ME Forum ends with call for raising healthcare standard

The fifth annual Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare (ME Forum 2017) has concluded with the participation of nearly 3,000 healthcare professionals from Qatar and GCC states.HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari gave the opening address at the forum. Organised by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), in collaboration with the US-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the conference centred on themes around IHI’s Triple Aim initiative which includes applying a comprehensive plan to deliver better care where patients have better experiences when they engage with service providers.Around 35% of attendees were allied health professionals, 30% were nurses and 20% were doctors, with the remaining comprising healthcare executive, administrators, and students.“The Middle East Forum provides a fertile arena for healthcare experts and frontline staff to convene and discuss practical ways in which they can refine their procedures and processes, with the ultimate goal of raising the standard of healthcare in their hospital or clinical environment,” said Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, deputy chief medical officer at HMC and co-chair of the forum. The conference theme of ’Adding Value in Healthcare’ was applied in the development of the more than 50 workshops, plenaries, and lectures. It also featured in the quality poster exhibition and competition which saw a far higher standard of submissions than ever before in the history of this event.Over 400 submissions were made and a total of 334 poster entries were evaluated by the panel of independent judges.Dr Ron Wyatt, chief quality officer, HMC stated that this year’s focus was on quality rather than quantity. “After five years of targeted quality improvement education, we believed that there was sufficient knowledge and expertise among healthcare professionals in applying best practice principles to give us the confidence to raise the threshold for poster submissions. The wonderful examples of amazing and practical projects shown in the exhibition were a real vindication of our decision.” An exhibition area called The Knowledge Zone featured stands from Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute, the Ambulance Service and the Academic Health System as well as an interactive area featuring diversity in HMC. The Ministry of Public Health participated with information submitted by the Qatar Council of Healthcare Professionals and the Accreditation and Licensing Division. HMC’s strategic partners, Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar University, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Qatar Biobank, and the World Innovation Summit for Health added to the rich diversity of information.Derek Feeley, president and CEO, IHI, said Qatar was a leader in embracing the quality improvement and patient safety movement. “IHI has partnered with HMC for the past six years to develop the framework and embed the knowledge and thinking required to propel quality and safety improvement methodologies forward in hospital wards and healthcare systems,” said Feeley.