Hospitality ushers in the era of paperless hospital

Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital adopts latest technology, making it feel more like a hotel than hospital.

The multi-adaptable Cath Lab at the Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City. -  Photo by Shihab

Dubai — In the 1920s, the establishment of hospital-based pharmacies was seen as an important milestone for the future of health care. Fast-forward to 2015, you will see Dubai elevating that milestone to a whole new level with the introduction of ‘paperless hospital of the future’.

Google Glass The hospital has one ambulance in operation, which is equipped with the head-mounted, wearable technology, Google Glass. The Google Glass will be worn by the attending emergency medical technician to communicate with the in-hospital doctor, so as he/she can pass the information about the patient en route to hospital. First patient A female in her 32nd week of pregnancy approached the maternity team at Dr Sulaiman Al-Habib Hospital after being turned away by several hospitals. Her baby was safely delivered at 32 weeks, but weighed the same as a baby being delivered at 28 weeks.

Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) is a technology flagship of 150-bed, 175,000 square feet digital facility, which believes in paperless functionality. It brings many region-firsts to the UAE.

Doctors can digitally access patient records on-and off-site using PDI systems, meaning patient progress can be monitored 24/7.

As a result, Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital becomes the only hospital in the region to get an International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certification for data security, meaning patient records are more secure than ever.

The state-of-the-art facility adopts the latest in technology to meet the needs of the patient — making it feel more like a hotel than hospital.

Paul Morton, GE Healthcare General Manager of Hospital and Healthcare Solutions, told Khaleej Times : “Hospitals are usually a stress driven environment so the introduction of best in service technologies greatly eases this stress for patients. Nobody in this region is as advanced as the Habib Group of hospitals.”

“This is the benchmark. This region tends to look to North America when upgrading health care facilities, but the technological integration and connectivity at this hospital is far surpassing North American practices,” Morton added.

Marking a soft launch of the ‘paperless hospital’ with 250 nursing staff and 100 physicians from different nations, Nigel Philip Haigh, the director of nursing, told Khaleej Times “all staff are American Board certified.

To date, it has treated a number of patients, including the safe delivery of newborn twins. The hospital has also carried out several operations using the multi-adaptable Cath Lab.

Latest equipment

In a future-driven economy, using next generation of equipment for diagnosis and treatment, digital administration and patient management is central to the operation of hospitals.

Introducing three regional firsts, including a state-of-the-art CT Revolution scanner, an MRI machine and a catheterisation laboratory, which also doubles up as an operation room, high quality patient care is at the heart of the hospital’s operations.

“This is the only such equipment being used in the UAE and is the most up-to-date you can get,” Nasser Al Huqbani, president and CEO of Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital Medical Group, said.Using precise, super-speed scanning techniques, the CT machine offers more space than those currently being utilised in other hospitals here and exposure to radiation is also low, compared to its counterparts.

With almost two thirds of UAE residents now classed as overweight or obese, the increased capacity of all three machines also means larger patients can be screened normally too.

A recent study by Johns Hopkins University observed that when health information technologies replace paper forms, both hospitals and patients benefit strongly.

Agreeing with the findings Al Huqbani said: “Making everything digitised reduces the risk of errors and improves confidentiality. The moment a patient steps into our hospital, their personal data is recorded digitally. Follow up visits will simply require fingerprint identification.”  At the time of registration, all patient medical records will be transferred onto a Hospital Information System and integrated onto all machines within the hospital, promoting a paper-free environment. All updates will then be processed digitally. -kelly@khaleejtimes.com