The power of information

Dentists are concerned about the patient confidentiality implications of the new scheme.

As the saying goes, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. At the best of times data protection is a touchy subject, but never more so than in healthcare.

Worldwide, medical records are subject to the most stringent security measures simply because information doesn't get more personal.

Never one to follow the crowd, Dubai has taken a different tack on data gathering. Last month, the emirate's dentists learnt that they would be expected to submit explicit medical information to a centralised Department of Health and Medical Services (DoHMS) database.

Clinics must provide full details of treatment alongside a labour card or similar form of I.D. to verify the patient's identity. Dentists have told MED that should they fail to do so, their licences are at risk.

Unsurprisingly, the news has sparked an industry backlash. To spell out the obvious, the government is demanding what looks like identifiable patient information from dentists. In one swoop, it has cut through several decades of hotly enforced medical ethics, with barely a nod to the issue of patient confidentiality.

There has been no talk of patient consent. DoHMS, it would seem, doesn't see the merit in asking permission from patients. This would be less of an issue - I'm sure the UK's National Health Service extrapolates data from its records - if migrant residents had any say in how the government will utilise their information. There is also the delicate issue of Dubai's list of deportable diseases.

Open up everyone's medical records to government scrutiny, and patients will understandably start to withhold information. Particularly when there isn't a chance to opt out.

Secondly, and the primary issue riling dentists, the process strikes at the heart of the confidentiality laws that underpin doctor-patient trust. A hard and fast rule in healthcare is that patients have a right to know who is accessing their information.

None of the numerous dentists that have contacted me on this issue oppose data gathering in itself. What they object to is the under-the-counter culture behind it. Patients should be informed.

Despite numerous calls on this topic, DoHMS has refused to issue a comment. This attitude has left dentists - some of who believe their licenses are in jeopardy if they refuse to comply- completely in the dark.

However, this is one topic where the government can't afford to stay silent. Few things get healthcare professionals more riled than the prospect of a breach in confidentiality - something Dubai's Department of Health and Medical Services looks set to learn.

Ramadan kareem, everybody.

James McCarthy is the editor of Middle East Dentist.

RELATED LINKS: Patient confidentiality ‘at risk' under Dubai healthcare scheme

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