What is NABIDH, and how does it reach your psychologist?
NABIDH stands for National Backbone for Integrated Dubai Health. The Dubai Health Authority built it as the city’s health information exchange. The clinic’s post says every DHA-licensed facility connects, from public hospitals to private clinics, and connection is a condition of holding a licence.
NABIDH launched on 29 November 2020, the post says. Medical histories, diagnoses, prescriptions, lab results and imaging reports all move through the same system.
What changes at your next appointment?
The post describes three changes. Intake forms get shorter. A new provider sees your current medications before the appointment begins. Referrals carry clinical context instead of arriving blank.
Mental health care feels the difference most, the post argues. A GP refers you to a psychiatrist, the psychiatrist refers you to a therapist, and a move across the city adds another clinic. Each handoff used to mean retelling your diagnoses, past medications and adverse reactions. Now a therapist can see whether a psychiatrist recently adjusted your medication.
Who can see your file, and can you say no?
The post says only authorised providers in an active clinical relationship with you can view your records. No provider opens your data without a documented clinical reason. Patients can request access to their records and see who has viewed them.
Enrolment is automatic. The post says DHA-licensed providers enrol patients in NABIDH as part of standard registration. Patients can opt out of data sharing at any time through the DHA’s consent management process. The post does not say what opting out changes for your care at a new clinic. You would presumably retell your history, so ask the clinic, and check the DHA’s consent process for the current steps.
What does the clinic’s post leave out?
Therapy notes. The post lists histories, diagnoses, prescriptions, lab results and imaging reports. It never mentions session notes. For a psychologist’s patient, session notes may hold the most personal material in the file. Ask the clinic what from your therapy record enters NABIDH, and ask before the first session.
A second gap sits between two pages. The clinic’s confidentiality FAQ says staff communicate with no one but you unless you authorise contact, apart from emergencies. The NABIDH post covers a different channel, the shared record. Nothing on the site explains where the two meet. A short email to the coordinator settles it.
Ask about records before your first session
Email info@thevalensclinic.ae or use the clinic’s contact form. Ask what the clinic uploads to NABIDH, how you opt out, and what changes if you do. The Valens Clinic holds licences from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the Community Development Authority (CDA). You can also meet the psychologists before you book.