A study by former nursing professor at the University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ), Dr. Tam Donnelly and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) researchers, has found that Arab women hospitalised for acute cardiac conditions suffered higher mood disturbance and depression than their male counterparts.

This research can be leveraged by healthcare professionals in Qatar and the region, in screening more effectively for depression among cardiac patients, advancing patient care, and potentially saving lives.
Funded by the Qatar National Research Fund, under the National Priorities Research Programme, Dr. Tam Donnelly worked alongside doctors from Hamad Medical Corporation’s Heart Hospital for over three years to complete the original research project, entitled “Exploring Depression Amongst Cardiovascular Patients Living in the State of Qatar.”
The most recent paper, entitled “Mood disturbance and depression in Arab women following hospitalisation from acute cardiac conditions: a cross-sectional study from Qatar,” was published in the July 2016 edition of the British Medical Journal Open, a world-renowned medical journal. It is the sixth paper related to the research project to be published internationally.
The study was authored by Dr. Donnelly and Dr. Tak Fung from the University of Calgary, along with Hamad Medical Corporate physician researchers Dr. Jassim Mohamed al-Suwaidi, Dr. Awad al-Qahtani, Dr. Nidal Asaad, Dr. Najlaa Abdul Qader, and Dr. Rajvir Singh.
“With these findings, healthcare professionals in Qatar now have increased awareness of the presence of depression, and the danger it poses to hospitalised women with cardiac conditions,” noted Dr. Donnelly. “This research also has significant implications for nurses and doctors in the region, and globally, to provide timely screening for and treatment of depression to those in need.”