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Unified medical record established in Abu Dhabi

Malaffi system will link patient records across 2,000 health care facilities

Abu Dhabi: A unified database will soon allow for electronic medical records to be shared between all health care facilities in Abu Dhabi, top health care officials announced in the capitalon January 23.

The database will be part of the Health Information Exchange, a centralised electronic platform designed to enhance health care connectivity. Titled Malaffi, the platform has already connected 18 hospitals and 65 medical centres and clinics. “The new database has been designed to reduce errors, duplication of treatment and testing, and support the efforts of health care professionals. We are witnessing a new milestone in Abu Dhabi’s health care sector,” said Abdullah Al Hamed, chairman at the Abu Dhabi’s health care regulator, the Department of Health.

18 Hospitals already linked to the Malaffi system

Al Hamed was speaking at an event held to officially launch Malaffi, where it was announced that six health care providers have already joined the platform. They include public health provider Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Imperial College Diabetes Centre, Healthpoint, United Eastern Medical Services and Oasis Hospital in Al Ain.

Public health care facilities in the emirate have used a shared database since 2008, but information stored on it was not shared with other facilities outside the Seha network. In practice, doctors still rely on patient testimonies to develop medical histories.

65 Medical centres and clinics by Malaff

By the end of 2019, all 2,000 public and private health care providers are expected to be on Malaffi, which is being developed in collaboration with Injazat Data Systems, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Government-owned investment firm, Mubadala. It will be operated by a new project company, Abu Dhabi Health Data Services.

Once complete, the records of more than three million patients will be included on the database.

“The benefits will be substantial, even though they cannot be fully predicted as this will be the first health information exchange system in the region. Most notably, patients will not have to remember all their past medical details. Not only will this be convenient, but it will also reduce errors when a patient is taken in for emergency treatment and is not fully alert or conscious,” said Dr Ben Hanson, senior vice-president for clinical alliances at the Health Information Exchange.

Officials added that the data generated will also guide authorities to take better public health decisions.

“A linked patient portal will empower patients who will have access to their medical histories as well,” Dr Hanson added.

“[Within the next decade], I believe the UAE can set up a nationwide platform that will give patients the medical care they need on time,” said Dr Rakesh Suri, chief executive officer at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

At present, Dubai is already working to widen its Salama medical record system. No other country boasts such a widespread system till date, although Estonia has a birth-to-death health record system.

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Smart blood pressure with ECG and digital stethoscope

Withings, know for it’s fitness trackers and health-wearable’s is presenting the BPM Core as a successor to the BPM blood pressure monitor at the CES 2019.

The BPM Core looks a lot like its predecessor with a similar traditional arm cuff design. It does still have the ability to measure blood pressure and to a clinical grade level. In addition to blood pressure, it will now take ECG (electrocardiogram) readings and can be used to identify serious heart health conditions such as atrial fibrillation.

Another new feature is the digital stethoscope that Withings says can help provide early detection of valvular heart disease. That relates to damage to one of the four heart valves, which could require surgical intervention.

“Early and regular monitoring is key to identifying, preventing and managing heart diseases, the world’s leading cause of mortality which is why we have created a device that can be used every day in the comfort of your own home,” said Eric Carreel, president of Withings.

The sensor-packed device, which also includes a digital microphone, works by the user placing the cuff on the upper arm and pushing the measurement button. It will then take all three measurements within 90 seconds and send the data to the Withings Health Mate app.

Blood pressure readings are displayed on the device itself with cooler-coded feedback indicating whether blood pressure is normal, moderate or too high. For ECG readings, you’ll need to place your other hand on the stainless steel sensors for twenty seconds. The digital stethoscope requires placing the sensor on the chest with the device needing twenty seconds to listen and evaluate your heart.

The BPM Core will work with iOS and Android smartphones and has a rechargeable battery that’s good enough for 100s of measurements off a single charge. All of the data from the Withings BPM Core including audio recordings of the heart can be shared with your doctor or a medical professional.

The Withings BPM Core is set to go on sale in the first half of 2019. Withings states that while this is a medical-grade device, it is currently under review for FDA and CE clearance.

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Low adaptation of Telehealth by General Practitioners

As of 2016 only 15% of General Practitioners working in practices use telemedicine for patient consultation according to a study published on Health Affairs. 11% of physicians used telemedicine to interact with other health care professionals. The study suggest that there is a correlation between the size of the practices and the use of telemedicine. For small practices the financial outlay for implementation has been the most common reason for the lack of adaptation.

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Healthcare IT Market by Top Players


GUTE-URLS

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The world HCIT market was valued at $125 billion in 2015, and is estimated to reach $297 billion by 2022, with a CAGR of 13.2% over the forecast period. The growth in this market is driven by the increasing demand for patient safety and data accuracy, government regulations promoting the use of HCIT solutions, and the need to curtail healthcare expenditure. However, scarcity of skilled IT professional in healthcare industry & increasing concerns regarding the patient data safety & security are hindering the adoption of HCIT solution. Moreover, an increasing effect of the drivers over restraints is likely to reveal new market opportunities for key players offering HCIT related solutions and services.

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Your GP on the Smartphone

Starting in 2019 patients in Germany will consult with an artificial intelligence. The Techniker Krankenkasse is using the App from Ada Health.

Medical advise at your fingertips 24/7. Ada Health is offering this service in Germany for over a year now. With integration of Ada Health into the Techniker Krankenkasse’s own “TK-Doc” App, the symptom assessment technology from the the start-up based in Berlin is becoming part of the German health care system.

In an interview style Ada will collect information about all symptoms. This process in not unlike a face-to-face conversation a GP would have with a patient. Once completed Ada will propose possible causes for the described symptoms and recommends the consultation of a GP if needed. The app AI accesses a knowledge base of thousands of illnesses and symptoms and the underlying medical network is being updated all the time.

Until know user where on their own to assess the final recommendation provided by the App. With the integration into the Techniker Krankenkasse’s “TK-Doc” App, users will now have the option to directly consult a health care professional via telephone, per Email or via Text or Video Chat via the contact centre. The approach gives an indication what directing further developments might take providing alternative access to community care.

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Electronic Health Record (EHR) – Security and Integral Longevity

As most Western countries Ireland has started to look at the concept of introducing an Electronic Health Record (EHR) at one point in the future. This has been marked as the cornerstone of the eHealth Strategy implementation in Ireland. Some of the challenges with implementing an EHR come from security and integrity concerns in relation to the overall live span of an individual health record. Today’s security mechanisms will be subject to exploitation in the future with the advances in Quantum computing technology. A further aspect is the integrity of the stored health records. Security concepts considered need to address the security and integrity concerns in relation to the requirement that health records will need to be stored over a long-time horizon (decades, even centuries).

Scientists at the TU Darmstadt have developed a solution to address these concerns. In collaboration with Japanese and Canadian partners their project LINCOS (Long-Term Integrity and Confidentiality Protection System) will be piloted in Japan in the coming weeks. LINCOS is utilising the concept of Secret Sharing; data records being broken down into parts that are stored on different servers. Data obtained from a compromised server will not be sufficient to construct usable information. Secondly, the project introduces a cryptographic primitive called long-term commitment to guaranty the integrity of stored health records. Thirdly, to deliver a comprehensive security solution the project proposes the replacement of the encryption step used for securing the communication between Hospitals and database servers with the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) secure communication method.

Further information at https://longtermsecurity.org/.

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