DOH Digital Health Policy
DOH Digital Health Policy
DOH Digital Health Policy
September 2020
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Document Title: DOH Policy on Digital Health
Document Type: Policy
Document Ref. Number: DOH/STR/POL/0.9/2020
Effective Date: 22 September 2020
Healthcare Policy and Standards Department. Please email hps@doh.gov.ae for
Document Owner: further information.
• Patients, individuals, consumers, and end-users seeking to receive healthcare
in Abu Dhabi physically or via virtual consultation
• DOH-licensed healthcare providers and professionals seeking to administer
healthcare to individuals in Abu Dhabi or those seeking healthcare in Abu Dhabi
Applies to:
via virtual consultation
• DOH-licensed healthcare insurers
• Abu-Dhabi-based pharmaceutical manufacturers and providers
• Health and healthcare-related researchers
This Policy should be read in conjunction with related Abu Dhabi and UAE laws, DOH Standards, Policies and
Manuals including but not limited to:
• DOH Policy on Health Information Exchange.
• DOH Policy on AI in the Health Sector.
• DOH Quality Policy.
• DOH Regulator Manual.
• DOH Healthcare Provider Manual.
• DOH Health Professional Manual.
• DOH Standard on the Internet of Medical Things.
• DOH Standard on Patient Healthcare Data Privacy.
• Federal Law on Medical Liability.
• Federal Law on the Practice of Human Medicine.
.
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ABOUT DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DOH)
The Department of Health (DOH) is the regulatory body of the health system in the Emirate of Abu
Dhabi and seeks excellence in health for the community by regulating and monitoring the health
status of the population. DOH defines the strategy for the health system, monitors and analyses the
health status of the population and performance of the system. In addition, DOH shapes the
regulatory framework for the health system, inspects against regulations, enforce regulations, and
encourages the adoption of best practices and performance targets by all health service providers.
DOH also drives programs to increase awareness and adoption of healthy living standards among the
residents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in addition to regulating scope of services, premiums and
reimbursement rates of the health system in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The Health System of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is comprehensive, encompasses the full spectrum of
health services and is accessible to all residents of Abu Dhabi. The health system encompasses
providers, professionals, patients, Insurers, and the regulator. Providers of health services include
public and private services and the system is financed through mandatory health insurance (with the
exception of Thiqa) and has three main sources of financing: Employers or Sponsors, the Government
and Individuals. The Health Insurance scheme places responsibilities on any Insurer, Broker, Third
Party Administrator, Health Provider, Employer, Sponsor (including educational establishments),
Limited Income Investors, and Insured Persons to participate in the Health Insurance Scheme.
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Table of Contents
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Executive Summary
In recent years, there has been a surge in the use of digital health and healthcare stakeholders
worldwide have recognized the potential benefits of digital health in healthcare service delivery.
Developing and implementing a policy for digital health is therefore crucial for setting the direction
for safety, privacy, security and the ethical use of eHealth in healthcare service delivery.
Following a thorough situation analysis, DOH’s position on the use of digital health in healthcare
service delivery has been captured in this high-level overarching policy that sets out the vision and
priority areas for the health sector to enable an environment that leverages digital technology to
improve health, healthcare and the performance of the healthcare sector. The four policy priority
areas defined in this document are in line with international and national recommendations:
• Person Centricity.
• Infrastructure.
• Legal and Ethical Framework.
• Flexible and Adaptable Regulation.
DOH aims to enable the use of digital health in Abu Dhabi to meet the wide-ranging health needs of
the population. This overarching policy therefore sets out the objectives against each policy priority
area and the strategies to achieve them. The key policy objectives identified are:
1. Promoting the use of digital technologies to improve the person’s health and their informed
decision-making.
2. Promoting the use of digital technologies to improve care delivery and health outcomes.
3. Guaranteeing data access, openness, transparency, confidentiality, privacy, and ethical use.
4. Ensuring protected, efficient, interoperable data convergence under one same platform.
5. Enhancing cybersecurity.
6. Protecting data elements under cloud technology
7. Managing disposal of e-waste.
8. Setting out medical jurisdiction and defining medical liability.
9. Enforcing regulation on safe and ethical research and development.
10. Redefining health and medical technology to include platforms and digital applications and
technologies as appropriate.
