Tribune News Network
Doha
THE inaugural HIMSS Qatar Educational Conference and Health IT Exhibition hosted by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), in collaboration with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), concluded in Doha on Saturday.
Organised under the umbrella of the Ministry of Public Health and in partnership with Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and Sidra Medicine, the conference was inaugurated by Minister of Public Health HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al Kuwari, and attended by Minister of Transport and Communications HE Jassim Saif Ahmed al Sulaiti and hundreds of healthcare professionals.
In her speech during the opening ceremony, Dr Kuwari highlighted the significance of successfully implementing the Clinical Information System (CIS), which provides a personal electronic medical record for each patient at HMC and PHCC.
"I am proud of our achievements in implementing one Clinical Information System across all HMC hospitals and primary health centres. In doing so Qatar has become the first country in the world to utilise this system across its entire public health sector," she said.
"Qatar's public health system has grown exponentially in recent decades and it has never been more important to connect the system and share patient medical information between providers. For our patients, it is important that they see all the services at HMC, PHCC, and Sidra Medicine as one connected system, and receive the same high-quality care regardless of where they are treated. The CIS helps to bring the public health system closer together through shared patient information," Dr Kuwari explained.
Local and international speakers presented on a range of topics highlighting the enormous clinical IT transformation that is underway across Qatar's healthcare system. The programme was structured around clinical informatics, diagnostic informatics, nursing informatics and health information management and featured keynote speakers, industry leaders, cutting-edge health IT products, and a full scientific educational programme.
"This conference, a first-of-its-kind event in Qatar, has provided a wonderful opportunity for healthcare professionals to share and discuss the latest and most relevant information technology news and updates," said Dr AbdulWahab al Musleh, deputy chief medical officer, CIS at HMC.
"It has shone a spotlight on the success of our CIS programme in Qatar. Our programme is benefitting patients through improving safety, boosting our clinicians' ability to diagnose conditions effectively and quickly, increasing efficiency and allowing clinicians to spend more time with each patient and less time on paperwork," Dr Musleh added.
Founded in 1961, HIMSS is a global voice, advisor and leader of health transformation through IT with a unique breadth and depth of expertise to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health, healthcare, and care outcomes.