Maffei (my file)
Maffei (my file) is an individual file that enables patients to view their medical records from any Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) operated institution electronically. It is an innovative and integrated health information sharing platform that connects healthcare workers safely and securely in the region. Malaffi allows the instantaneous exchange of patient health information, establishing a centralized database of patient records with advanced healthcare quality and outcomes. Such instant access to data promotes inter-department collaboration, which improves efficiency and patient care while ensuring privacy. Also, Malaffi is an information system employed in health informatics: a crucial factor in the Abu Dhabi healthcare system’s digital revolution. It eases information sharing among various stakeholders, including professionals, government agencies, and healthcare workers (Health Authority Abu Dhabi, 2012).
SEHA, the sponsor of Malaffi, owns and manages all public clinics and hospitals across Abu Dhabi, forming the SEHA health care system. The sole purpose of its establishment was to lead in the transformation of the Emirate’s healthcare sector. SEHA health system contains one vaccination Center, 12 hospitals, 3mobile clinics, two blood banks, and four dental Centers. The United Arab Emirates’ largest healthcare network offers a range of care to residents by using sophisticated technologies. SEHA commitment is the provision of cost-effective and high-quality healthcare in a collectively responsible manner according to global standards. The parameters for determining these standards include satisfaction, affordability, choice, and accessibility (SEHA, 2008).
Besides, the SEHA system has an advanced and patient focussed IT system. It uses ‘CERNER,’ an international provider of information technologies and techniques. Cerner surfaces data that enable users to make informed operational management decisions while providing healthcare facilities with appropriate smart care provision information. This approach works to disrupt the industry and ensure the delivery of transformed healthcare (Health Authority Abu Dhabi, 2012).
Malaffi’s mission is to provide a safe exchange of relevant patient health information among stakeholders to boost quality service provision and patient outcomes. It seeks to ensure delivery of a consistent, Emirate-wide online procedure that helps share secure and efficient health data instantaneously. Moreover, the system aims to link patients, healthcare practitioners, and government entities in the Emirate and empower them in decision making. The vision is to support Abu Dhabi communities and beyond on their expedition to good health, prosperity, and happiness. Malaffi is among the health department’s strategic priorities, including the promotion of e-Health and health informatics. It is a vital element in healthcare digital transformation (MALAFFI, 2019).
The services provided by Malaffi include clinical data exchange, patient portal, provider portal, secure data protection, and population health management. Clinical data exchange entails a dedicated and safe channel that integrates patient data such as demographics, allergies, medications, and procedures. It also encompasses problems and drugs as well as radiology and laboratory results. The provider portal enables certified users to access the medical history of patients. Furthermore, Malaffi provides priceless population health data to the government. This data allows monitoring of healthcare quality, launching health awareness, and identifying public health risks in the Emirate.
Malaffi has several processes that serve both the organization and the patients. These processes include recording and storing doctor consultations, laboratory tests, emergency treatment, and regular check-ups. It also involves recording advanced growth charts, vital signs, standard medical lists, and patient maintenance. Authorized personnel can access this information from the patient file. For example, creating a patient’s full profile containing diagnostic data, procedure list, demographic data, and surgical and medical history makes it easy for healthcare workers to make patient health reports. Such reports are an asset to Malaffi. Besides, the system enables the finance and accounting division to manage cash accounts and develop financial statements. Finally, it is registering employees in benefits plans and job performance appraisals.
Malaffi benefits to the patient include;
- Enhanced quality of care and patient safety by allowing healthcare practitioners to access cohesive patient medical records.
- Decreasing the possibility of errors and improving diagnostic reliability.
- Advanced patient experience through the elimination of unnecessary paperwork and medical tests duplication.
- Allowing quick and efficient medical care, particularly in emergencies.
- Engaging patients in the entire process of healthcare provision.
- Supporting early detection and prevention of illnesses.
- Providing comfort to patients and their families by guaranteeing the best possible care in Abu Dhabi.
- Providing an assessment tool by enabling access to the patient’s file while ensuring patient safety.
- Ensuring proper management of chronic ailments.
- Raising efficiency and patient fulfillment.
- Elevating healthcare standards among health facilities in the Emirate while enhancing its reputation as a preferred therapeutic tourism destination globally (MALAFFI, 2019).
Innovating care delivery and digital health systems have immense potential to improve service provision and affect patients’ health outcomes positively (Shull,2019). The general public, ministries of health, and hospital administrations should know data access, protection, and significance. Perhaps they can organize public service publications on social media, televisions, and radio (Shull 2019).
Problems faced by SEHA that led to the introduction of Malaffi
Hospitals used paper-based records to record consultation and information regarding the patient’s treatment a long time back. This approach faces many problems related to cost, accessibility, productivity, and quality. Lack of productivity impacted many SEHA departments since the staff members delivered paper medical records to particular areas. Medical errors may occur if the involved persons make decisions from inadequate information.
Missing or losing the patient’s paper file has adverse effects on the cost by duplicating testing to replace missing or lost test results. Also, repetition of procedures may threaten the health of patients and lead to time wastage. This scenario leads to delayed treatment and may create a deadly encounter for the patient.
Access time is among the main problems of keeping paper records due to the lost time locating the files. The issue of quality encompasses the physical catalog, patient care, and documentation. The paper files deteriorate over time, regardless of their controlled environment. They also tend to spoil after unnecessary handling or exposure to fire and water. The actual documentation quality differs based on the person’s knowledge level and skills. Staffs use different terminologies, abbreviations, and format, resulting in inaccurate or incomplete data collection. Moreover, handwritten information may be illegible, thus creating room for medication orders and patient treatment errors.