11. Ensuring that every actor and player in an individual’s health journey is accounted to from
legislative, regulatory and medical malpractice points of view.
12. Ensuring quality and safety of digital healthcare delivered.
13. Financially incentivizing care providers to accelerate adoption and enhancement of their
digital maturity and care provision.
14. Creating an enabling ecosystem for innovation.
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The health sector in Abu Dhabi needs clear direction to achieve these identified policy priorities and
objectives. This means that DOH seeks to ensure the efficient, equitable, ethical, accessible,
sustainable, and comprehensive digital health enablement, infusion and leading of the Abu Dhabi
healthcare sector while minimizing any potential risk to person and/or data safety, security,
protection, person-related health service, outcome, and experience. Formulation of this overarching
policy on digital health will lay the foundations for future work in this area. This will ensure that the
Abu Dhabi health sector is able to use digital health technology to improve communication,
responsiveness, access, quality, and safety of healthcare services.
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1. Introduction
The role of digital health (or eHealth) in healthcare service delivery is understood as the cost-efficient,
secure and ethical use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to ensure the
improvement of access to efficient and quality health services. In order for digital health to be
successful, it should be based on a comprehensive plan to leverage and advance the use of digital
technology to improve health and healthcare. This can be enabled through a comprehensive and
logical policy and strategy approach that not only details desired points, but also describes the who,
how and what are needed in this journey. Such an approach gives digital health the necessary
contextual framework with the DOH overall vision for the future of health and healthcare over the
next ten years.
Digital health has been driving a revolution in health care worldwide. The UAE, like all other countries,
has noticed the extensive potential of digital health to improve the ability to accurately diagnose
and/or treat disease and enhance healthcare service delivery. The UAE has also noticed the impact
digital health can and does have on access to healthcare during emergencies and pandemics where
face-to-face encounters become limited.
The Department of Health has emphasized the need for digital health as an Emirate-wide priority for
driving overall healthcare sector improvement and for improving the health and the performance of
the healthcare system. To achieve this, DOH has conducted a comprehensive situation analysis
including sector wide stakeholder consultations and therefore encouraged development and
implementation of health sector policies, strategies and legislation to provide direction and support
for the use of digital health in the health sector at the Emirate wide level.
1.1. Limitations
Given that it is difficult to predict how digital health policy will look after ten years from now, this
policy contains some limitations as to the extent of its scope. The following are policy considerations
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to keep in mind from then on after to ensure that this Policy continues being relevant regardless of
how quickly technology advances—foresight and looking beyond the current horizon.
The following considerations are based on predictions of what the Policy expectations should be,
given how the digitally-led Model of Care is predicted to look like after 2030 and what is needed:
1.1.1. Consideration for the Future1: Care delivery, AI and Machine Learning
1.1.3.1. Integration with other systems and regulators – Smart Cities, Smart Nations
As cities and nations race to become smart in the near future, DOH policy will have to
consider how DOH and healthcare in general will be seamlessly integrated with other systems
and regulators. Which regulator will have final decision-making power will also have to be
considered.
1.1.4. Consideration for the Future 4: Robust Ethical Framework Adaptive to Changing Times
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DOH policy will have to take into consideration questions arising from the redefinition of
prolonging of life and “immortality” from a scientific, philosophical and religious/spiritual
standpoint. When digital health technologies will allow us to manipulate health at the
molecular level and predict and prevent diseases and conditions before they happen, policy
will have to consider both an aging population as well as philosophical issues that may arise
when extending human power over life beyond what has traditionally been the norm.
1.1.4.3. Transhumanism
DOH policy will have to consider the extent to which digital health can enhance human
intellect and physiology, whether this will be allowed at all, and, if so, what the limit to it will
be. This policy consideration will go hand in hand with that of insertion of devices in the
human body (i.e., biochips and biosensors) and to what extent these can be used—
convenience, augmentation, life support? Furthermore, if device insertion is considered a
medical procedure, who will have the authority to perform it and where, and who will be held
liable in case of malpractice?
