Simulation-based Medical Workshop Empowers Qatar's Clinical Educators

Doha, February 23 (QNA) - Clinical educators were empowered at Qatar's first interactive educational workshop jointly organised here by Sidra Medical and Research Center, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and University of Calgary-Qatar. Held at the Hamad Medical City Clubhouse this week, the educational event involved 41 educators and healthcare professionals from the participating institutions, including doctors and nurses, but also faculty from the Qatar Robotic and Surgical Center and Qatar University College of Pharmacy. With the aim of raising the quality of healthcare practice in Qatar through the use of modern educational methodologies, the two-day workshop provided clinical educators with an overview of simulation-based education and the relevant technologies, while sharing Qatar s vision for simulation as an educational tool. Simulation-based training is becoming increasingly common in healthcare settings globally. It helps to improve patient outcomes by allowing clinical staff and healthcare students to apply their knowledge and skills in a realistic and safe environment, prior to engaging in real patient care. A wide range of simulation tools were made available at the event, enabling participants to learn more about and interact with the tools. The technology included adult and children computer-controlled patient simulators, birthing simulators, an interactive virtual intravenous simulator, and a range of other anatomical models used to practice various procedures. Discussions focused on how the technology and the use of role play could be used effectively in an educational context to enhance staff clinical skills and competencies, decision making abilities, teamwork, and eventually improve patient care. The participants took part in various exercises and also witnessed the faculty jointly develop an inter-professional scenario that was prepared and enacted at the end of the workshop. The provision of world-class patient care is central to Sidra's healthcare mission. Sidra Communications Project Director Khalid Al Mohannadi welcomed the workshop as an opportunity to promote the quality of clinical care that Sidra promises. "Along with Sidra, our partner institutions have a real interest in developing their staff so they are equipped to provide the frontline healthcare workforce with the tools to deliver exceptional care," he said. "This workshop is an important example of the partnerships driving healthcare excellence in Qatar, which will ultimately benefit the people of Qatar and this Region." HMC Medical Education Deputy Chief of Staff and Chairman of Medicine Dr Abdulatif Alkhal, commenting on the need for healthcare institutions to adapt in order to achieve best practice in clinical education, said, "New training technologies, trend to change towards multi-professional healthcare practice, and the move towards becoming a center of excellence in health care mean that we need to adopt new teaching methodologies to improve individual skills, teamwork and patient safety. Workshops like these provide a boost for clinical training in Qatar and help us adopt simulation as an additional educational tool within health care. "HMC is already implementing simulation-based training covering many medical and nursing skills, such as cardiac resuscitation and laparoscopic surgery, and is building its capacity in collaboration with the Qatar Science Technology Park (QSTP) and the Sidra Medical and Research Center and is constructing a state-of-the art simulation center that will open in two years." The workshop is part of ongoing collaboration between Qatar's healthcare and academic institutions as they work to jointly develop simulation education programmes. According to Sidra, more collaborative advanced workshops in simulation will be held in the future to further develop the abilities of educators involved in facilitating simulation education. Sidra's simulation center is expected to be one of the most advanced in the Middle East when it opens later this year, and will be Qatar's first hospital-based inter-professional clinical simulation center. Simulation will be an indispensable tool for Sidra in preparing its more than 3,000 clinical staff to deliver safe, high-quality, patient-centered, and culturally appropriate care ahead of the hospital opening at the end of 2012. (QNA)