Dubai hospital beds to have Android tablets: DHA

[Al Bhatti]

August 20, 2013

Dubai hospital beds to have Android tablets: DHA

DHA director-general Essa Al Maidoor watches a child use an Android tablet.



3,000 Android tablets distributed to all DHA hospitals and health care facilities

All beds in hospitals and healthcare facilities of Dubai Health Authority will be provided with an Android tablet, the DHA announced on Tuesday.

A total of 3,000 Android tablets will be distributed in the first phase. More will be given out later. The 3,000 Android tablets will be distributed in all 14 DHA primary healthcare centres, specialty centres and hospitals, which include 784 beds in Rashid Hospital, 712 in Dubai Hospital, 448 in Latifa Hospital and 119 beds in Hatta Hospital.

“The use of Android tablets in all DHA healthcare facilities is the first step in our plan to build ‘smart hospitals’ that will be equipped with the latest IT technology to enhance customer experience,” said Director General Essa Al Maidoor.

“Customer care is at the heart of the Dubai Health Strategy 2013-2025 and these initiatives are aimed at improving the user experience of patients. All DHA hospitals and healthcare facilities will also have Internet which will allow patients to keep track of their social media accounts, email, read the news or watch movies,” Al Maidoor said.

“All patients may not like to watch the same TV channel. Now, every patient can choose what he/she wants to see. The aim is to enable patients to continue life as normally as possible.

“It will give patients information on their health and wellbeing and can also be used as a tool to generate quick and efficient patient feedback,” he added.

In the last quarter of 2011, DHA introduced several smartphone applications that were developed internally. These apps have features that allow users to view appointment details, check medical test results and health card details.

A patient’s file will include all medical information available and give a complete overview of a patient’s medical history in the UAE. These apps can be used by doctors and patients alike.

The electronic medical records system, the health information system and smart hospitals form part of DHA’s IT roadmap, which will be rolled out over the next two to three years.

“Once implemented, these three initiatives will help DHA manage not only the present but also the future needs of the healthcare business,” said Al Maidoor.

Dubai hospital beds to have Android tablets: DHA - Emirates 24/7

 

[Al Bhatti]

August 20, 2013

Engineer Essa Al Maidoor, Director- General of DHA and Dr Fasial Ali Mousa, Chairman of Fam Holding in Dubai, during the announcing DHA smart initiative plan which uses iPads for all inpatients at hospitals at Nad Al Hamar Health Centre



Dubai patients prescribed (Android) tablets

More than 3,000 gadgets to be available in government hospitals and centres

Patients in waiting rooms and those admitted to hospitals will soon have technology at their fingertips – literally, through Android tablets, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced on Tuesday.

In a few weeks, more than 3,000 tablets will be deployed across the Authority’s network of primary health centres (PHCs), hospitals and speciality centres.

According to the Authority, the tablet initiative is the first in the region.

The tablets with built-in connectivity will provide access to DHA’s services, promote health education, allow access to e-government services, and serve as a platform for surveys and feedback. For those looking to while away time there will be recreation options including social media and games.

In vision, the tablet initiative will change the current health-care model to a paperless and dynamic delivery system and turn the focus on customer satisfaction.

The move is in direct response to the Smart Government directive of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The Smart Government initiative enables all government services to be accessible via smartphones and smart platforms.

The move is also in line with the Authority’s Strategy 2013-2025, which has four goals — prevention and awareness; easy access to health services; quality, and investment and competitiveness.

Tablet technology in health care is a global trend. Smart devices with various applications have transformed the way health care is delivered and accessed. Health-care providers use the platform to disseminate information on prevention of chronic diseases and on healthy lifestyle choices with an aim to reduce health-care costs.

Addressing the media, Engineer Eisa Al Maidour, director-general of the DHA, spoke of customer care as a priority. He said excellence in health care services and customer care must go hand in hand. Towards this, the tablet initiative has been launched.

He said, “A patient in a waiting lounge can access e-government services and/or learn about availability of health services and health information. He can participate in our surveys and give us his feedback. Or he can use it for his entertainment. If he happens to be a hospitalised patient, he can connect to the outside world, giving him some form of normalcy.”

He explained that when a patient experience is enhanced, it enhances patient outcome and lowers cost.

The tablet initiative is part of the Authority’s Information Technology (IT) roadmap which comprises three inter-related categories - electronic medical records (EHR), health information system and smart hospitals.

Al Maidour told Gulf News, “The introduction of the tablets will enable us to achieve the categories within the next three years. We want a flexible and dynamic health-care system that will look into providing comprehensive electronic health records [medications, medical history, results and laboratory reports, etc] and a healthcare delivery system that is paperless, yet accessible to both patients and doctors,” he said.

Providing details on health information systems, Engineer Ali Al Mazyood told Gulf News, “Health information system of the future will use technology — through tablets — to control and manage all kinds of activities from accessing patients’ records to adjusting lighting and air-conditioning units at a facility. In this, the tablet is the infrastructure required to run the health information system that is being developed.”

Dubai patients prescribed (Android) tablets | GulfNews.com