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Figure 1: Overview of the DOH Policy on Digital Health
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2. Definitions
Biochip: Relates to a number of technologies that involve the merging of semiconductor and
biological sciences. The most common form is based on an array of molecular sensors arranged on
a small surface. The underlying mechanism utilizes microfluidic micro-electromechanical systems
(MEMS) technology. These devices are used to analyze biological elements such as DNA, ribonucleic
acid and proteins, in addition to certain chemicals.
Biosensor: Self-contained integrated device that is capable of providing specific quantitative or semi-
quantitative analytical information using a biological recognition element (biochemical receptor) that
is retained in direct spatial contact with an electrochemical transduction element.
Digital Health: The cost-efficient, secure and ethical use of information and communication
technologies (ICTs) for health to ensure the improvement of access to and efficiency and quality of
health services. These technologies include both hardware and software solutions and services,
ranging from telemedicine, web-based analysis, email, mobile phones and applications, text
messages, wearable devices, and clinic or remote monitoring sensors, and personalized medicine.
They may be used by individuals to make better-informed decisions about health and healthcare.
They may also support the provision of new options for prevention, early diagnosis of life-threatening
diseases, and management of chronic conditions in non-traditional care settings, as well as support
physicians in making clinical decisions.
Electronic Waste (e-waste): All types of old, end-of-life or discarded electrical and electronic
equipment, such as household appliances; office information and communications equipment and
any data stored on them; entertainment and consumer electronic equipment; lighting equipment;
electric and electronic tools; toys; and leisure, sports and recreational equipment that are powered
by electricity. E-waste contains both valuable and hazardous materials that require special handling
and recycling methods.
End-User: The person within the health sector (provider of services, insurer, pharmaceuticals
manufacturer, patient and/or medical researcher) who ultimately uses digital technology or intends
to use digital technology.
Healthcare Entity:
Entity in Abu Dhabi that is involved in the direct delivery of healthcare and/or supportive healthcare services,
or in the financing of health such as hospital, medical clinic and medical center, telemedicine provider,
laboratory and diagnostic center, and pharmacy, etc.
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Information and Communication Technology (ICT): All the technology used to handle
telecommunications, broadcast media, intelligent building management systems, audiovisual
processing and transmission systems, and network-based control and monitoring functions.
Smart Nation: People and businesses are empowered through increased access to data, more
participatory through the contribution of innovative ideas and solutions, and a more anticipatory
government that utilizes technology to better serve citizens' needs.
Transhumanism: Social and philosophical movement devoted to promoting the research and
development of robust human-enhancement technologies. Such technologies would augment or
increase human sensory reception, emotive ability, or cognitive capacity as well as radically improve
human health and extend human life spans. Such modifications resulting from the addition of
biological or physical technologies would be more or less permanent and integrated into the human
body.
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3. Purpose of this Policy
4. Scope
5.1 Vision
An enabling environment that leverages digital technology to improve health, healthcare and the
performance of the health sector.
5.2 Goal
DOH wants to ensure the efficient, equitable, ethical, accessible, sustainable, and comprehensive
digital health enablement, infusion and leading of the Abu Dhabi healthcare sector while minimizing
any potential risk to person and/or data safety, privacy, security, protection, person-related health
service, outcome, and experience.
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• Accountability: Requires that researchers, developers and providers of digital health
technologies be accountable to users and other stakeholders. Digital health researchers,
developers and providers should explain and disclose relevant information and maintain
adequate communications with stakeholders.
• Context-sensitive: While taking into account best practices and existing best models for
digital health, this Policy and its implementation shall be driven by local and regional realities
and priorities.
• Continuous improvement: Meaningful digital technology requires a commitment to
continuous improvement of the related policy, programs, practices, and service delivery at
all levels of the government.
• Coordination, collaboration and communication: Are critical components of effective
delivery of digital health at all levels amongst stakeholders. The commitment and active
participation of all relevant stakeholders are required to advance and coordinate DOH’s effort
to improve overall promotion of digital health in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
• Ethics: Requires that human dignity and individual autonomy, privacy and confidentiality be
respected in the research and development of digital health and in its utilization.
