations improve financial and clinical outcomes by driving error, variance and waste from the care process. Soon, all our SEHA facilities will be linked by this system with added convenience and safety for our patients."
George Jepson, CEO of Al Ain Hospital, said the technology allows clinicians to run tests, make diagnoses, place orders, fill medications, document care and remit bills using a single information system.
It also eliminates the duplication of tests as well as the chances of giving inappropriate medication.
The system, to be operational 24 hours a day, will improve communication between care providers and patients, which facilitates quicker and more effective patient treatment.
"The new system will tremendously enhance patient care at Al Ain Hospital," Jepson said, noting that more than 450 hospital employees were trained to operate it.
