Focus on adopting cloud technologies in health segment

The Arabian Gulf University (AGU) recently hosted the discussion of a study that suggested the adoption of cloud computing in the health sector in the Kingdom would curb the issue of medicines shortage; an issue that is faced by some hospitals and health centres, by allowing doctors to be aware of medicines and in which pharmacies they could be found.

Prepared by Khulood Al Qattan, the study recommended that a unified cloud computing system be adopted by the health sector to connect public and private hospitals, health centres and pharmacies. This was highlighted during the discussion of the study, which came as part of the requirements to award Ms Al Qattan the Master’s degree from the Innovation and Technology Department in AGU.

The study was titled “Assessing the Factors Affecting the Adoption of Cloud Computing Services for the Health Sector” and it underlined some of the main causes of the medicines shortage issue, which is not adopting electronic systems in clinics to show the available stocks of medicines in pharmacies, stressing that this issue could be resolved if cloud computing systems were in effect. Ms Al Qattan also said that such systems would allow doctors to acknowledge if alternative medicines are available in the pharmacies, public or private, and instruct patients to approach them for the required medicines.

She assessed the factors affecting the adoption of cloud computing in the health sector after interviewing 45 information technology employees at the Ministry of Health. The employees work in Salmaniya Medical Complex, the ministry’s headquarters and Dar Rufaidah. The studied factors included benefit, security, privacy, compatibility, reliability and personal data.

The discussion panel included Information Technology Professor at the Applied Science University Dr Helal Al Bayyati (external examiner) and Information and Communications Technology Assistant Professor at AGU Dr Afaf Bugawa (internal examiner), under the supervision of Computer Engineering Assistant Professor at AGU Dr Yas Al Sultanny and Computer Science Assistant Professor at Ahlia University Dr Yousif Al Bastaki.