When you want your healthcare facility to run securely and efficiently in Abu Dhabi, you must understand how ADHICS shapes your responsibilities. The Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information and Cyber Security Standard sets strict expectations for protecting electronic health information. However, because the framework is extensive, you may struggle to understand where to begin. As a result, many facilities feel overwhelmed before they even start working on compliance. This is exactly why an ADHICS Gap Analysis becomes so valuable. It shows you what you already do well and what you must improve.
More importantly, ADHICS Gap Analysis guides your decision-making so you can strengthen your cybersecurity posture before facing an audit or onboarding with Malaffi. Instead of guessing, you gain clarity. Instead of reacting, you move with purpose.
In this guide, you will learn how to conduct an ADHICS Gap Analysis step by step. You will understand what to check, how to evaluate your internal processes, and how to build a roadmap that leads to full compliance. By the end, you will feel more confident, more prepared, and more equipped to protect patient data in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.
What Is ADHICS and Why It Matters
ADHICS defines how Abu Dhabi healthcare providers must safeguard patient information. It covers everything from governance and risk management to network configurations and user authentication. Because healthcare systems handle highly sensitive data every day, the Department of Health expects every provider to meet these security controls.
When you follow ADHICS, you reduce cyber risks, improve data integrity, and support secure clinical workflows. Additionally, you strengthen your technical readiness for integrating with platforms like Malaffi. Since noncompliance leads to delays, penalties, and operational risks, you benefit from understanding the standard early and preparing thoroughly.
Moreover, ADHICS encourages better communication between departments. When your team follows the same rules, you avoid confusion and ensure consistent practices across your organization.
What is ADHICS Gap Analysis?
An ADHICS Gap Analysis compares your current security practices with ADHICS requirements. In other words, you check where you stand and identify what still needs improvement. This analysis helps you uncover missing documentation, outdated processes, weak access controls, unmonitored systems, and risky vendor interactions.
Furthermore, the Gap Analysis highlights the severity of each issue. Therefore, you can prioritize your actions based on risk, cost, and urgency. Instead of working blindly, you create a structured improvement plan.
Through this process, you gain a realistic picture of your compliance level. You also ensure that your facility stays aligned with DoH regulations, cybersecurity laws, and Malaffi integration requirements.
Define Your Objectives
You need clear objectives before starting the analysis. For example, you may want to strengthen cybersecurity, prepare for an audit, or support upcoming system upgrades. Meanwhile, you might also want to validate your current workflow or build a mature governance framework.
When you set specific objectives, you avoid unnecessary work. Additionally, clear goals help your team understand their roles better. With this clarity, you reduce delays and ensure a smoother assessment.
Identify Stakeholders
An accurate Gap Analysis requires insights from various departments. Although IT plays a major role, you also need clinical teams, HR, administration, and compliance staff. Since each team interacts with patient information differently, you gather more accurate information when everyone participates.
Moreover, involving stakeholders early reduces resistance during implementation. When people understand why changes are necessary, they support the process instead of resisting it.
Include IT managers, cybersecurity leads, quality officers, data protection staff, clinicians, HR representatives, and third-party vendors when necessary. Together, they help you evaluate your entire workflow from multiple angles.
Review ADHICS Controls
Before the assessment, you must understand all ADHICS control areas. This step matters because it helps you know exactly what DoH expects from your facility. Also, reviewing these controls helps you recognize which areas may require more effort.
The ADHICS framework includes governance, risk management, incident handling, encryption, asset management, access controls, network protection, logging, monitoring, vendor security, HR security, and physical safeguards, among several others.
As you review the controls, you start recognizing patterns. For example, you may notice that several controls relate to documentation. Likewise, you may see repeated requirements for monitoring, auditing, and user authentication. These patterns help you prepare better before the actual assessment.
Gather Internal Documentation
Your next step involves collecting internal documents. This includes all policies, procedures, logs, system configurations, agreements, and audit records. Since ADHICS expects strong documentation, you must check whether your existing documents match actual practices.
