Nearly 3,000 healthcare professionals from Qatar and around the world gathered virtually and in-person last weekend for the region’s largest healthcare quality improvement and patient safety conference.
Under the theme “Healthcare Resilience in Extraordinary Times”, the Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare was held over four days, including pre-conference workshop sessions and practical excursions followed by a two-day intensive scientific sessions and plenaries by renowned leaders in quality improvement.
The forum highlighted the resilience of the quality and safety aspects of the world-class healthcare services across Qatar’s health system, especially over the challenging last few years.
The event now in its 10th year, is organised by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).
There were more than 15 exhibitors at the event, including the Ministry of Public Health, HMC’s Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute (HHQI), Primary Health Care Corporation, Itqan Simulation Centre, Qatar Red Crescent, Sidra Medicine, Qatar University, and the World Innovation Summit for Health, who showcased improvement efforts and initiatives within their respective organisations.
The Knowledge Zone also featured activities showcasing the healthcare sector partners’ pivotal role in the World Cup Qatar 2022 alongside the milestones of the Qatar National Health Strategy 2018 to 2022.
The event, opened by HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, featured nearly 100 scientific posters on quality and safety and healthcare improvement.
Nasser al-Naimi, deputy chief of quality and director of HHQI and Middle East Forum co-chair, explained how this year’s forum tracks and focus on healthcare resilience were reflected in the popular Knowledge Zone area of the event.
“There are so many inter-dependencies that need to be managed to initiate sustainable quality improvement and with our exhibits, we wanted to give delegates the opportunity to learn, reflect, be inspired, and share knowledge with other professionals –all in an exciting and fun environment,” said al- Naimi.
Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, deputy chief medical officer, director of medical education at HMC and Middle East Forum co-chair said: “This was a great opportunity for all healthcare professionals to participate in an international conference of a very high calibre without having to travel far. Many attendees who have been delegates at one of our previous forums presented their own work on quality and safety. A majority of our speakers and presenters came from Qatar and the region, which is a real testimony to the progress we have made in quality improvement understanding and application since we held our first Middle East Forum a decade ago.”
Forum co-chair and HMC’s chief quality officer, Prof Abdul Badi Abou Samra noted: "The programme this year had many new and innovative topics in the field of quality and safety and it provides an opportunity for participants to network with leaders in this field.”
IHI CEO Dr Kedar Mate added: “One of the key accomplishments of our partnership is the establishment of the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute which is dedicated to the kind of knowledge sharing that we believe is essential for lasting, sustainable change. Crucially, HHQI uses a comprehensive approach that everyone, from system leaders to point-of-care staff, needs support through mentorship and training.”
