Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has convened its first international advisory panel of local and international healthcare professionals to map out the future of the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute (HHQI) and build upon HMC’s successes in healthcare improvement.
HHQI was launched at the Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare in April 2014 by Dr Hanan al-Kuwari, managing director of HMC, to shape the future of healthcare and build upon HMC’s existing commitment to improving quality, patient safety and adherence to international best practices both within Qatar and the region.
Speaking at the advisory panel, Dr al-Kuwari said: “HHQI builds upon our strengths as leaders in healthcare improvement and innovation by continuing to focus on consolidating, integrating and developing the services we provide to our patients. The key to HHQI is that it must be relevant to Qatar and
accessible to everyone.”
As part of its ongoing commitment to delivering world-class quality and capability in healthcare, both in Qatar and internationally, HMC also works closely with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the leading organisation for innovation and quality improvement in healthcare across the world.
Speaking at the World Innovation Summit for Health earlier this month about HMC’s commitment to quality improvement in healthcare in Qatar, Don Berwick, president emeritus and senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, said: “Hamad and its leaders have embraced modern quality management methods frankly as deeply and as actively as any large healthcare organisation in my memory.”
HHQI strengthens existing collaboration between HMC and IHI in the sharing of international best practice tools and methodologies in healthcare
improvement.
“The collaboration between IHI and HHQI enables us to inspire and generate ideas and energy for improvement and innovation. As we think about innovation and change, we must think about the patient voice,” said Maureen Bisognano, president and CEO, Institute of Healthcare
Improvement, US.
Innovation and leadership in healthcare improvement is already well established within HMC and supported by the HHQI as part of its commitment to developing capacity and capability in quality improvement and patient safety.
Examples include the establishment of internal and external quality improvement fellowship programmes to help spread quality improvement methodologies and processes. HMC’s own fellowship programme launched in 2014 and HMC also has an agreement with the Institute of Healthcare Improvement to develop senior Qatari clinical leaders by facilitating their participation in the prestigious IHI Boston Fellowship
Programme.
HMC’s commitment to raising the collective awareness of quality improvement within the organization has also led to the promotion of the IHI Open School, an online learning programme for staff to further their healthcare knowledge and quality of care. A majilis has also been established within HMC to support collaboration and learning on quality improvement.
The Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute will continue to build upon these successes within HMC, driving its ongoing journey towards quality improvement and innovation in healthcare both in Qatar and internationally.