A combination of hereditary diabetes and increasing unhealthy lifestyle choices directly contribute to the prevalence of child diabetes in Qatar. HMC aims to offer a complete and comprehensive service for the prevention and treatment of diabetes, coupled with the knowledge to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. In line with this, in September 2012, HGH started construction of the Pediatric Diabetes Clinic with the aim of improving the treatment of pediatric patients with diabetes by streamlining the clinical services they receive in a dedicated location and within one visit.
The HMC Pediatric Diabetes Clinic, led by Dr. Fawziya Ali Al Khalaf, focuses on the care of infants, children and adolescents with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It also offers preventive management services for diabetic and pre-diabetic conditions.
More than 1,000 children with diabetes are regular patients at the Pediatric Diabetes Clinic, making it one of the largest centers in the region dedicated to the treatment and study of diabetes in children. Services are provided by a multi-disciplinary team including pediatric endocrinologist consultants, specialists, clinical fellows, nurse diabetes educators, psychologists and dieticians.
The Pediatric Diabetes Program provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient diabetes services. The inpatient service includes diagnostic, acute care, education and stabilization of newly diagnosed and pre-diabetes.
The outpatient services are as follows:
Evidence Based Multi-disciplinary Clinical Treatment
The clinic provides comprehensive medical and psychological evaluation of children and adolescents with diabetes. The team works with each patient and family to develop a treatment program personalized to their situation and goals. The services include medical management of childhood diabetes, nutrition assessment and counseling, social services for families in collaboration with pediatric social workers and Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) personnel. If needed, psychotherapy services are also available with a child psychologist.
High Risk Diabetes Clinic
The High-risk Diabetes Clinic is dedicated to providing the safest and most effective care to children diagnosed with, or at a high risk of diabetes.
Insulin Pump Therapy Program
The Pediatric Insulin Pump Program (PIPP) supports children living with diabetes who are medically treated by insulin pump therapy.
Pediatric Diabetes Day Program
When a child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the shock of the diagnosis for child and family may be heightened when the child is hospitalized.
New-onset pediatric patients without diabetes ketoacidosis can be treated safely and effectively on an outpatient basis, allowing them and their families to make a smoother transition to managing the disease. The diabetic day care clinic offers this service to children and families who are appropriate candidates.
Patient and Family Management Program
This program provides families and patients with an understanding of type 1 diabetes and encourages their confidence in its day-to-day management. In addition to direct medical care, the program provides patient education and nutrition counseling.
In addition to providing the abovementioned services, the Pediatric Diabetes Clinic also:
- Provides education/training for the nurses in understanding diabetes, its management and in the treatment of diabetes emergencies
- Conducts national continuing medical education (CME) lectures/case studies for practicing medical professionals
- Performs clinical studies to better understand diabetes in children and adolescents, and its medical, social and economic consequences
- Conducts diabetes camps in schools in collaboration with Qatar Diabetes Association
To further improve pediatric diabetes patient care in Qatar, the Pediatric Diabetes Clinic is planning to undertake a number of initiatives:
- Employ child and adolescent mental health professionals
- Provide the infrastructure necessary to support research efforts in the area of diabetes and encourage the development of young scientists
- Initiate diabetes quality improvement projects
- Incorporate an electronic patient registry
- Develop an educational website for family and professionals
- Build a transition diabetes clinic to help coordinate the transition of a diabetic patient from the children’s clinic to the adult clinic
The interior of the diabetes center for children at HGH
