Emirates International Specialist Hospital ’s Patient Portal – 7 benefits for our patients
By Faisil Syed, Deputy Head of Healthcare Information Technology
When Emirates International Specialist Hospital launched a website aimed specifically at patients back in 2016, it granted them access to their medical records anywhere in the world. Such ‘patient portals’ are used increasingly by healthcare organizations around the world, because they increase engagement with caregivers. Studies have shown that patients who are granted access to their medical records are more satisfied with their treatment and show greater compliance with treatment plans.
When patients’ understanding of their health histories and statuses is enhanced, they take an active role in making positive adjustments to their lifestyles that improve their wellbeing. For example, walking 10,000 steps a day can lower one’s risk of developing diabetes, and 30 minutes of exercise per day can help people to manage their body weight more effectively.
In today’s technologically advanced world, adults are becoming more accustomed to making service requests online, particularly younger adults, and professionals in fields such as e-commerce, banking and education. Such people appreciate having the freedom to access services from any location.
We have identified seven benefits available to all Emirates International Specialist Hospital patients through the patient portal, which is accessible at healthpoint.iqhealth.com:
- Accessing your Electronic Medical Record (EMR) in one place
- Monitoring your ‘vitals’ and healthcare status
- Requesting appointments
- Communicating with your physician
- Understanding your medication and laboratory results
- Engaging with your treatment plan
- Taking an environmentally friendly approach
1. Access your Electronic Medical Record (EMR) in one place
The portal enables patients to view their medical records online. Data stored there includes test results, clinical notes, medication prescribed, radiology reports and data on ‘vitals’, a group of important signs, including body temperature, blood pressure, breathing rate and pulse, that indicate how well the body is functioning. They need not carry CDs or printouts when seeking a second opinion elsewhere.
2. Monitor your vitals and healthcare status
By having access to your vitals, you can keep a track on your weight and body mass index (BMI) to actively maintain a better lifestyle so that you can control your own health. If you plan to shed some kilos, the portal can help you track your weight each time it is recorded within the clinic.
3. Request appointments
Use the portal to request appointments with your concerned physicians or departments at a time that suits your needs. You will also be able to see your upcoming appointments, enabling you to ‘block’ your calendar and plan your day in advance. Patients with multiple appointments in different clinics, or with longer care plans, as is typical in dentistry or physiotherapy, for instance, will find this facility useful when tracking their upcoming appointments.
4. Communicate with your physician
If your physician has a question or would like to inform you about anything, they can reach out to you via the patient portal. You also have the option to respond to your physician if they have written out to you making communicating with your physician safe and secure.
5. Understand your medication and laboratory results
Some Emirates International Specialist Hospital patients wish to refer to their medication and laboratory results. The portal makes this extremely easy for them to do, as they can simply log in and refer back to the results within their EMR. Patients never have to remember where they kept those laboratory results that were performed a year ago.
6. Engage with your treatment plan
Often patients may find it difficult to remember the exact instructions given to them by their physician. In such instances, they can refer to the consultation notes. The documents stored within Emirates International Specialist Hospital ’s patient portal include consultation notes, discharge summaries, procedure notes and radiology reports.
7. Take an environmentally friendly approach
Recent forest survey suggested that every year 15 million trees are cut worldwide, contributing towards global warming, floods and the loss of fertile land. Our planet needs our attention just as our homes and community do. We must try to save trees – and the easiest way to do this is to use less paper. This may seem to be a small contribution, but, in fact, it has a significant impact on rates of deforestation.
We want to help our patients get a healthier lifestyle that will help them enjoy their daily routines and the patient portal enables them to do just that. Making it the go-to site for healthcare records, education, communication and interaction with their physicians is the easiest way to meet their demand for a simpler, more convenient and digitalised service. In our opinion, it is a great way to create opportunities for in-depth engagement with patients and engage them to become more actively involved in their healthcare.