Dubai Health Authority( DHA) receives delegation from General Directorate Of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai.

United Arab Emirates, Dubai, 21 April, 2014: A delegation from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai, recently visited the Dubai Health Authority’s Health Data and Analysis Department to gain expertise and knowledge in the field of information gathering and analysis.

The delegation was headed by Caption Mohammed Abdulla Darwish, head of document examination section at General Directorate Of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai and other senior officials. Dr. Mohammad Al Redha, director of health data and information analysis department  at the DHA received the delegation and provided an overview of the functioning of the department.

He highlighted the importance of data collection especially electronic data collection and analysis which helps in making evidence-based decision and planning for the future.

He discussed the department’s roadmap which is in line with the DHA’s long-term strategy to implement the Dubai Smart Healthcare Model that was launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, at Gitex 2013. The model includes three components: smart operations, smart applications and smart hospitals.

He said the authority is keen to move towards a paperless environment for both the day-to-day functioning of the health facilities as well as for data collection and analysis. He also added that DHA is encouraging all hospitals in Dubai to move towards e-health.

He provided an overview of the EMRAM project that the DHA implemented in 2011 in partnership with Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

As per the project, all hospitals  in Dubai are  judged on the basis on their EMRAM score.  EMRAM stands for: Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model and is accepted today world-wide as an international benchmark to stage hospital’s electronic efforts. The model uses a 0-7 stage scale to rate hospitals based on the extent to which they have adopted a paperless, digital system. Stage 7 means the hospital is a paperless and digital hospital.

DHA and HIMSS began the journey of benchmarking hospitals in Dubai as per the EMRAM model in 2011 and so far, there has been a significant improvement in the level of electronic integration adopted by all hospitals.

Dr Redha said the DHA provides complete support to all hospitals in Dubai to improve their EMRAM score and more towards a paperless environment.

He also elaborated on how the DHA tabulates the Annual Health Statistical Yearbook, which is available online and provides details of various aspects of the health sector in Dubai.  He added that data collection is only the first step and that data analysis is essential to help evidence-based planning as for predictive analysis.

From the DHA, Dr Osama Al Hassan, Head of e-Health and Muna Buhammad, Head of Data Management and Quality attended the meeting.