NewsDetail
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) recently conducted the first Qatar National Obstetric Ultrasound Training Course to highlight novel technologies and latest techniques in pregnancy-related ultrasound scans.
More than 200 healthcare professionals from HMC, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Primary Health Care Corporation, and other Qatar-based private healthcare organizations gathered at the event, including local obstetricians, family physicians, sonographers, and other allied health professionals.
The two-day course was organized by the Feto-Maternal Medicine Unit (FMU), Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the Women’s Hospital (WH), and featured state-of-the-art lectures and live demonstrations from distinguished experts in obstetric care. The course provided a unique platform to participants who were able to gain advanced knowledge and skills to efficiently understand and perform ultrasound examinations.
The course was led by several local, regional and international speakers including Dr. Tim Van Mieghem, Consultant, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium, and Dr. Ali H. Al-Ibrahim, Consultant, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Dammam Maternity and Children’s Hospital, Saudi Arabia.
Course Chairperson and Senior Consultant, Feto-Maternal Medicine Unit (FMU) at Women’s Hospital (WH), Dr. Najat Khenyab, stated: “Ultrasound is central to pregnancy assessment and is certainly one of the most useful diagnostic tools in caring for women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the post-delivery recovery period. The procedure is particularly pivotal for the assessment of early pregnancy, fetal growth and the determination of fetal wellbeing.”
She added: “It is of utmost importance to us that healthcare practitioners working in this area are provided with the most advanced training, centered on latest research and international best practices. We are always keen to adopt any evidence based practices that drive clinical programs and professional development and to help us provide the best care always. We believe this course has allowed participants to further develop their analytical and problem-solving skills, which will in turn enhance clinical effectiveness and aid in the delivery of the best possible obstetric care to our patients.”
During the course, various fundamental and advanced topics in fetal care were highlighted, coupled with discussions on some challenging cases and their relevant management techniques.
Course Co-chairperson and Consultant, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Dr. Sawsan Al-Obaidly commented: “We are delighted to offer this training course for healthcare professionals in Qatar and are definitely looking forward to offering it on an annual basis. Our main aim is to enhance the identification rate and stimulate early detection of fetal abnormalities through the effective use of ultrasound modalities.”
“This will reflect on early referral of patients to FMU, where we will provide them proper diagnosis through non-invasive and invasive testing and will also counsel parents regarding expected outcomes and developmental status of their unborn child,” Dr. Al-Obaidly explained.
The FMU is committed to providing the safest, most effective and most compassionate care to women with high-risk pregnancies, involving obstetric, medical, surgical, or genetic complications. The highly-skilled specialists in the unit complement obstetrical care providers, and co-manage complex conditions before or during pregnancy. Using advanced imaging techniques, the FMU staff are able to accurately diagnose babies with birth defects prenatally and then connect parents with a neonatologist and a pediatric subspecialist.