• Evidence-based and forward-looking strategy: Implementation strategies of the policy
shall be evidence-based, forward-looking, and will take into account emerging global trends,
local experts’ opinions, and local, cultural and physical needs.
• Financial Sustainability: Ensuring that technological innovation is incorporated without
causing undue financial pressures and promoting the effective and judicious use of
resources.
• Optimize care for better health outcomes: Central to this policy and its components is
obtaining the best care outcome across population groups. All developments of this Policy
have the sole and ultimate consideration of providing the best care.
• Partnership: Regulators, payers, providers (public and the private sector), emergency
medical services, non-healthcare emergency services, patients, UAE-based pharmaceutical
manufacturers, frontline workers seeking to administer premium healthcare to individuals in
Abu Dhabi or those seeking healthcare in Abu Dhabi via virtual consultation, and others shall
be seen as strategic partners driving the development of this policy and its implementation.
• Person Centricity: The person is at the center of all policies, being the main priority for all
decision-making and care delivery.
• Privacy: Requires that privacy be taken into consideration so that digital health does not
infringe on the privacy rights of users or third parties.
• Safety and security: All digital technologies used in the delivery of healthcare require that
safety and security be taken into consideration so that no harm is brought to lives or bodies
of users or third parties. It must be ensured that all digital technologies used in the delivery
of healthcare are dependable and robust.
• Sectoral coordination: It is the responsibility of all Health System Stakeholders at all levels,
both local and federal, to work jointly toward the meaningful use of digital technology in
healthcare.
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• Sustainability: Ensuring that solutions are integrated in the system so they can be
maintained beyond the short-run.
• Technology-neutral: Policies, standards, and guidelines should not prescribe specific
technological solutions but rather outline visions and requirements of safe and meaningful
use of digital health technologies.
• Transparency: All digital technologies used in the delivery of healthcare should be verifiable
and explainable in order to make it possible to ascertain the reasons in the event of any
failures.
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6. Policy Priorities, Objectives and Strategies
Use of digital technology by people and for people to improve overall informed decision-making,
health status and outcomes of healthcare interventions.
Policy Objectives
1. Promoting the use of digital technologies to improve the person’s health and their informed
decision-making.
2. Promoting the use of digital technologies to improve care delivery and health outcomes.
Objective 1: Promoting the use of digital technologies to improve the person’s health and their
informed decision-making.
Strategy 1: Provide awareness and education.
Objective 2: Promoting the use of digital technologies to improve care delivery and health outcomes.
Strategy 2: Incentivize healthcare providers and institutions to incorporate digital health
technologies designed to improve care delivery.
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6.2 Policy Priority 2: Infrastructure
Enabling ICT, electronic and physical infrastructures for digital health are safe, secure, sustainable,
ethical, and of the best quality to ensure that all patient/health and personal data exchanged via
digital health means are private, confidential, secure and protected against possible breaches and
tampering but are also open and transparent for the users.
Policy Objectives
3. Guaranteeing data access, openness, transparency, confidentiality, privacy, and ethical use.
4. Ensuring protected, efficient, interoperable data convergence under one same platform.
5. Enhancing cybersecurity.
6. Protecting data elements under cloud technology
7. Managing disposal of e-waste.
Objective 3: Guaranteeing data access, openness, transparency, confidentiality, privacy, and ethical
use.
Strategy 3: Have in place the necessary regulations and processes.
Objective 4: Ensuring protected, efficient, interoperable data convergence under one same
platform.
Strategy 4: Have in place regulation that covers proper data convergence processes under one
same platform.
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6.2.3.2 Coordinate with the right national bodies, if and where necessary, Coordinate
with the right national bodies to ensure that all health and non-health data is
collected, stored, displayed and is interoperable in an efficient manner under
the same platform.
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Objective 7: Managing Disposal of e-waste.
Strategy 7: Work with designated spaces and facilities to which all e-waste and potential
technology pollution will be delivered for proper disposal and/or recycling.
