The Mesaimeer centre, where the CIS was launched on July 18, was the last one to implement the system. With this, all health centres under PHCC have been brought under the CIS.
PHCC, along with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), had started implementing the CIS programme with the motto “One Patient; One Record”. The programme aims to ensure that there is a single integrated record containing all details and medical history of a patient.
Implementation of the CIS at all PHCC health centres is being seen as a major milestone for the healthcare sector in Qatar as previous records of patients can be accessed from any of the centres as well as health facilities under HMC. It will help physicians assess patients with greater precision, based on an overview of their medical history, during consultation.
The system facilitates the description and monitoring of prescriptions, requests for laboratory or other tests, images archiving and access to information on a patient's medical history. It also helps reach the patient's file in an easy and quick manner whenever and from anywhere the doctor needs.
Launching the programme in 2014, Dr Abdul Wahab al-Musleh, deputy chief of Medical Academic and Research Affairs for the CIS, had described the initiative as “one of the most ambitious and important programmes for the future” of PHCC and HMC.
The CIS contributes to ensuring speed and accuracy in procedures and health services provided to patients. It is implemented within the patient administration system that includes health records, patients’ registration and appointments.
The system also helps reduce clinical errors as physicians have access to the complete history of a patient. They can, accordingly, prescribe medication without complications. This has also led to the introduction of paperless services as all the prescriptions and instructions are provided electronically.
Dr al-Musleh had also observed that the new facility would hopefully make Qatar the second country in the world to have an integrated and interconnected healthcare network after Estonia.
Currently, there are 24 health centres under PHCC spread across the country. When a new health centre is opened, the CIS is implemented right away and the centres operate on an appointment basis.