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Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar University’s College of Pharmacy (QU-CPH) has been promoting patient safety awareness with the aim of improving patient safety in healthcare system and taking action to reduce avoidable harm in health care. In this context, QU-CPH experts have offered insights into the importance of patient safety.
Dr Alla El-Awaisi, QU-CPH assistant dean for Student Affairs and QU Health Chair of Interprofessional Education Programme, said: “Patient safety has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global health priority and as such health and academic institutions accreditors are constantly seeking evidence of patient safety initiatives in their daily practices and within the different health programmes. We at QU Health are working collaboratively to build capacity and equip healthcare students with the competency needed to respond to the current and future needs of the healthcare system in providing high-quality safe care in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. In addition to specific content incorporated within the curricula of the different health programmes at Qatar University.”
Dr Alla added, “We provide students with interprofessional educational opportunities with a focus on patient safety competencies such as the importance of teamwork, communication, and how to recognize, respond to and disclose patient safety incidents. These activities raise the students’ awareness about the important topic and provide them with the needed knowledge, required skills to exhibit the attitude to practice safely upon graduation.”
Prof Derek Stewart, professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice and QU Health director of Academic Quality, said, “Medication errors are a major public health concern that negatively impact patient safety and health outcomes. Research being conducted at Qatar University in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation has sought to quantify and characterize medication errors, along with the reasons and factors which lead to error. Further interventions are being developed to reduce and eliminate, where possible, these errors.”
Prof. Ahmed Awaisu, QU-CPH head Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, said: “International health organizations, academic and healthcare institutions, and accreditation agencies place patient safety as an important priority to reduce the risk of preventable harms to patients during the provision of healthcare to an adequate minimum. Medication safety is equally an important facet of patient safety. QU-CPH plays a significant role and contributes in building patient and medication safety culture, education, and research in Qatar and beyond.”
Dr. Anas Hamad, director of Pharmacy at the Qatar’s National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCR) and QU-CPH adjunct assistant professor in Clinical pharmacy and Practice talked about the importance of health workers’ safety. He said, “Healthcare providers are ethically obliged to “do no harm” for patients. Some may even put their own health and safety at risk to help their patients. Therefore, it is very important to make the physical and psychological safety of staff a first priority for any healthcare organisation. This will help in ensuring a better and safer healthcare is being provided for all patients.”
Dr. Monica Zolezzi, QU-CPH associate professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, and the Coordinator of the Structured Practice Experiences in Pharmacy (SPEP) Programme, commented, “The pharmacist is uniquely trained to be able to impact medication safety at the individual patient level through medication management skills that are part of the clinical pharmacist’s role, but also to analyze the performance of medication processes and to lead redesign efforts to mitigate drug-related outcomes that may cause harm. At QU-CPH, the curriculum supports the worldwide implementation of patient safety education.”
Dr Daoud Al-Badriyeh, QU-CPH associate professor of Health Economics and Outcome Research, narrated, “In the USA, medical errors are shockingly the third-leading cause of death in the population, preceded by cardiovascular disease and cancer only.”
Doha
Qatar University’s College of Pharmacy (QU-CPH) has been promoting patient safety awareness with the aim of improving patient safety in healthcare system and taking action to reduce avoidable harm in health care. In this context, QU-CPH experts have offered insights into the importance of patient safety.
Dr Alla El-Awaisi, QU-CPH assistant dean for Student Affairs and QU Health Chair of Interprofessional Education Programme, said: “Patient safety has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global health priority and as such health and academic institutions accreditors are constantly seeking evidence of patient safety initiatives in their daily practices and within the different health programmes. We at QU Health are working collaboratively to build capacity and equip healthcare students with the competency needed to respond to the current and future needs of the healthcare system in providing high-quality safe care in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. In addition to specific content incorporated within the curricula of the different health programmes at Qatar University.”
Dr Alla added, “We provide students with interprofessional educational opportunities with a focus on patient safety competencies such as the importance of teamwork, communication, and how to recognize, respond to and disclose patient safety incidents. These activities raise the students’ awareness about the important topic and provide them with the needed knowledge, required skills to exhibit the attitude to practice safely upon graduation.”
Prof Derek Stewart, professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice and QU Health director of Academic Quality, said, “Medication errors are a major public health concern that negatively impact patient safety and health outcomes. Research being conducted at Qatar University in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation has sought to quantify and characterize medication errors, along with the reasons and factors which lead to error. Further interventions are being developed to reduce and eliminate, where possible, these errors.”
Prof. Ahmed Awaisu, QU-CPH head Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, said: “International health organizations, academic and healthcare institutions, and accreditation agencies place patient safety as an important priority to reduce the risk of preventable harms to patients during the provision of healthcare to an adequate minimum. Medication safety is equally an important facet of patient safety. QU-CPH plays a significant role and contributes in building patient and medication safety culture, education, and research in Qatar and beyond.”
Dr. Anas Hamad, director of Pharmacy at the Qatar’s National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCR) and QU-CPH adjunct assistant professor in Clinical pharmacy and Practice talked about the importance of health workers’ safety. He said, “Healthcare providers are ethically obliged to “do no harm” for patients. Some may even put their own health and safety at risk to help their patients. Therefore, it is very important to make the physical and psychological safety of staff a first priority for any healthcare organisation. This will help in ensuring a better and safer healthcare is being provided for all patients.”
Dr. Monica Zolezzi, QU-CPH associate professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, and the Coordinator of the Structured Practice Experiences in Pharmacy (SPEP) Programme, commented, “The pharmacist is uniquely trained to be able to impact medication safety at the individual patient level through medication management skills that are part of the clinical pharmacist’s role, but also to analyze the performance of medication processes and to lead redesign efforts to mitigate drug-related outcomes that may cause harm. At QU-CPH, the curriculum supports the worldwide implementation of patient safety education.”
Dr Daoud Al-Badriyeh, QU-CPH associate professor of Health Economics and Outcome Research, narrated, “In the USA, medical errors are shockingly the third-leading cause of death in the population, preceded by cardiovascular disease and cancer only.”
