Independent Black Book Findings on Compliance, Consent, and Patient Engagement from WHX Dubai Attendees
DUBAI, AE / ACCESS Newswire / September 8, 2025 / Black Book Research has released results from a flash survey of 50 attendees at WHX Tech Dubai, capturing how digital health startups are reshaping care delivery in the Middle East. The survey reveals strong momentum for telehealth platforms and patient engagement solutions, with respondents stressing that compliance, consent, and privacy are the deciding factors for adoption.
WHX Tech 2025, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, welcomed more than 5,000 global healthcare leaders from 30+ countries. Over 300 exhibitors and 200 speakers convened to showcase how AI, robotics, cybersecurity, and digital health innovations are transforming care. The event also featured the region's largest digital health start-up competition, awarding US$50,000 and offering curated investor matchmaking underscoring the scale of opportunity for new regional ventures.
Notable Survey Findings: Telehealth and Patient Engagement in Focus
81% of respondents ranked mobile-first telehealth apps and patient portals among their top three digital priorities for 2026.
67% said data residency and regulatory approval are prerequisites for selecting a vendor, reflecting tightening compliance mandates across the Gulf.
88% noted that startups often provide more flexible, user-centric engagement platforms than legacy IT vendors.
54% highlighted scalability as the biggest challenge facing regional startups as they expand from pilots to system-wide adoption.
Regional Startups Identified by Attendees
Survey participants cited several Middle East startups exhibiting at WHX as examples of standout vendors with three aligning patient engagement with compliance:
Okadoc (UAE) - expanding from digital booking into telehealth across Saudi Arabia, with regionally hosted platforms designed for GCC data sovereignty.
Altibbi (Jordan/UAE) - offering Arabic-language teleconsultations and health content, praised for integrating secure consent management.
Vezeeta (Egypt/UAE) - scaling e-pharmacy, teleconsultation, and digital booking across MENA, though attendees noted privacy compliance remains a cross-border challenge.
"Attendee respondents agreed that startups are no longer side players; they are becoming the digital front doors of care in the Middle East , "said Doug Brown, Founder of Black Book. "Their ability to combine patient-friendly design with rigorous compliance standards is setting the pace for healthcare modernization in the region."
Short term (2025-2026): Wider rollout of telehealth and mobile engagement apps by hospitals and insurers. (n=46 of 50)
Mid-term (2026-2028): Consolidation of startups, with those demonstrating compliance readiness winning national contracts. (n=42 of 47)
Long term (to 2030): Engagement platforms mature into integrated digital ecosystems, linking payers, providers, and patients through trusted, compliant technology. (n=33 of 45)
About Black Book Research
Black Book Research is the leading independent, vendor-agnostic source for global healthcare IT performance data. Through flash surveys and large-scale polling, Black Book captures real-time adoption trends and satisfaction ratings from providers, payers, and regulators including more than two decades of experience in the Middle East. Findings are based solely on verified user feedback, ensuring unbiased insights that guide technology and investment decisions worldwide. Stakeholders can download gratis industry reports at www.blackbookmarketresearch.com
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SOURCE: Black Book Research
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/from-telehealth-to-trust-flash-survey-of-whx-attendees-on-the-next-wa-1069927
