+ A
A -
Tribune News Network
Doha
PATIENT safety, quality improvement and an assessment of the health practitioner's system are key elements in successfully passing the theory to practice, maintaining improvements and ensuring sustainability, said Huda Amer al Kathiri, director of Health Care and Patient Safety at the Ministry of Public Health.
Kathiri made the remarks at the recently concluded fourth Patient Safety Week organised by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) under the slogan 'Patient Safety from Theory to Practice'.
The event saw the participation of 1,478 health practitioners from all disciplines from various health institutions in Qatar.
Kathiri thanked the participants, sponsors, supporters, speakers, committees and support departments, and volunteers from Qatar Center for Volunteering for their role in making the event a success.
The activities of the week included lectures, seminars, awareness campaigns aimed at the public with a questionnaire and a survey related to the participation of patients in discussions related to health issues and treatment plans.
The event focused on partnering with non-health actors to achieve a 'Health Integrity in All Policies' approach as a cross-sectoral approach to improving health and equal health care for the entire population.
The scientific conference held on the sidelines of the week was a platform for learning exchange and benefiting from the experiences of non-health sectors in the field of quality improvement and safety, and risk management in the fields of aviation and hotel.
Eight international speakers and 36 speakers from various health institutions in Qatar spoke at the conference and workshops for the week in addition to conducting public awareness campaigns focusing on three messages: 'It is my right as a patient to participate in decisions related to my health', Diabetes: Prevention, Safe Coexistence' and 'Infection Control: Together let's break the infection chain'.
The ministry has also launched a three-day public awareness campaign under the slogan 'Patient Safety for All of Us' at City Center Doha and Qatar National Library (QNL), with the participation of Al Emadi Hospital, Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar Red Crescent Society and the National Diabetes Strategy.
During the campaign, a number of activities were carried out, including dialogue with the public about the safety of patients and their participation in decisions regarding their treatment plans. A questionnaire was also circulated to survey patients' opinions about their participation in decisions regarding treatment plans, and sessions for dialogue between the public and experts, as well as presentation of meaningful scenes and distribution of gifts to participants.
The Marassi Ensemble of the Qatar Academy of Music also presented a musical performance in appreciation of visitors to the QNL.
During the week, a poster competition was held, which presented stories of the efforts and successes of many health institutions to improve patient safety and others to learn from them. The competition featured 115 posters that were evaluated by a team of international and local experts and a total of 72 posters were accepted and presented at the event.
