Doha, 5 October 2013: Doctors aspiring to join Hamad General Hospital's Trauma Center must be academically oriented and preferably have published research, according to Dr. Rifat Latifi, Professor of Surgery and Director of Trauma Services at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). These skills are required in order to effectively contribute to HMC's future as an academic health system that integrates research, education and clinical care.
"In order for HMC to become an academic institution, we need the doctors that we hire to be academically oriented. It is mandatory in the Trauma Center that our doctors do research. It is basically a requirement that we have elevated ourselves to. We say if you have not done any research, or you are not participating in any, or aspiring to conduct research, then perhaps you do not have a place here," said Dr. Latifi.
Speaking on the sidelines of a three-day medical writing course for trauma specialists and general surgery consultants, Dr. Latifi said that in order to be a great doctor one must know how to do research and how to publish. Medical writing involves communicating clinical and scientific data and information to a range of audiences in a wide variety of formats, including medical journals or newspaper articles. Medical writing requires combining scientific knowledge and research skills with an understanding of how to present information according to the target audience's level of understanding.
Dr. Abraham Fingerhut, a distinguished trauma surgeon and professor with over 20 years of experience teaching medical writing in various countries around the world, presented at the event. Formerly Chief of Surgery at the Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal in France, Dr. Fingerhut is currently a visiting professor at the University of Athens in Greece.
"Medical writing is the backbone of our (medical) profession as far as transmission and dissemination of knowledge is concerned. There is a lot of material in the hospitals here in Doha and we, as a medical profession, have to make sure that it is possible to disseminate and share that knowledge," said Dr. Fingerhut.
Dr. Latifi explained that having good medical writing skills enables researchers to effectively communicate the results of their research to a variety of audiences. This is particularly relevant due to the number of important studies the Trauma Center is conducting, including a study on why there is a significant number of deaths and disabilities among pedestrians.
"Another study we are conducting analyzes rollover car crashes and why certain populations have a much higher risk for these accidents," said Dr. Latifi. "We are studying the complex intertwining elements of injury prevention, including a safer car, a better road, better driving education, respect for others on the road, and so on."
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.
For more information, please contact:
Joan Pauline Acevedo at jacevedo@hmc.org.qa
Corporate Communications Department
Hamad Medical Corporation
© Press Release 2013
