Qatar’s only dedicated Burns Unit, located at Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Al Wakra Hospital, received 7,900 patients at its outpatient clinics last year. Staff also cared for 108 patients with burn related injuries who were treated in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, 263 patients who required surgical intervention, 230 patients who were treated as inpatients, and 175 patients who received reconstructive burn treatment at Al Wakra Hospital’s Plastic Surgery Division.
“Each year our Burns Unit provides comprehensive burn care to patients of all ages. We treat patients from the time of acute injury through to long-term rehabilitation. Many of our patients are transferred from other hospitals here in Qatar,” said Ms. Parwaneh Al Shibani, Assistant Executive Director of Nursing at Al Wakra Hospital.
“In addition to the burn care provided by our specialized team of doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists, we work closely with government agencies including the General Directorate of Civil Defense, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Primary Health Care Corporation, as part of our program to prevent burn injuries,” said Ms. Al Shibani.
“Through our public education efforts, we are working to prevent burn injuries and to provide information about the importance of the timely and adequate treatment of burns. As part of our public education program we also work to correct misconceptions about the treatment of burn injuries in order to reduce complications that can be caused by the improper treatment of burns,” added Ms. Al Shibani.
The Burns Unit at Al Wakra Hospital was relocated from Rumailah Hospital in 2014. The state-of-the-art facility was moved to Al Wakra as part of HMC’s efforts to transform many of its key clinical services in response to managing the healthcare requirements of Qatar’s growing population. The modern, purpose-built facility uses the latest equipment and techniques to treat both severely burned patients and those with minor burn related injuries. Situated over two floors at Al Waka Hospital, the Burns Unit has a dedicated operating room, inpatient rooms, an occupational therapy room, consulting rooms for outpatients, and reception and recovery spaces.
“The care a patient needs depends upon the severity of the burn. More serious injuries will require treatment by a larger multidisciplinary team. While located at Al Wakra Hospital, patients treated by the Burns Unit have access to the combined knowledge and expertise of clinicians working across HMC. This means a patient who is critically ill may first be monitored at the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Hamad General Hospital, before being transferred to the Burns Unit once their condition stabilizes,” said Ms. Al Shibani.
“Patients treated at the Burns Unit are supported around the clock by physicians from more than a dozen medical and surgical specialties, including neurosurgery and vascular surgery. We work together as a team to assess a patient’s injuries and develop the most appropriate course of care,” added Ms. Al Shibani.
Between January and June of this year, the Burns Unit received 4,340 patients at its outpatient clinics. Ms. Al Shibani said that in the case of pediatric patients with burn injuries, staff at the Burns Unit work closely with the Pediatric Emergency Centers and Sidra Medicine. She noted that integrated care is the cornerstone of the approach used to treat all patients at the busy unit.
