Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) shared its dynamic and complex quality improvement journey at the 32nd conference of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua).
ISQua is a global organisation with a network of members that spans over 100 countries and five continents. Organised in collaboration with the Supreme Council of Health (SCH), the international conference represented an ideal platform for HMC to engage with ISQua delegates to exchange practical insights into best practice methodologies and programmes to deliver better patient care.
Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, deputy chief medical officer for medical education, HMC, who is a member of the ISQua Programme Planning Committee, said, “Patient safety is a global initiative extending throughout the entire continuum of healthcare and we were delighted to have been able to exchange our experiences with other professionals at this conference.”
A recent extension of HMC’s commitment to quality improvement is the development of the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute (HHQI), which has been designed with the aim of improving the quality of healthcare within HMC, Qatar and the greater region.
“The institute focuses on designing innovative healthcare solutions as well as aligns and coordinates these quality improvement activities to reflect related national priorities to benefit the organisation and its patients,” stated Dr Adeel Butt, interim chief quality officer for HMC and the director of HHQI.
“The introduction of HHQI builds on and complements existing departments and services within HMC and this model will eventually be shared regionally. We are also committed to promoting capacity and capability among our staff – especially our Qatari clinicians – in this important field,” he added
The HHQI team led the development of the satellite symposium held on the opening day of the conference, titled: “Delivering Quality Improvement to Reach Excellence”. Senior clinical leaders from HMC presented at the symposium, including Dr Yousuf al-Maslamani, medical director of Hamad General Hospital; Prof Michael Richmond, the chief medical officer at HMC and Dr Butt.
“HMC has expanded at such a rapid rate to serve the needs of Qatar’s diverse patient population and this has required a comprehensive, consistent and sustained focus on quality improvement. Our vision can only be achieved by demonstrating a commitment to the highest quality services while building and improving workforce capability,” said Dr al-Maslamani.