Transforming Healthcare in Abu Dhabi: Implementing an HIE-wide Image Exchange

Malaffi is the first HIE in the Middle East and North Africa, established as a private-public partnership and a strategic priority of the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi in the UAE, and a key component of the digital transformation of Abu Dhabi's healthcare system. Launched in 2019, Malaffi now connected almost the entire sector, including more than 2000 private and public healthcare facilities, providing access to records for 7 million patients to more than 45,000 users, noted as one of the fastest implemented HIEs globally. As part of the continuous efforts to improve the platform, Malaffi has implemented an Image Exchange Solution, that will ultimately connect more than 60 sites, providing clinical users with access to more than two million medical imaging studies, in addition to the already available radiology reports and a rich set of clinical data. Providing a unified viewing environment for all imaging studies in the community will further improve the efficiency and quality of care by reducing the duplication of costly and invasive radiology investigations, reducing operational costs and improving patients’ experience. This presentation will focus on the implementation journey, discussing challenges and mitigation strategies, along with expected benefits and results.