New mobile health category highlight of 2012 Middle East
Informa Life Sciences, organisers of the 4th Hospital Build & Infrastructure Middle East 2012 Exhibition and Congress, has introduced a new category to the upcoming 2012 Hospital Build Awards. The M+Health Award for the Best Health Care Initiative by a Telecom Provider is aimed at recognising the use of mobile technologies to improve health care initiatives in the Middle East whilst positively impacting the bottom line across the range of stakeholders in the healthcare industry.
For this new awards category, so far more than 25 nominations have been sent in for the consideration of the Hospital Build Awards judging panel. Nominations can be submitted via the website (www.hospitalbuild-me.com) and will close on 3 May 2012.
The Awards also covers six other categories that have received more than 185 nominations, including Best Hospital Design (Built or Future), Best Physical Environment (Built), Best Sustainable Hospital Project, Best Healing Environment, Best Technology Initiative Award and another new category, Best Initiative to Improve the Design Standard of Healthcare Facilities.
The Hospital Build Awards 2012 will recognise leaders in the healthcare industry who have devoted their efforts to building hospitals that help improve healthcare services and raise the bar in providing world-class patient care. They will act as a platform to promote the professionals who have worked hard to achieve a hospital environment that enables and promotes a healthy life.
The Hospital Build Awards winners will be announced on the 4th June at the Hospital Build & Infrastructure Middle East Exhibition and Congress 2012, which will run from 4-6 June 2012, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The new M+Health Award looks at providers in the Middle East region working to build capacity and implement mobile health (mHealth) solutions that address the global healthcare challenges. mHealth is set to be a booming industry within the healthcare industry especially in the Middle East. Middle Eastern governments are spending vast amounts of money on the construction of healthcare facilities, and these facilities - designed and developed using the latest specifications, designs and IT infrastructure protocols - are ready to adopt mHealth to increase patient care, patient experience and reduce costs.
“With the advancement of technology such as smart phones, computing clouds, voice recognition software, to just name a few, it is only logical to see the market advancement of mHealth solutions,” said Steven A. Matarelli, Chief Operating Office, Administration, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain and member of the Hospital Build Awards judging panel. “Superior healthcare delivery is fundamentally based on information, timing, decision-making, and consumer involvement. Solutions in the arena of mHealth products provide real time experiences that enhance these fundamentals to a great extent.
“Transmission of bio-physiological parameters to care providers in a variety of formats provides access to vital information without the need for actual face-to-face interactivity. This saves time, enhances patient responsibility for their own healthcare, and provides clinicians with information outside the more traditional modes of information gathering. I firmly believe these solutions are gateways to more efficient care delivery, safer patient experiences, and enhanced patient self-efficacy. Above all, eHealth solutions provide access while “on-the-go”, and that is lock-step with our modern lives.”
Simon Page, Managing Director, Informa Life Sciences, the organiser of Hospital Build & Infrastructure Middle East 2012, said, “Research has indicated that the annual consumer market for mobile monitoring devices is projected to increase in 2011 from US$7.7 billion to US$43 billion. Currently, 94% of physicians are using mobile health consulting apps while on the job and 63% of physicians are using personal devices for mobile health solutions that aren't connected to their practice. The new m+Health Award is in recognition of the importance of this emerging technology in healthcare in the Middle East.”
As investment in the region's healthcare infrastructure continues to rise, Hospital Build Middle East 2012 is set to be bigger than ever with more than 130 exhibitors covering 5,000sqm of exhibition floor space, an estimated 4,500 visitors, as well as more than 600 conference delegates. Running alongside the exhibition is a multi-disciplinary congress consisting of eight leading conferences that will focus on delivering up-to-date information which will address all the disciplines involved with the hospital build process. New for this year is the inaugural Architect’s Congress.
For more information about 2012 Hospital Build Awards visit www.hospitalbuild-me.com.