Members of the National Diabetes Centre at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) recently joined an international group focused on self-management and patient-centered care for type 2 diabetics.
Doctors, nurses, researchers and healthcare managers from North America, Australia, Denmark, Holland, Ireland, the UK and Qatar gathered at the Leicester Diabetes Centre in Leicester, United Kingdom, for two days of meetings.
The group exchanged ideas and opinions on creating and supporting an international union to promote the implementation of structured education for type 2 diabetes self-management.
Manal Othman, director of Diabetes Education at HMC, who was one of HMC’s representatives during the meetings said, “At HMC we are dedicated to providing the best possible care to our patients. Part of this commitment is the idea to increase awareness about this chronic disease. We devote a significant amount of time to educating our patients.”
“Diabetes is a complex disease that requires daily self-management. For a person with diabetes, making healthy food choices, staying physically active, monitoring blood sugar levels and taking medications as prescribed are all essential to reducing the risk for complications and taking care of oneself,” Othman added.
The meetings in Leicester provided HMC clinicians with an opportunity to share experiences and find out how other countries are overcoming challenges associated with delivering high-quality self-management education to patients.
Muneera al-Ali, head dietitian at Al Wakra Hospital, who attended the event, said, “This is a very important alliance for HMC. We were the only country in the region represented. This partnership will enable us to share experiences, exchange ideas and implement global best practice here in Qatar.”