The medical provision body experienced numerous challenges before the launch of Malaffi. Some of the problems include; slow recovery of patients’ records particularly where such records are in different hospitals. The limitation of patient’s records to a certain facility slowed the sharing of such information with other medical practitioners. The launch of Malaffi system has simplified physicians’ access to such information in a fast and organized manner (Zaman, 2019).
Another challenge encountered before the Malaffi system introduction was the replication and overutilization of healthcare services. Some healthcare facilities were more common than others, causing the overutilization of such facilities to the detriment of quality healthcare service provision. The repetition of roles among SEHA managed hospitals due to the unavailability of a common database for physicians led to duplication of procedures. Nevertheless, there has been cooperation between public and private clinics in providing specialized care and patient transfers (Nasereddin & Adel 2019).
Another challenge was the lack of medical data privacy. The lack of a regulated system on the storage and sharing of patient’s data allowed access by unauthorized third parties. Orions Health (2019) reiterates that the Malaffi system has unified records for patients accessible by medical professionals whenever the need arises. This approach has facilitated the privacy of patient’s data as well as making efficient medical decisions.
Major problems
The conservative sharing information in hospitals and health clinics could not hasten the information transfer flow because of its similar data piles. There are rigorous problems regarding the violation of data given to the patients.
Hospitals have failed during the provision and sharing of patient’s information to other healthcare parties. Moreover, the process for searching for appropriate information delays decision making regarding the commencement of operational activities. Besides, there has been no proper understanding of such information’s significance to the patient (Seha.ae, 2019).
Alternatively, it is easy to make information duplication from analog sources. Unauthorized individuals are violating ethics protocols (Seha.ae, 2019). Also, market leaders are coercing the healthcare department to ensure data privacy over the internet. Such market leaders are as well storing the data mass as a third party. Besides, potential data sharing among medical workers are still unavailable through the conventional process.
Solutions
The Health Information Exchange (HIE) can resolve the issue of information transfer effectively. It is a software-based digital innovation that employs communication through a microwave to help hospitals and healthcare centers to connect continuously. HIE is achievable through the full enforcement of the Malaffi system across all the hospitals and clinics in the United Arab Emirates (Hatammimi & Krisnawati, 2018).
Conversely, a technology-based system for storing information may help hospitals keep massive databases for a patient’s current and previous data. It has memory registers with different software encryption /decryption processes for data storage (Nair et al., 2018). Also, health-oriented institutions have tapped into a cloud-based system for data storage, which decrypts computer codes to access previously saved data online ((Nair et al., 2018).
Recommendations
Malaffi system is among the most refined information exchange systems in United Arab Emirate’s healthcare departments. The collaboration of Injazat data systems and the department of health (DOH) creates such a superior communication and data transfer (Nair et al., 2018). This advanced technology presents crucial information, such as patient demographics, allergies, and medication lists. The system provides final data to the patient despite the unavailability of a patient’s service portal. Such development assists the Emirate government in determining the population size according to medical data provided by the hospitals. Besides, such a secure data transfer can foster employee performance efficiency. It is a fundamental factor for securing data through single end encryption.
Discussion
This case study has examined an information technology system employed by SEHA managed hospitals and clinics in Abu Dhabi. It has highlighted Malaffi as a healthcare system to offer vital patient information from a single database to various stakeholders such as doctors, laboratory technicians, and government officials. The case study found that applying technology assists in advancing the patient’s care due to data availability. It has been found that digital healthcare transformation helps in promoting the patient’s wellbeing. I have also discovered the significance of innovation in the healthcare sector as it helps connect various parties, including the doctors, patients, and the institution (Shull, 2019). Malaffi offers reliable services to the patients by providing them with the online protocol while facilitating the treatment process. It records every treatment process, including test results in one database. The benefit of storing files in one portal is that all the data is accessible to both the patients and the doctors and is available on-demand (Zaman, 2019). The system is an effective solution to the challenge of slow retrieval of information regarding a patient’s past medical history (Nair et al., 2018).
SEHA has encouraged the Malaffi system and availed the facility to the patients. Thus, the patients have their medical history whenever they seek a doctor’s attention, therefore enabling quick and efficient treatment. The Malaffi system also allows hospitals to store patient’s information and maintain efficiency and effectiveness in the treatment process since doctors can make informed decisions (Orion Health, 2019). The study has increased my knowledge concerning the system’s significance. The system aids hospitals in four critical areas; maintaining patient safety and boosting the quality of services by securing data and minimizing error. It will be useful for various healthcare sector stakeholders by enabling them to comprehend and appreciate the benefits of the healthcare information system and, therefore, promote health in the region.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Malaffi is a solution given to patients to access past medical data whenever they require the data. It will diminish the duplication of procedures and processes like dosage since the doctor can recommend the right dosage after evaluating the medical history. Also, patients’ privacy is a critical factor in the sharing of information. SEHA has a sound security plan to help protect the privacy of patients’ data. It restricts access to such information by allowing only authorized users to access information available in the organization.
Malaffi is a crucial component of the digital change of the healthcare system in the United Arab Emirates. The universal and the region-wide participation of patients and facilities allows collating every patient’s medical interaction in their file accompanied by safe and secure storage of their medical history. Malaffi offers five benefits by enabling instant access to patients’ medical files. They include; facilitating the making of informed and efficient scientific decisions, minimize unnecessary duplication of procedures and tests, and improve transition and coordination of care. Other benefits include reducing medical error risk and enhancing patient experience and safety. Malaffi will inform the DOH’s initiatives for a healthy region as a centralized database with vigorous population health information. In the future, Malaffi will employ machine learning and artificial intelligence technology to decrease disease progression and foster enhanced health results.