Health information is sensitive, and healthcare facilities worldwide take utmost care to safeguard it. However, with the growing adoption of electronic medical records, and advent of DHA’s NABIDH platform in Dubai, it’s only natural to feel that you have no control over your private health information. But in fact, DHA’s NABIDH policies and standards give you complete control over your health, and your health records. This article will help you understand who can access your medical data over NABIDH and how you can control it.
NABIDH: A Patient-Centric Unified Medical Record System
Dubai Health Authority’s NABIDH platform is an attempt to unify medical records of all patients so that healthcare providers across Dubai will have instant access to their medical history and health information at the critical time of need. It acts as a central repository that empowers healthcare providers to improve and personalize care and streamlines health services. It enables you to take active part in your healthcare journey and equips you with instant access to your medical information whenever you need it.
Accessing Your Health Data on NABIDH
The NABIDH Patient Portal makes it quick and convenient for you to access your health records. All you need is internet connectivity and the credentials to log into the NABIDH Patient Portal. With these, you can view all your medical information, including reports, diagnosis, treatments, medications, etc.
Who Else Gets Access to Your Medical Data on NABIDH?
DHA NABIDH makes sure that only authorized healthcare providers get access to your health information. Licensed healthcare professionals involved in your care, have direct access to your data. This includes doctors, nurses, and other care providers who are part of the team that is treating you.
Moreover, NABIDH promotes role-based authorization to health records. It restricts access and controls it through multi-step authentication. So, even those individuals who have access to your health information can only view data within the scope of the care they provide.
How Secure is Your Medical Data on NABIDH?
Stringent NABIDH policies and standards for data privacy and security govern your medical information. From data encryption, firewalls, access controls, and audits to detecting and preventing data breaches, NABIDH prescribes the guidelines, procedures, and protocols to ensure your data remains protected at all times.
NABIDH Policies Designed to Protect Your Data
DHA has carefully crafted a set of policies to make sure that the privacy and security of your health data is never compromised:
1. NABIDH Policy Governing Data Collection & Storage
The responsibility to protect your health data is taken very seriously by DHA NABIDH, and it begins as early as data collection itself. NABIDH’s Consent and Access Control Policy has been formulated to ensure that you are fully aware of how your medical data will be captured, used, and who will have access to it. You reserve the right to decide whether your data can be shared over NABIDH or not. Only with your explicit consent, your data is made accessible over the NABIDH network. If you decide not to share your medical information, you have the right to opt out of NABIDH.
2. NABIDH Policies Controlling Patient Data Access
A set of strict access control mechanisms have been recommended by NABIDH to protect your medical data. These recommendations ensure role-based access and set on the principle of restricted access to those whose roles and responsibilities necessitate it. The Identity Management Policy, and the Authentication and Authorization Policy govern and regulate access to your health data.
3. NABIDH Policies Governing the Security of Your Health Information
Health information security is not a single person’s responsibility in any facility. Everyone who has access to your health records have a role to play in maintaining the privacy and security of your health records. So, NABIDH defines a set of rules and guidelines that safeguard your medical data, through its comprehensive Information Security Standards. These standards ensure that every individual who has access to your electronic health record, handles it safely.
4. NABIDH Policy To Maintain the Security of Your Data
Data privacy and security is not a one-time requirement. It’s an ongoing responsibility. NABIDH’s Audit Policy ensures that every healthcare facility continues to handle your data securely, through periodic audits. These audits ensure that your health information is being handled in a manner that aligns with the highest privacy benchmarks.
The NABIDH Policies and Standards aim to empower you by providing the autonomy to consent or revoke consent for data sharing. This reinforces NABIDH’s key objective of providing patient-centric care, and fosters transparency. They also enable you to be a more active participant in your healthcare journey, and take complete control of your health.