05 March 2017

Doha The Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare, organized by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), has opened its online registration for this year’s leading quality improvement conference.

The Forum will take place from 5 to 7 May 2017 at Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha and a full program featuring a wide variety of sessions is available for attendees to select the workshops, lectures, and speakers they would most like to see.

The theme for the conference is, ‘Adding Value in Healthcare’ and all the workshops, lectures and sessions will center on the three main strands related to this: providing a better patient experience, improving overall health and increasing cost and resource efficiency.

HMC’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Director of Medical Education,
Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, who co-chairs the Middle East Forum Planning Group, said the Forum has grown significantly each year and is established for building quality improvement capacity and capability among local and regional healthcare workers.

“The Middle East Forum has become an important event for healthcare professionals in Qatar and in the region, and given the huge interest it has generated, I recommend that interested attendees register early in order to ensure they can select the sessions that most interest them. Many of the workshop sessions are designed to be interactive and consequently, spaces are limited,” said Dr. Al Khal.

“We are expecting around 3,000 attendees for this year’s event, and the caliber of program content will ensure there will be take-home learnings for everyone that can be incorporated into everyday best practice. We have internationally renowned experts in their field coming to Qatar to provide us with an exciting and thought-provoking agenda. Whatever your role in your healthcare organization, quality improvement is everyone’s responsibility. At this Forum you can learn from the experts, whilst sharing your own experiences,” he added.

The quality improvement poster exhibition and competition is also ready to accept submissions. Open to any healthcare professionals interested in sharing information on their quality and safety improvement projects with international experts and other peers, the poster exhibition and competition offers an ideal platform for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to showcase excellent illustrations of practical, real-life examples of quality improvement projects. Posters should reflect the main conference theme.

Submission criteria are available on the conference website, http://ihimeforum.hamad.qa, and the deadline for entering a submission is 16 March 2017. Submissions will be peer-reviewed by a panel of expert judges, and posters that comply with the stringent acceptance criteria will be entered into the competition. The top posters will be recognized at an awards ceremony during the Forum and featured on the conference website. Authors of accepted posters are eligible for the discounted registration fee.

“In HMC alone, there have been many quality and safety improvement initiatives undertaken by multidisciplinary teams over the past year, and the Middle East Forum is an opportune time to highlight these successes and provide inspiration to others,” said Dr. Ronald Wyatt, Chief Quality Officer at HMC. He added: “We also look forward to entries from other healthcare institutions in Qatar and from the region; we know there is a real wealth of experience in other institutions that we can all learn from and such knowledge sharing opportunities are immensely valuable to raise standards of healthcare overall.”

The program for the Middle East Forum 2017 also focuses on improvement initiatives that have provided a transformative approach to improving healthcare delivery by inspiring innovation. The program will feature four inspiring plenaries and around 50 lectures and workshops from local, regional and global health experts.

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About Hamad Medical Corporation
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is the main provider of secondary and tertiary healthcare in Qatar and one of the leading hospital providers in the Middle East.

For more than three decades, HMC has been dedicated to delivering the safest, most effective and compassionate care to all its patients.

HMC manages nine hospitals – six specialist hospitals and three community hospitals – as well as the National Ambulance Service and home and residential care services.

In January 2016, HMC achieved the significant distinction of becoming the first healthcare system across the globe to have all its hospitals accredited by Joint Commission International under the Academic Medical Center accreditation program. Additionally, the National Ambulance Service, Home Healthcare Service, Stroke Service and Palliative Care, have all received this prestigious accreditation since 2011.

To meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, HMC has announced ambitious plans to expand capacity across its network through to 2030. This expansion plan includes a further three new hospitals in Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City.

HMC is leading the development of the region’s first academic health system – combining innovative research, top-class education and excellent clinical care – and is committed to building a legacy of healthcare expertise in Qatar. HMC collaborates with key partners who are experts in Qatar and beyond, including Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Partners Healthcare, Boston.

HMC is also the first hospital system in the Middle East to achieve institutional accreditation from the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education – International (ACGME-I), which demonstrates excellence in the way medical graduates are trained through residency, internship and fellowship programs.

For more information please visit: www.hamad.qa or contact Noimot Olayiwola, Media Project Manager Tel: (00974) 44390945; Mobile: (00974) 55568709

About Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
IHI is a leading innovator in health and health care improvement worldwide. For more than 25 years, we have partnered with an ever-growing community of visionaries, leaders, and front-line practitioners around the globe to spark bold, inventive ways to improve the health of individuals and populations. Recognized as an innovator, convener, trustworthy partner, and driver of results, we are the first place to turn for expertise, help, and encouragement for anyone, anywhere who wants to change health and health care profoundly for the better. An independent not-for-profit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, IHI mobilizes teams, organizations, and nations to envision and achieve a better health and health care future. Learn more at www.ihi.org

© Press Release 2017