Earlier this week His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, inaugurated the MyHealth patient portal when he officially opened the ‘Knowledge Zone’, the Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety’s exhibition area. The Forum, which is the largest conference dedicated to healthcare quality improvement and patient safety in the Arab world, concluded on Sunday, with over 2,500 delegates having attended the three-day event.
Her Excellency Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, the Minister of Public Health, along with senior leaders from the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) were also in attendance. Her Excellency Dr. Al Kuwari underscored the importance of empowering patients to take an active role in their healthcare decision making.
“MyHealth will empower patients by allowing them to play a more active role in controlling their health information and making more informed decisions about their well-being. It helps patients stay on track by providing up-to-date information about lab results and active medications and provides reminders about appointments. As part of the Clinical Information System (CIS), the portal allows patients to securely access their personal health records,” Her Excellency Dr. Al Kuwari said.
With MyHealth, patients can access their electronic personal health record online and through a mobile app. Features of the portal include the ability to access lab reports, to view and reschedule upcoming appointments, and to review discharge summaries. The portal also allows patients to send a non-urgent message to their healthcare provider in a confidential manner. The nationwide launch of the program follows a successful pilot conducted at HMC and PHCC.
Dr. AbdulWahab Al Musleh, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Clinical Information Systems at HMC said MyHealth is a convenient and secure way for patients to access key medical records.
“MyHealth provides patients with a single health record, regardless of whether they were seen at HMC or PHCC. This ensures health information is readily available and can be used in conversations with healthcare professionals when visiting HMC or PHCC,” he said. “Just as the CIS revolutionized access to medical records in our hospitals, MyHealth can enhance the extent to which patients are actively involved in their healthcare.”
Dr. Samya Ahmad Al Abdulla, Executive Director of Operations at PHCC, said the pilot program demonstrated that patients want access to personal healthcare records in a convenient format.
“Our patients said that one of the key benefits of MyHealth was being able to access their key medical records in one place, which enabled them to check and track them,” said Dr. Al Abdulla. “Further, it reduces the need, in many instances, to make a return visit to their physician as they can access some results online and communicate with their physician through the portal.”
Dr. Ali Al Sanousi, Executive Chief Medical Information Officer at HMC said Qatar is leading the region in implementing digital healthcare solutions like MyHealth. “Once registered, patients can access these records from their computer, tablet, or smartphone. Like CIS, MyHealth will help improve both patient safety and clinical efficiency by making the necessary information available in one place.”
Cerner, a global leader in healthcare technology and the provider of the electronic health record platform used across Qatar, has been an important partner for the country’s healthcare sector.
“We are privileged to be partnering with the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, and Primary Health Care Corporation in transforming health and care for the people of Qatar. The patient portal is one vital step on this journey, further improving the way we engage with the population and empowering us all to take a more active and informed role in managing our health,” said Mr. Emil Peters, President, Cerner Global.
Currently, patients can enroll for the MyHealth Portal online at www.myhealth.qa or at any HMC or PHCC facility. Patients can also seek more information about MyHealth by calling Nesma’ak at HMC on 16060 or Hayyak at PHCC on 107.
