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UAE: Quicker test results as Abu Dhabi healthcare network connects labs

Abu Dhabi - Once completed, the results are available in a patient’s electronic medical record instantly.

Mubadala Health has successfully completed the integration of laboratory systems across its healthcare partners, enabling faster, more streamlined access to advanced diagnostics and results for physicians and their patients.

All Mubadala Health providers are now connected to a single laboratory information system with physicians able to quickly and easily order from the full range of advanced tests offered by the National Reference Laboratory (NRL). Once completed, the results are available in a patient’s electronic medical record instantly, reducing the waiting period for them and speeding up decision time for physicians.

Commenting on the integration, chief executive officer of Mubadala Health, Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, said: “The majority of healthcare decisions depend on lab results. By deepening the integration between our assets and NRL, patients and caregivers benefit from faster results and easier access to advanced testing. Those results are available across the Mubadala Health network, improving collaboration throughout the patient journey as patients access our integrated world-class care.”

Mubadala Health providers are supported in their activities by NRL, which manages the onsite laboratories and processes tests at its three owned laboratories. For advanced tests such as those needed for transplant patients or genomics tests, specimens are sent to the central lab for testing.

“The lab is really the heart of healthcare, so having a more direct connection is a huge advantage. Waiting for results is one of the most stressful parts of illness for patients, so the quicker a physician can access them and begin treatment, the better. This integration will not only improve the overall care we offer across Mubadala Health but the way our patients experience it,” said Dr. Laila Abdul Wareth, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer at NRL.

The successful integration is the culmination of a huge effort by teams across the Mubadala Health network to further enhance the ways its different assets work together as well as the patient experience. The integration has seen labs across the network increase their operational efficiency while continuing to meet the highest possible quality standards. All medical laboratories in the network are now also served by NRL’s centralised IT support services that allow for future enhancements to be deployed to all labs at once.

Akram Sami, General Manager – UAE and Kuwait at Cerner, which designed the laboratory information system, explains that the system selected is specifically created to enhance workflow processes across large networks. “Our laboratory information system is designed to optimise lab workflows and enable physicians to make decisions on patient care as quickly and easily as possible. Enabling further lab automation means faster, more reliable results that enable even more personalised care. It is fantastic to see Mubadala Health’s providers all connected, allowing them to access advanced diagnostics at the click of a button and making information easier to share between them.”

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi became the latest of the relevant Mubadala Health providers to connect to the NRL shared laboratory information system, joining Healthpoint, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, Amana Healthcare and Capital Health Screening Centre.