GDPR Compliance of Hospital Management Systems in the UAE

Abstract

While the UAE is making strides in healthcare digitalization and adopting global best practices, the absence of a unified data protection framework equivalent to the GDPR poses significant challenges for hospital management systems (HMS) in the region. This gap creates uncertainties in compliance, especially regarding cross-border data transfers, third-party vendor management, and the protection of patients' privacy rights. The lack of clear regulations tailored to the UAE’s unique healthcare landscape hinders the implementation of robust data protection measures, raising concerns about potential data breaches, legal liabilities, and the overall trustworthiness of healthcare institutions. Addressing these challenges is crucial for aligning the UAE’s healthcare sector with international standards while ensuring the security and privacy of patient data in a rapidly evolving digital environment. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has significantly impacted hospital management systems (HMS) by setting strict data protection requirements. This study provides a systematic literature review of GDPR compliance in HMS, focusing on key challenges such as regulatory complexity, permission management, data subject rights, data breaches, third-party vendor management, and cross-border data transfers. Suggested mitigation measures include privacy by design, data protection impact assessments, improved consent management, robust breach detection, and efficient vendor management. Legislative reforms are needed to clarify GDPR's application to healthcare. The study also highlights increased investments in privacy technologies, improved patient trust, and the demand for advanced solutions. Future research should explore the effectiveness of these mitigations, GDPR's impact on patient satisfaction, ethical data processing, and standardized data protection frameworks in healthcare. Achieving GDPR compliance is crucial for protecting patient data, building trust, and ensuring secure and ethical use of healthcare information. This study aims to guide healthcare organizations, particularly hospitals, along with regulators and researchers, in navigating these challenges and implementing effective solutions.

Received: 17 June 2024 | Revised: 10 September 2024 | Accepted: 13 November 2024

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work.

Data Availability Statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Author Contribution Statement

Inas Al Khatib: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing - original draft, Visualization, Project administration. Norhan Ahmed: Methodology, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Supervision, Funding acquisition, Project administration. Malick Ndyiaye: Writing - review & editing, Supervision.