The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has rolled out the third and final phase of Salama, its unified electronic system that covers all of the authority’s hospitals throughout the emirate, said officials on Sunday.
The final phase was launched at Latifa and Hatta Hospitals, Thalassaemia Centre, Dubai Gynecology and Fertility Centre and all DHA Medical Fitness Centres.
The Salama system 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 all electronic patient medical records are accessible across all DHA health facilities.
The first phase was rolled out in April in Rashid Hospital, Barsha Health Centre, Airport Medical Centre, Dermatology Centre and Dubai Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre, while the second phase was launched in Dubai Hospital, Dubai Diabetes Centre, the Family Gathering Centre and all Primary Health Care Centres.
To date, more than 1.4 million DHA patient medical records and more than 112 million transactions have been transferred to the Salama system.
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 building a happier and healthier community.
Al Qutami commended all those who have contributed to the success of the project adding that this reflects the teamwork that drives the development of the authority and the health sector in Dubai.
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 his family, the surgeries the patient underwent, lab test results and X-ray reports, to be accessed by DHA doctors with ease at all DHA facilities.
This reduces the patient’s waiting time, reduces costs and allows patients to communicate with doctors quickly.
Al Jasmi said that patients are not the only people to benefit from the system, as it will allow doctors to use pre-customised order sets in seconds to provide patients the care they deserve faster. It helps nurses’ access patients’ medical records instantly and from anywhere. It allows administrators to prepare and print reports for patients more quickly so that they can focus their time on more important tasks and finally, it enables allied health to assess patient’s progress using historical lab results to make more informed decisions on their care.
Al Jasmi said that what makes Salama special is that it integrates 25 applications into one interface making it easier to access different applications at the click of a button.
More than 11,000 DHA employees received training in the UAE and the US to be proficient in the use of Salama.