The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) will start the implementation of the Cerner system at its Al Gharaffa Health Centre from next Sunday, a senior PHCC official disclosed yesterday.
Lamia al-Barghouti, CIS project manager, Clinical Information Systems, PHCC also said that three more health centres will be added to the already existing network of 21 health centres under the PHCC.
She said that 95% of the Cerner preparations has been completed at the Gharaffa health centre.
“We are almost through, in terms of medical infrastructure, training of staff, availability of medical and IT equipment and other facilities. This week we will finalise the whole plan for Al Gharaffa and start implementing the system from next Sunday,” she said.
The Cerner system which is a joint effort between PHCC and Hamad Medical Corporation was first implemented in Al Dayyan Health Centre last April as well as in Al Khor Hospital. “Next, we are planning for Omar Bin Kathab Health Centre in November and Abu Baker Siddiq Health Centre in January,” al-Barghouti added.
Pointing out that Cerner is a beneficial project, she said: “As per the feedback we get from Al Dayyan Health Centre, the patients and staff are very happy about the system. We are really excited about it and look forward to serving the patients more effectively using the system.”
It will take a few weeks for the heath centres to get used to the system. “We need 2-3 weeks for each health centre to stabilise once Cerner is implemented. The patients during this period, have to be patient enough with any initial issues. It will benefit them a lot in the long run.”
Al-Barghouti said that the system has proven to be hugely successful at the Al Dayyan Centre. “The entire health centre has become paperless. All the records are electronic and they are using digital machines for measuring and recording vital signs,” she said.
“In Gharaffa, triage also will be brought under Cerner, which was not done in Al Dayyan. The whole process of implementing Cerner at all the health centres will be completed in 2016.”
