Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia has been awarded Stage 6 on the EMRAM by HIMSS.

EMRAM, or the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, measures the adoption and maturity of a health facility’s inpatient EMR capabilities from 0 to 7.

During the two-day virtual assessment of the Al Khobar hospital, it was noted that the organisation had embraced the power of technology into clinical processes and nursing workflows to the extent that all clinicians were reliant on electronic systems. This was particularly evident with the electronic consent form, which typically remains on paper in many Stage 6 hospitals. 

WHY IT MATTERS 

In successfully validating against the EMRAM Stage 6 standards, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital- Al Khobar, has joined a relatively small number of organisations in the Middle East which are committed to using information and technology to drive transformational change in all aspects of care.

John Rayner, regional director, EMEA and Asia Pacific, HIMSS, praised the hospital for its excellent governance arrangements, strong clinical engagement and visible leadership from the senior management team. 

THE LARGER CONTEXT 

Other hospitals in Saudi Arabia to achieve EMRAM validation include the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, a tertiary care ophthalmic facility, which was awarded the Stage 7 standard in March, and  King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in Riyadh, which achieved Stage 7 validation last year. 

In March, the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon achieved Stage 6 of EMRAM and O-EMRAM, which measures outpatient capacities, making it the first health institution in the country to reach this level of validation.

Meanwhile in London, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS FT (GOSH) recently received Stage 6 EMRAM. This was followed by achieving Stage 7 of O-EMRAM, making it the first hospital in England to achieve the validation. 

ON THE RECORD 

Dr Abdul Hameed Chagla, director hospital affairs and corporate quality assurance at Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, said: “EMRs have revolutionised the way healthcare is delivered technologically. It has helped the care providers to help the patients, thereby reducing errors, integrating evidence-based medicine with diagnostics (Laboratory Information System and Radiology Information System), promoting confidentiality and enhanced accessibility. 

“HIMSS has helped hospital IT departments in innovating the concepts in EMRs seamlessly to run clinical, financial, operational systems together.” 

Rayner said: “The HIMSS team looks forward to continuing its relationship with Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital - Al Khobar and to working with the organisation and their clinical colleagues as they further develop their impressive digital capabilities.”

Learn more at the HIMSS & Health 2.0 Middle East Digital Health Conference and Exhibition taking place 29 November- 2 December, 2020.