You gather items such as IT security policies, data governance procedures, risk assessments, network diagrams, access logs, backup schedules, business continuity plans, incident response workflows, vendor contracts, training records, and onboarding/offboarding documents.
Additionally, you review technical documentation like firewall rules, antivirus reports, system hardening guidelines, and encryption details. The more complete your documentation, the easier your analysis becomes.
Assess Current Practices
Once you collect your documents, you evaluate real-world operations. Many facilities discover that their teams do not follow documented procedures. For instance, a policy may require regular password updates, but employees may use old passwords for months. Such gaps create security risks.
Therefore, you check how users access systems, how staff handle patient data, how backups run, how incidents are reported, and how vendors manage sensitive information. You also observe how clinicians interact with digital systems during patient care.
This hands-on evaluation gives you a deeper understanding of practices. Additionally, it helps you detect hidden risks that never appear in documents.
Identify Gaps
After reviewing practices and documents, you identify your gaps. These gaps may include missing policies, weak passwords, outdated systems, lack of encryption, unpatched devices, missing logs, unsecured medical equipment, or poor vendor oversight.
Besides technical gaps, you may also find weaknesses in training, awareness, and accountability. Sometimes teams know the rules but fail to follow them due to workload or lack of clarity.
Once you document your gaps, you gain a clear starting point for your compliance roadmap.
Prioritize Risks
Every gap carries a different level of risk. For instance, unsecured user access creates a high-risk situation. However, minor documentation errors may pose lower risk. When you categorize gaps strategically, you use your resources more efficiently.
Additionally, risk prioritization helps you avoid delays during audits. High-risk issues must be addressed first, especially when they affect patient data or system availability. This step ensures faster progress and clearer decision-making.
Create a Compliance Roadmap
Your roadmap turns all your findings into actionable steps. It outlines what to fix, who will handle the task, how long it may take, and what resources you need. It also helps you track progress and maintain accountability.
Moreover, a roadmap gives your team direction. Because compliance requires collaboration, everyone benefits from a structured plan. With this roadmap, you transition from analysis to execution.
Common Gaps Found During ADHICS Gap Analysis
Healthcare facilities in the UAE often face similar issues during assessments. Weak passwords, missing logs, outdated antivirus tools, and inconsistent access controls appear frequently. Additionally, many facilities lack encryption, incident response processes, and secure vendor management. Unsecured medical devices and incomplete HR practices also create significant risks.
When you address these issues early, you improve your compliance score. Moreover, you boost your readiness for audits, integrations, and cybersecurity reviews.
How ADHICS Gap Analysis Supports Malaffi Integration
Malaffi requires strong security controls because it handles sensitive patient information across Abu Dhabi. If your systems fall below ADHICS standards, your integration becomes slow and complicated. However, a Gap Analysis helps you avoid such issues by strengthening your systems in advance.
In addition, ADHICS alignment ensures better data quality, stronger governance, and safer data exchange. Therefore, you experience smoother connectivity, fewer delays, and improved interoperability across the healthcare ecosystem.
An ADHICS Gap Analysis gives you a clear picture of your cybersecurity posture and helps you understand what your facility must improve. It simplifies complex requirements and turns them into actionable steps. When you follow this structured approach, you enhance data protection, strengthen internal processes, and prepare for seamless Malaffi integration. Moreover, you create a safer digital environment that patients trust and regulators respect.
Start your Gap Analysis today and guide your organization toward stronger security and smarter healthcare delivery.
FAQs
1. What is the main purpose of ADHICS Gap Analysis?
It helps you identify missing controls and weak practices so you can work toward full compliance.
2. How often should I perform an ADHICS Gap Analysis?
You should do it yearly or whenever you prepare for an audit or system upgrade.
3. Who should participate in the assessment?
IT, cybersecurity, HR, clinical teams, administration, and compliance staff should participate.
4. How long does the assessment take?
It usually takes between two and six weeks depending on your facility’s size and complexity.
5. Does ADHICS compliance support Malaffi onboarding?
Yes. Strong ADHICS compliance helps you complete the integration process smoothly and securely.