Exploring the Health Information Management System of Kuwait: Lessons and Opportunities
After studying the professional practices related to the management of medical records in Kuwaiti hospitals, it became utterly evident that there is inadequate understanding about maintaining the health information of patients. This dire situation is further compounded by the absence of official reg...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Applied System Innovation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-5577/5/1/25 |
| _version_ | 1797482855401521152 |
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| author | Maha Alnashmi Ahmad Salman Hanadi AlHumaidi Maha Yunis Naser Al-Enezi |
| author_facet | Maha Alnashmi Ahmad Salman Hanadi AlHumaidi Maha Yunis Naser Al-Enezi |
| author_sort | Maha Alnashmi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | After studying the professional practices related to the management of medical records in Kuwaiti hospitals, it became utterly evident that there is inadequate understanding about maintaining the health information of patients. This dire situation is further compounded by the absence of official regulations established by the Ministry of Health for hospitals to effectively assess and manage medical records. Through this study, the researchers aimed to assess the medical records system in multiple healthcare settings in Kuwait, comprising government, private, and oil sectors. The study was carried out from May 2019 to July 2020 and used a self-developed, pilot-tested questionnaire measuring various aspects of the medical records management system. A total of 98 participants responded to the survey. The study results revealed that 43% of hospitals were using paper-based medical records, as compared to 53% that used both paper-based and electronic media. Moreover, 40% of hospitals in Kuwait did not adhere to the Ministry of Health policies regarding medical records disposition; instead, they developed their own hospital-based disposition policy. Moreover, the study findings showed that there were clear discrepancies in record retention policies among the participating hospitals, and the duration of record retention varied from 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, and more than 20 years across hospitals in Kuwait. In conclusion, national policies and guidelines need to be established to monitor the medical record systems in Kuwaiti hospitals to further enable better patient care and improve healthcare facilities. Furthermore, it has become indispensable to develop and maintain electronic health records as they constitute an integral part of modern healthcare. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:39:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3834ff497ca1483287168b6b74090ba2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-5577 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:39:29Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied System Innovation |
| spelling | doaj.art-3834ff497ca1483287168b6b74090ba22023-11-23T18:42:57ZengMDPI AGApplied System Innovation2571-55772022-02-01512510.3390/asi5010025Exploring the Health Information Management System of Kuwait: Lessons and OpportunitiesMaha Alnashmi0Ahmad Salman1Hanadi AlHumaidi2Maha Yunis3Naser Al-Enezi4Health Informatics and Information Management Department, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Safat 13110, KuwaitMinistry of Health, Safat 13001, KuwaitHealth Informatics and Information Management Department, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Safat 13110, KuwaitHealth Informatics and Information Management Department, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Safat 13110, KuwaitHealth Informatics and Information Management Department, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Safat 13110, KuwaitAfter studying the professional practices related to the management of medical records in Kuwaiti hospitals, it became utterly evident that there is inadequate understanding about maintaining the health information of patients. This dire situation is further compounded by the absence of official regulations established by the Ministry of Health for hospitals to effectively assess and manage medical records. Through this study, the researchers aimed to assess the medical records system in multiple healthcare settings in Kuwait, comprising government, private, and oil sectors. The study was carried out from May 2019 to July 2020 and used a self-developed, pilot-tested questionnaire measuring various aspects of the medical records management system. A total of 98 participants responded to the survey. The study results revealed that 43% of hospitals were using paper-based medical records, as compared to 53% that used both paper-based and electronic media. Moreover, 40% of hospitals in Kuwait did not adhere to the Ministry of Health policies regarding medical records disposition; instead, they developed their own hospital-based disposition policy. Moreover, the study findings showed that there were clear discrepancies in record retention policies among the participating hospitals, and the duration of record retention varied from 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, and more than 20 years across hospitals in Kuwait. In conclusion, national policies and guidelines need to be established to monitor the medical record systems in Kuwaiti hospitals to further enable better patient care and improve healthcare facilities. Furthermore, it has become indispensable to develop and maintain electronic health records as they constitute an integral part of modern healthcare.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-5577/5/1/25medical recordshealth information managementhealth systemshealth informaticsKuwait |
| spellingShingle | Maha Alnashmi Ahmad Salman Hanadi AlHumaidi Maha Yunis Naser Al-Enezi Exploring the Health Information Management System of Kuwait: Lessons and Opportunities Applied System Innovation medical records health information management health systems health informatics Kuwait |
| title | Exploring the Health Information Management System of Kuwait: Lessons and Opportunities |
| title_full | Exploring the Health Information Management System of Kuwait: Lessons and Opportunities |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Health Information Management System of Kuwait: Lessons and Opportunities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Health Information Management System of Kuwait: Lessons and Opportunities |
| title_short | Exploring the Health Information Management System of Kuwait: Lessons and Opportunities |
| title_sort | exploring the health information management system of kuwait lessons and opportunities |
| topic | medical records health information management health systems health informatics Kuwait |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-5577/5/1/25 |
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