Background: Although in recent times the Saudi government has paid much attention to the adaptation of hospital information systems (HIS) and electronic medical records (EMR), the importance of utilising HIS to enhance medical research has been neglected. Objective: We aimed to (i) investigate the current state of medical research in Saudi Arabia, (ii) identify possible issues that hinder improvement of medical research and (iii) identify possible solutions to enhance the role of HIS in medical research in Saudi Arabia. Method: We used a questionnaire and structured interview approach. Questionnaires were distributed to Saudi healthcare professionals. One hundred responses to our questionnaire were captured by the online Google Form designed specifically for our survey. Structured interviews with two IT professionals were conducted regarding technical aspects of their hospital data management systems. Results: Six themes contributing to the inefficacy of HIS in medical research in Saudi Arabia emerged from the data: incorrect datasets, difficult data collection and storage, poor data analytics, a lack of system interoperability across different HIS for universal access and negative perception of the usefulness of HIS for medical research. Conclusion and implications: Our findings suggest (i) cloud-based HIS would support efficient, reliable and integrated data collection and storage across all hospitals in Saudi Arabia; (ii) EMR data sources should be seamlessly linked to avoid incomplete, fragmented or erroneous EMR in Saudi Arabia; and (iii) collaboration between all hospitals in Saudi Arabia to adopt a uniform standard to support interoperability and improve data exchange and integration is necessary.
Current health information systems used in genetic research centers and clinics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have failed to enable researchers and health care physicians to utilize genetic and clinical data in their research. In this paper, we aim to design and implement a Genetic Disorders Diagnosis Data Management System (G3DMS) to support clinicians in the process of diagnosing genetic diseases and conducting genetic studies. A case study was undertaken to analyze a health information system in Saudi to understand its design problems via a brainstorming method. We then used the Barker’s system design method and a prototype to validate our proposed system via usability testing. This research has resulted in the development of the G3DMS that comprises: electronic data-capture forms for data entry; a customized query builder to display and modify patient data as well as form research queries; a module that allows historical data to be uploaded in the form of bulk data using a template; export data options to Excel and JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format; and authorization access for healthcare researchers and clinicians. The G3DMS was implemented in the Princess Al-Jawhara Center of Excellence in Research of Hereditary Disorders, Jeddah, KSA.
Cloud-based technologies play a significant role in the technology-enhanced learning domain. The adoption of cloud technologies in the educational environment has a positive impact on the learning process by offering new tools and services to improve and support the learning life cycle, including interactivity. In specific fields, such as clinical skills training, that involve computer-intensive training scenarios, there is an increased demand to deliver training services to a larger number of learners, therefore the need for cloud services. However, to date there has been a lack of a formalized framework relating to the use of cloud computing for on-demand interactive e-training resources. This paper is to formalize a theoretical framework for an interactive e-training system particularly for clinical skills training, taking into consideration e-training system requirements and with a focus on applying cloud technologies to ensure the dynamic scalability of services and computing power while maintaining QoS and security
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