The Doha International Family Institute (DIFI), a member of Qatar Foundation, has released a report highlighting the need to promote resilience and positive adaptation for families facing child health and hospitalisation.
The report entitled, “Supporting Families and Children in Hospital,” was released yesterday. Noor al-Malki al-Jehani, executive director, DIFI; Dr Sadriya al-Kohji, national lead of Child and Adolescent Health Strategy, at the Ministry of Public Health; and Dr Natalie Williams, assistant professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln were present, in addition to a number of distinguished guests.        
The report aims to provide concepts, approaches, a review of the research and evidence as well as the issues of paediatric psychosocial care and its evidence on the positive impact on child and family outcomes in paediatric healthcare settings in Qatar and around the world.
“Research shows that family-centred care could improve patient and family outcomes, increase patient and family satisfaction, build on child and family strengths, increase professional satisfaction and decrease healthcare costs,” said al-Jehani.
“During this seminar, we focus on the psychosocial support services for child patients and their families in healthcare settings in Qatar and the importance of such services for enhancing the overall well-being of the patient and their family and also strengthening their skills and abilities to deal with their healthcare needs,” she said.
Dr al-Kohji, noted, “We have prioritised the health of our children and adolescents so that they get the best of the healthcare. According to the latest statistics, Qatar has about half a million population who are children and adolescents. If the young people receive the best support and healthcare, they can get better outcomes and face the challenges in their lives.”
The event was followed with several panel discussions that revolved around family-centred approach to care; family resilience and adaptive responses within the medical context; psychosocial care in paediatric healthcare settings and child life services in healthcare settings.
The first panel included experts such as Dr Williams; Holly Clark, head of Child Life Services, Hamad Medical Corporation; Dr Amal Khidir, associate professor of paediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar; Dr Mohamed Waqar Azeem, chair, the Department of Psychiatry, Sidra Medicine and Dr Ahsan Nazeer, Sidra Medicine.