Doha, 21 January 2013: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) recently hosted a Grand Round on Professionalism lecture that marked the opening of three days of workshops and didactic activities that aim to develop the faculty at HMC to bring the programs closer to accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education - International (ACGME-I). The Grand Round focused on the concept and importance of professionalism among physicians.

"HMC has started a program on professionalism with the aim of training all the residents on how to be more professional when dealing with patients and their families," said Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, Director of Medical Education, which organized the Grand Round and the ACGME-I workshops in collaboration with the ACGME and the ACGME-I. Professionalism is one of the six core competencies that physicians must possess according to standards of the ACGME-I.

The Grand Round lecture was delivered by Dr Eric Holmboe, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice-President of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the ABIM Foundation. Dr Holmboe spoke on evolving concepts of professionalism as healthcare becomes increasingly complex, and on methods and tools for evaluating professionalism. He explained the characteristics associated with professionalism, such as technical competence, altruism, empathy, and effacement of self-interest for the interests of the patient, where the physician makes sacrifices to ensure patients are getting the care they need.

"Physicians have the moral responsibility to make sure patients have access to the right care at the right time and the right place," said Dr Holmboe. He further said physicians have an obligation to pass on what they have learned to others and to developing the future of medicine. "It is part of our moral and intellectual obligation to the future to make sure we are leaving it for better for those who follow."

Dr Timothy Brigham, MDiv, PhD, Chief of Staff and Senior Vice-President, Department of Education at the ACGME said, "Professionalism goes way back in history to the Hippocratic Oath that all physicians have to take - that they will do things for the benefit of the patients. Professionalism is a concept that has become more and more important, and it is one of six domains of competency that every resident has to master in order to go on to the unsupervised practice of medicine."

Dr Brigham said the domains of competency include knowledge about patient care, such as being able to do procedures correctly and making the right decisions; medical knowledge; communication skills and interpersonal relations (i.e. communicating appropriately with patients and other members of the healthcare team); systems-based practice; practice-based learning improvement; and professionalism, which has been getting increasing attention.

The ACGME is the body responsible for accrediting the majority of graduate medical training programs, such as internships, residencies and fellowships for physicians, in the United States, and the ACGME-I is the international arm of the ACGME. HMC has recently achieved institutional accreditation from the ACGME-I, being the first hospital system in the region and the whole Middle East to do so. Qatar is the second country outside of the US to be conferred with this prestigious accreditation.

"We are now working towards accreditation for 18 individual residency programs and many other fellowship programs," said Dr Al Khal. "Each program will be reviewed for accreditation on its own. The three full days of workshop and didactic activities were held for program directors, faculty and GME coordinators to help them develop their skills and understanding in certain competencies, as well as to help them improve their residency training programs and bring them closer to accreditation by the ACGME-I."

-Ends-

About HMC:
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is the principal public healthcare provider for the State of Qatar. The Corporation manages eight hospitals along with further specialist clinical, educational and research facilities, and is growing in capacity each year around the diverse needs of the evolving population. HMC's ambition is to become an academic health system; a world leading center of excellence in clinical care, medical education and research that transforms into significant clinical advancements. 

HMC believes in excellence in healthcare, education and research with each supporting the other to provide world-class quality patient care in a safe and healing environment.

As well as four general hospitals situated in the most densely populated areas of Qatar, HMC also manages four specialist hospitals, looking after patients with the most prevalent conditions, including cancer, heart conditions, rehabilitation, and a hospital providing specialist treatment for women. HMC also operates the national Ambulance Service and a home healthcare service.

The Corporation was the first public healthcare system outside the United States to achieve Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation for all hospitals simultaneously. JCI accreditation is based on quality and safety across all clinical and management functions.

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.

www.hamad.qa

For more information, please contact: Joan Pauline Acevedo at jacevedo@hmc.org.qa

Corporate Communications Department
Hamad Medical Corporation
Tel. No.: +974 4439 5272
Fax No.: +974 4439 5002
www.hamad.qa

© Press Release 2013