Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Center for Patient Experience and
Staff Engagement (CPESE) recently concluded its eighth annual Stars of
Excellence awards ceremony, recognizing staff across the organization
for their contribution to healthcare improvement.
Out of a total
of 480 healthcare improvement projects submitted by employees from
across HMC, 28 submissions received awards for achievements in the
categories of health, education, and research. HMC’s Nesma’ak customer
service program was the winner of the Managing Director’s Special Award
and the Star of Excellence Award in the Patient Experience category.
Nesma’ak, which was launched in 2016, aims to provide patients and the
public with excellent service across all HMC customer touchpoints, such
as the call center, website, and in-hospital helpdesk queries. It also
aims to offer patients an easy and effective way to ask questions,
address concerns, and provide comments about the care they have
received.
A number of awards were presented in the health
category. The ‘Collaborative Approach to Weaning’ project, which won the
Clinical Practice Star of Excellence Award, detailed a program that saw
the successful weaning (gradual reduction) of patients reliant on
assisted breathing apparatus, such as mechanical ventilation and
tracheostomy (breathing) tubes so that they could lead more independent
and better quality lives.
The ‘Fight Sepsis using the Bundle’
project, which was implemented in all suspected sepsis patients at the
Enaya Specialized Care Center, won the Quality and Patient Safety Star
of Excellence Award. Implementation of the project successfully reduced
the number of complications and deaths resulting from sepsis - a
life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to
infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs.
In
addition, the ‘Healthcare Coordination Service - Improving Access to
Effective Care’ project received the Collaborative Achievement Star of
Excellence Award for improved Ambulance Service information and process
management, while the ‘Automation of HMC Warehouses through Oracle
E-Business Suite’ project won the Operational Performance Star of
Excellence for improved supply chain and warehouse management.
In
the Education Award category, the Star of Excellence Award went to the
‘Transformation and Maturation of Trauma Care in Qatar’ project for
improving trauma and critical care capability at HMC, while the Star of
Excellence Award in the Research category went to the ‘Novel Biomarker
for Early Detection of Dementia’ project, which focuses on research
around a simple eye test as an indicator in the early diagnosis of
dementia.
Commenting on the awards ceremony, Her Excellency Dr.
Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, the Minister of Public Health, said: “This
award ceremony is an important opportunity to honor staff who
demonstrate outstanding dedication to HMC’s vision of delivering the
safest, most effective, and most compassionate care to each and every
one of our patients. These awards are a tangible example of the
collective commitment to make patient care the best that it can be by
encouraging innovation and ensuring patients’ needs are at the heart of
everything we do, and every decision we make.”
Mr. Nasser Al
Naimi, Deputy Chief Quality Officer for the Center for Patient
Experience and Staff Engagement and Co-Director for Hamad Healthcare
Quality Institute said: “This awards ceremony is a great way to
recognize teams from across HMC that have made a significant and
measurable contribution to the quality of care provided to our patients.
These awards are a motivating force – incentivizing our staff to
continually seek out new ways of improving healthcare services in
Qatar.”
Mr. Al Naimi concluded: “It’s only through our staff’s
commitment and hard work that we can embrace a culture of
patient-centered care and teamwork, as well as the relentless pursuit of
excellence across HMC’s three pillars: health, education, and research.
I am extremely proud that we continue to recognize and celebrate the
commitment of our staff.”
