Mohammad Al-Ubaydli : Patients Know Best
What is Patients Know Best all about?
Patients Know Best (PKB) created the world’s first patient-controlled medical records system. It is used by clinicians at Great Ormond Street Hospital, UCL Hospital, St Mark’s Hospital, Torbay Hospital and other institutions with patients across the UK. It is also powering medical research funded by pharmaceutical companies like Novartis. By using the software, the NHS lowers costs, raises quality and puts patients in control of their health.
What is the social impact?
PKB put patients in control of their records. When they do so, the patients improve the quality of the records – finding and fixing the many errors in all medical records – and they save the NHS money – by eliminating unnecessary appointments, admissions and treatments. And fundamentally, they become empowered: looking after their own health and leading independent lives.
Who are the people involved?
Mohammad founded Patients Know Best as a patient with a rare disease because he saw the benefits of putting patients in control. He trained as a physician at the University of Cambridge; worked as a staff scientist at the National Institutes of Health; and was a management consultant to US hospitals at The Advisory Board Company. Mohammad is the author of seven books, including “Personal health records: A guide for clinicians”, the world’s first book teaching clinicians about patient-controlled records. He is also an honourary senior research associate at UCL medical school for his research on this topic.
Dr. Richard Smith (Chairman): is director of the Ovations initiative run by world-leading health care organization UnitedHealthcare. Its mission is to combat chronic disease in the developing world. Previously he was CEO of UnitedHealth Europe, editor of the British Medical Journal, and CEO of the BMJ Publishing Group.
Ian Bastow (Director): is CFO of Luup, a leader in banking-grade mobile payments solutions. He holds an MBA with Distinction from London Business School and is a Chartered Management Accountant. Ian was formerly CFO of Qatar-based information technology services and solutions provider MEEZA, and before that CFO of oil & gas exploration services start-up ARKeX, where he raised GBP26m of venture funds.
What are the future plans?
PKB want to put 1 million patients in control of their records over the next 3 years. Having proven the benefits in local pilots we are expanding to national deployments and international pilots. The clinical support staff are increasing in number as are the management team, and as part of this have sponsored the Women in the City’s Woman of Achievement Award (www.citywomen.co.uk).
www.patientsknowbest.com based in Cambridge.