Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Stroke Program has become the first of
its kind in the Middle East to be recertified by the Joint Commission
International (JCI). This latest achievement was confirmed following an
extensive review under JCI’s Clinical Care Program Certification (CCPS)
Third Edition. The HMC Stroke Program operates under Hamad General
Hospital (HGH).
“JCI certification is based on quality and safety
across all clinical and management functions and is considered the gold
standard in global healthcare,” explained Professor Ashfaq Shuaib,
Director of HMC’s Neurosciences Institute.
Recertification of
the Stroke Program is a significant achievement for HMC. It
independently endorses the quality of care the service has consistently
delivered since first gaining JCI certification in 2014. The number of
stroke patients treated at HGH’s dedicated stroke ward has increased
year on year since 2014, as Dr. Naveed Akhtar, Director of HMC's Stroke
Ward, explained: “Due to the high prevalence in Qatar’s population of
many risk factors for stroke – including diabetes, obesity, high
cholesterol, hypertension, and inactivity – the incidence of stroke is
high. In 2014, we treated around 900 stroke patients, a number that has
risen to 1,390 in 2017 and ongoing.”
To receive the
recertification, HMC’s Stroke Program team successfully met the JCI
inspection’s strict criteria, which assessed the quality and safety of
the full spectrum of services involved in caring for stroke patients,
including HMC’s ambulance, emergency, radiology and rehabilitation
teams.
“I would like to thank our key partners in Qatar,
including the Ministry of Public Health, as well as HMC’s senior
leadership and all staff and teams involved in making this happen. I
look forward to working together to raise the quality of care we offer
even further,” Professor Shuaib added.
HMC’s Stroke Program team
has continued to improve care outcomes for patients, despite increasing
volumes. Recent improvements in care outcomes include:
- Increased
public knowledge of stroke, boosted by HMC’s national stroke awareness
campaign. The campaign’s key objective was to educate people on how to
recognize the signs and symptoms of stroke and the correct action to
take if they suspect a stroke. The campaign has contributed to an
increase in the number of stroke patients calling for an ambulance,
rather than driving themselves to hospital - rising from 50 percent in
2014 to 66 percent at present.
- Reduced average length of stay in hospital for stroke patients. Time
of stay has steadily decreased from 8.9 days in 2013 to 5.9 days in
2017. This demonstrates the effective nature of care being provided by
the service.
- In addition to thrombolysis - internationally recognized as a very
effective treatment in acute ischemic stroke, which must be given within
4.5 hours of the onset of symptoms - the HMC stroke team now regularly
utilizes interventional thrombectomies, the retrieval of blocked vessel
clots through a catheter.
“The number of IV thrombolysis and interventional thrombectomy
treatments we carry out at HMC has increased threefold since 2014. Both
these treatments must be given quickly following a stroke. This requires
effective and timely assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke
patients by everyone involved in the care process,” said Dr. Akhtar.
