NewsDetail
More than 100 occupational therapists from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Shafallah Center for Children with Disabilities, Sidra Medical and Research Center and Qatar Foundation have participated in a one-day symposium entitled: “Professional Identity and Advocacy” to mark this year’s World Occupational Therapy Day.
World Occupational Therapy Day was first held at HMC on 27 October, 2010. Since then, it has become an important date to highlight the occupational therapy profession as a vital area of medical specialization.
The symposium was organized by the Occupational Therapy Department’s Education Committee, chaired by the Chief of Occupational Therapy, Mr. Sultan Salim Hammam Al Abdulla and Mr. Hussain Ali H J Bu Hazaa. It was held to reinforce the professional role that occupational therapists play in contributing to the lives of patients with various healthcare needs, including physical disabilities, mental disabilities and social disabilities.
Mr. Al Abdulla explained that occupational therapy helps rehabilitate many individuals through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. “Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social activities, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing support for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. The principal focus of occupational therapy is to help patients achieve the maximum possible level of functional independence. It is a client-centered healthcare profession, which enables patients to engage in meaningful activities or work that may not always have been possible because of a health condition or injury, thereby improving their quality of life,” he said.
Mr. Al Abdulla stressed that occupational therapists help clients overcome the effects of a disability or health condition by identifying the strengths and difficulties of the patient through individualized assessments and recovery of lost skills through remedial treatments. “If recovery is not possible, occupational therapists help maintain existing functions and teach strategies to prevent further complications,” said Mr. Al Abdulla, noting that: “Occupational therapists prescribe and provide equipment that improves a client’s performance and participation. They also guide or assist the client by teaching them alternative ways to perform the task or to modify the environment.”
According to Mr. Al Abdulla, the department receives patients of all ages, from infants to the elderly. It caters to adult patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, hand injuries, fractures, reconstructive surgeries, burns, psychiatric disorders and geriatric illnesses like dementia. It also manages pediatric cases such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, spina bifida, autism spectrum disorders, patients with cardiac problems and cancer.
Mr. Al Abdulla said World Occupational Therapy Day draws attention to the profession and creates awareness of occupational therapy’s important contribution to the field of health and medicine.
He said: “The Occupational Therapy Department at HMC has in the past undertaken various initiatives to mark this day. However, this is the first time we are organizing an event of this magnitude and at a national level.”
Mr. Al Abdulla explained that the symposium was organized to celebrate the day and to serve as a forum for discussing new strategies to treat clients. “It is our plan to ensure that occupational therapy forums such as this symposium develop from national level events to international level forums in the future,” he said.
“Our therapists work in various HMC hospitals including Hamad General Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, National Center for Cancer Care and Research, Women's Hospital, Al Wakra Hospital, Heart Hospital, The Cuban Hospital, Al Khor Hospital and the Psychiatry Department. At present, we have 132 staff members in our department, including three Qatari occupational therapists.”
“Occupational therapists are an important part of various multidisciplinary rehabilitation units within HMC, including intensive care units, inpatient wards, residential services, day care facilities and outpatient clinics. Occupational therapy services are also provided in the community through community mental health and adult psychiatry outreach programs, Home Health Care Services and a community-based rehabilitation team, said Mr. Al Abdulla.”
He added that the Occupational Therapy Department is committed to HMC’s vision of delivering the safest, most effective and most compassionate care to all patients.
