Over 2,000 digital health stakeholders from across the Middle East descend on Riyadh for the most influential healthcare conference in the region

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The five day conference with over 2,000 registered attendees saw a number of educational sessions with experienced speakers from across the globe, together with a series of workshops, award ceremonies and an interactive exhibition floor, featuring over 30 leading companies. The HIMSS Saudi Arabia Conference and Exhibition 2018 was organised by the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Health Council, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, and HIMSS Middle East.

This unique event addressed best practices, practical solutions and cutting edge developments in the digital health ecosystem. Manal Almalki, PhD, of Jazan University in Saudi Arabia, said: "This conference brings a lot of value to the Saudi society and community. HIMSS serves the community of IT and health by bringing them together, let them discuss and talk about the use and the best practices using information and technology for transforming health, improving the healthcare system and its delivery. I have heard people talking about virtual clinic, cloud computing, blockchain and many more topics equally important for the transformation of health into a digital environment."

Awards and recognitions for digital excellence

On Wednesday 11 October, John Daniels announced the hospitals and organizations from across the Middle East who have achieved Stage 6 or 7 from a number of the HIMSS Analytics Maturity and Adoption Models. Over the last year, eight different hospitals and health care organizations from across the Middle East have jointly achieved excellence in a number of maturity models, including: the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM), the Outpatient Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (O-EMRAM), the Adoption Model for Analytics Maturity (AMAM), the Digital Imaging Maturity Model (DIAM), and the Continuity of Care Maturity Model (CCMM). Reaching these levels of maturity implies establishing clear goals for improving safety, minimizing errors, and recognizing the importance of information and technology in healthcare.

In addition, the HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Awards, now in its fourth Middle Eastern edition, recognised the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention as the winner of this year's award for its project, "Universal Newborn Critical Congenital Heart Disorders (CCHD) Screening in MOHAP Maternity Hospitals", which standardizes CCHD screening to ensure all babies are tested positive after screening, and to receive critical interventions in a timely and safe manner.