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6.3 Policy Priority 3: Legal and Ethical Framework
All enablement of health and healthcare by, and adoption and use of, digital health is legal and
ethical so that the safety, rights and dignity of the individual are not put at risk.
Policy Objectives
8. Setting out medical jurisdiction and defining medical liability.
9. Enforcing regulation on safe and ethical research and development.
Objective 9: Enforcing regulation on safe and ethical research and development on digital health.
Strategy 9: Establish regulations and processes for any research with and on digital health seeking
approval and permission.
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6.4. Policy Priority 4: Flexible and Adaptable Regulation
Regulations and policies that cover all aspects of digital health in such a manner that they are
adaptable, robust, resilient, and timeless, thereby ensuring the highest quality of care while
maintaining the utmost safety of the individual at the center.
Policy Objectives
10. Redefining health and medical technology to include platforms and digital applications and
technologies as appropriate.
11. Ensuring that every actor and player in an individual’s health journey is accounted to from
legislative, regulatory and medical malpractice points of view.
12. Ensuring quality and safety of digital healthcare delivered by:
a) Certifying technologies
b) Licensing healthcare workers
c) Upskilling and reskilling workforce
13. Financially incentivizing care providers to accelerate adoption and enhancement of their
digital maturity and care provision.
14. Creating an enabling ecosystem for innovation.
Objective 10: Redefining health and medical technology to include platforms and digital applications
and technologies as appropriate.
Strategy 10: Redefining health and medical technology to include platforms and digital applications
and technologies as appropriate.
Objective 11: Ensuring that every actor and player in an individual’s health journey is accounted to
from legislative, regulatory and medical malpractice points of view.
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Strategy 11: Determine which new entities (beyond the traditional clinical sense) and under what
circumstances are they considered healthcare providers to be held liable for patient safety.
Objective 12a: Ensuring regulated use of digital health technologies for healthcare delivery.
Strategy 12a: Use of certified digital technology and platforms for healthcare delivery.
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6.4.7.2. Require that all official systems, platforms and digital health technologies for delivery
of care to be certified and recertified (with specific certifications being designated to
institutions utilizing very advanced digital health technology).
6.4.7.3. Determine which certification process systems, platforms and digital health
technologies have to follow. If neither of these exists globally, DOH will work with
international and national agencies to create these in-house.
Objective 12b: Ensuring delivery of digitally enabled healthcare by appropriately licensed and trained
professionals.
Strategy 12b: Develop the necessary licensing and training policies and requirements for staff who
use specific digital health technologies for healthcare delivery.
Objective 12c: Reskilling and upskilling current and future healthcare and ICT workforce.
Strategy 12c: Ensure fit-for-purpose educational training programs.
Objective 13: To enhance the adoption and enhancement of digital maturity by providers in their
delivery of healthcare.
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Strategy 13: Incentivize care providers to accelerate adoption of digital health technology and
enhance their digital maturity and care provision.
Objective 14: To foster, invite and push the boundaries of innovation in the Emirate via easy, yet
regulated, entry into the Abu Dhabi market for startups, venture capital (VC), etc., as well as for
attraction of future talent.
Strategy 14: Eliminate barriers and create opportunities for new businesses to emerge.
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7. Implementation Arrangements
7.1.1. DOH shall engage with internal and external stakeholder including healthcare facilities
and entities, ICT stakeholders, and all other digital health developers to with to agree
on the roles and responsibilities of each towards the implementation, operation,
adoption, and maintenance of a digitally-led, digitally-infused and digitally-transformed
Model of Care and healthcare system.
7.1.2. DOH will provide the necessary stewardship and ensure, where necessary, that the
requirements set out in this Policy are met through its regulatory powers.
7.1.3. Healthcare Providers: Must take on a robust approach to meet the requirements as set
out by DOH to ensure the safety and wellbeing of persons seeking their services and
the privacy, security and confidentiality of their information.
7.2.1. DOH will enforce the compliance of all concerned stakeholders with this Policy.
7.2.2. DOH may impose sanctions in relation to any breach of requirements under this Policy
in accordance with the Complaints, Investigations, Regulatory Action and Sanctions
Chapter, Healthcare Regulator Manual Version.
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