The Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has announced the successful implementation of the new clinical information system (CIS) at the Cuban Hospital.
The hospital has replaced its existing paper patient clinical records system with a new integrated electronic one.
This implementation is part of a phased roll-out across the HMC and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC). When the roll-out is complete, patient records will be stored and accessible electronically across the two organisations. The Cuban Hospital is the sixth HMC hospital to implement the new CIS.
The CIS is a comprehensive system-wide change that has been designed in collaboration with clinicians to ensure that patients receive the safest and most effective clinical care.
The end result will be that patients need not explain their medical history more than once when they visit a public healthcare provider as the clinicians have access to a single electronic health record for all of their patients at their fingertips.
This will include the patient’s healthcare history, medication list, clinical notes and other important information. It will free up healthcare professionals to focus more of their time on clinical support, and will change the way all staff work across HMC and PHCC.  
At the Cuban Hospital, the system is currently being bedded in and the staff are still recording patient’s details on the CIS as and when they come to the hospital. This means that appointments may take a little longer than usual.
Philip Lowen, the chief executive officer of the Cuban Hospital, explained that his team had put a number of processes in place to ensure a smooth patient experience and thanked the patients for their patience during the transition period.