Qatar
HMC opens special unit for ventilator-dependent kids
HMC opens special unit for ventilator-dependent kids
February 08, 2011 | 12:00 AM
By Noimot Olayiwola
Staff Reporter
The Hamad Medical Corporation has opened a new specialised chronic care and rehabilitation unit - Al Maha Children’s Unit - at the Rumailah Hospital.
The unit aims at providing young patients dependent on ventilator a better quality of life as well as appropriate medical care.
The children’s unit was developed in partnership with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, a world-renowned centre for childhood disability and rehabilitation and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Canada.
Representatives from both organisations were present at the event, which was also attended by HMC managing director Dr Hanan al-Kuwari, other distinguished guests, patients and their families, as well as members of the HMC team working on the initiative.
Al Maha Children’s unit is an inpatient ward which uses a multidisciplinary approach to manage the children’s multiple needs, including not only medical care, but also educational, rehabilitation and developmental needs.
The unit, which is located at a quiet section of Rumailah Hospital to allow a more peaceful setting for the children, is covered round the clock by nurses, senior paediatric residents, specialists and consultants.
Some 12 ventilator-dependent children were transferred from the paediatric unit of Hamad Hospital to the new unit in November last year.
The first specialised unit for long-term ventilated children in the country and one of the very few in the Gulf region, the development of Al Maha unit started eight years ago in an effort to provide a more appropriate environment for the children, according to HMC Paediatric Pulmonology head and senior consultant Dr Ibrahim Janahi.
"Based on my experience in the US, these patients are best cared for in high dependency or chronic respiratory units. The objective was to have a multidisciplinary approach and to focus on the children’s multiple needs including educational, rehabilitation and developmental needs, in addition to acute respiratory and non-respiratory care,” Dr Janahi said.
He explained that the limitations of the children’s condition and their environment in the hospital served as barriers to the development of their potential.
"The idea was to put them in a place where these potentials are going to be explored and utilised. We have a school-based at Rumailah Hospital that some of the children attend. Others who cannot go to the school are given educational activities at their bedside,” he mentioned.
Dr Janahi highlighted the partnership with Holland Bloorview and SickKids Hospital on the initiative saying: "Our partners have been instrumental in helping HMC establish standards of care for the different types of care that we provide to our patients. They serve as our benchmark and help us upgrade the skills of our doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other team members.”
Speaking on future plans for paediatric care, Dr Janahi said: "We are working with the Home Healthcare Services at HMC to develop a paediatric home care programme. Having a home care programme will allow the children to spend time in their own homes instead of being kept in the unit for a longer period.”
Dr Janahi mentioned that the unit was also developing a new complex care paediatric service, which involves teams of doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals taking care of patients who have complex diseases.
"In the complex care service the focus is on co-ordination of the team taking care of the child, in order to ensure that no part of the overall care provided conflicts with another, the care is doable, and the patient is at the centre of the care,” he added.
HMC Paediatrics consultant Dr Haitham El Bashir said: "What we have realised is that these children have ongoing medical issues, and when people are busy with their medical issues they forget about other areas of their development, such as their cognitive and educational abilities, their play, interaction, and their overall quality of life. The aim was to move the children to a unit that can provide all of that.”
He explained that it was also important for the team to work with the families and educate them on how to be involved in the care of their children.
"We look at parents as important members of the team, and we do everything possible to involve them in decision-making,” Dr El Bashir added.
Rumailah Hospital executive director Judith Don said the children were very close to their hearts stating the hospital was very much committed to improving their well-being and ensuring not only best medical care, but also an environment where their potentials can be developed and utilised, and enable them to have a better quality of life.
Staff Reporter
| Dr al-Kuwari is seen with Don and Dr Janahi during a cake-cutting ceremony marking the opening of the unit |
The unit aims at providing young patients dependent on ventilator a better quality of life as well as appropriate medical care.
The children’s unit was developed in partnership with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, a world-renowned centre for childhood disability and rehabilitation and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Canada.
Representatives from both organisations were present at the event, which was also attended by HMC managing director Dr Hanan al-Kuwari, other distinguished guests, patients and their families, as well as members of the HMC team working on the initiative.
Al Maha Children’s unit is an inpatient ward which uses a multidisciplinary approach to manage the children’s multiple needs, including not only medical care, but also educational, rehabilitation and developmental needs.
The unit, which is located at a quiet section of Rumailah Hospital to allow a more peaceful setting for the children, is covered round the clock by nurses, senior paediatric residents, specialists and consultants.
Some 12 ventilator-dependent children were transferred from the paediatric unit of Hamad Hospital to the new unit in November last year.
The first specialised unit for long-term ventilated children in the country and one of the very few in the Gulf region, the development of Al Maha unit started eight years ago in an effort to provide a more appropriate environment for the children, according to HMC Paediatric Pulmonology head and senior consultant Dr Ibrahim Janahi.
"Based on my experience in the US, these patients are best cared for in high dependency or chronic respiratory units. The objective was to have a multidisciplinary approach and to focus on the children’s multiple needs including educational, rehabilitation and developmental needs, in addition to acute respiratory and non-respiratory care,” Dr Janahi said.
He explained that the limitations of the children’s condition and their environment in the hospital served as barriers to the development of their potential.
"The idea was to put them in a place where these potentials are going to be explored and utilised. We have a school-based at Rumailah Hospital that some of the children attend. Others who cannot go to the school are given educational activities at their bedside,” he mentioned.
Dr Janahi highlighted the partnership with Holland Bloorview and SickKids Hospital on the initiative saying: "Our partners have been instrumental in helping HMC establish standards of care for the different types of care that we provide to our patients. They serve as our benchmark and help us upgrade the skills of our doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other team members.”
Speaking on future plans for paediatric care, Dr Janahi said: "We are working with the Home Healthcare Services at HMC to develop a paediatric home care programme. Having a home care programme will allow the children to spend time in their own homes instead of being kept in the unit for a longer period.”
Dr Janahi mentioned that the unit was also developing a new complex care paediatric service, which involves teams of doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals taking care of patients who have complex diseases.
"In the complex care service the focus is on co-ordination of the team taking care of the child, in order to ensure that no part of the overall care provided conflicts with another, the care is doable, and the patient is at the centre of the care,” he added.
HMC Paediatrics consultant Dr Haitham El Bashir said: "What we have realised is that these children have ongoing medical issues, and when people are busy with their medical issues they forget about other areas of their development, such as their cognitive and educational abilities, their play, interaction, and their overall quality of life. The aim was to move the children to a unit that can provide all of that.”
He explained that it was also important for the team to work with the families and educate them on how to be involved in the care of their children.
"We look at parents as important members of the team, and we do everything possible to involve them in decision-making,” Dr El Bashir added.
Rumailah Hospital executive director Judith Don said the children were very close to their hearts stating the hospital was very much committed to improving their well-being and ensuring not only best medical care, but also an environment where their potentials can be developed and utilised, and enable them to have a better quality of life.
February 08, 2011 | 12:00 AM