Within the framework of the strategic plan approved by HE Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Rabeeah, to improve medical records departments in the MOH, Dr. Abdul Aziz Hamed Al Ghamdi, Director General for Hospitals, recently launched the first training course for records department administrators and managers working in MOH referral hospitals. The training took place under the guidance of the Deputy of Planning and Development, Dr. Mohammed Bin Hamza Khoshaim. The four-day course took place in Jeddah, and was attended by 27 medical records administrators and managers from Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Qunfudah, Madinah, Asir, Jizan, Baha, Najran and Bisha.
The course was given by a specialized MOH training team. The program included an introduction to the strategic plan’s components for developing MOH hospital record systems, including location, workforce, equipment and policies and procedures. Strategies for updating and standardizing records classifications were also addressed.
The program also offered lectures and workshops on various technical issues related to work organization in medical records departments according to national and international standards, including electronic recordkeeping. Other lectures and workshops discussed medical documentation, types of medical files, and health coding skills using the international system for disease and intervention classification (ICD10AM – International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification.)
Participants also took part in open discussions about causes of and possible solutions for the main challenges facing medical records departments in MOH hospitals. The program also included a field visit to King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah, where participants were able to see firsthand how an advanced medical records department operates.
Dr. Al Ghamdi also announced that the General Department of Hospitals is launching a similar course in the Eastern Province in the near future.