HOSPITALS Magazine issue 61

Issue 61 / 182 NOV-DEC 2021

THE ARAB HOSPITAL APPLICATION IS AVAILABLE

Almoosa North Tower Hospital Where Humanity Blends With Technology

SAUDI ARABIA

www.almoosahospital.org

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Publisher Arab Health Media Communication General Manager Simon Chammas schammas@tahmag.com Creative Department Roula Haddad - Georges Habka Creative Director Jessy E. Hajj

SAUDI GREEN INITIATIVE A HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND LIFE INITIATIVE

Photographer Hanna Nehme Copy Editor Jessica Achkar

Last month, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi crown prince, launched the first edition of the Saudi Green Initiative forum.

The initiative cements the Kingdom's pioneering role and its quest to make a qualitative leap internally and regionally towards climate change in order to improve the quality of life. It combines environmental protection, sustainability programs and individual safety, by reducing carbon emissions, planting trees across Saudi Arabia and protecting land and sea areas.

These efforts have been consolidated by the Kingdom since the launch of “Saudi Vision 2030” in 2016. Accordingly, 50% of electricity to be generated with renewable energy, removing about 130 million tons of carbon emissions, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 7 million tons annually, and increasing the adoption of green buildings.

With $7 billion of annual investments in environmental protection, 10 billion trees will be planted across Saudi Arabia, 40 million hectares of land will be rehabilitated over the coming decades, and the depletion of natural resources will be reduced. This is the cornerstone of the Saudi Green Initiative.

What matters to us in this field is how much this highly appreciated Saudi initiative provides human safety and health, in addition to the planet safety.

“Hospitals” magazine has always supported health protection by protecting the environment, and has encouraged the direction towards green buildings and hospitals, given their positive impact on physical and psychological health, as they provide a healthy life for a sustainable future.

Publisher

Editors Aline Debes, Mark Steven, Don Karn, Andrew Weichert, Colette Semaan, Abbas Moussa, Elham Najem Advertising & Marketing advertising@tahmag.com Mirna Khayrallah mirna@tahmag.com Business Development Manager Elie Yammine Offices & Adresses AHMC, Lebanon Mansourieh High way, Jihad Wakim center, 3rd floor.

T/F: +961 4 53 40 58 M: +961 3 60 61 00 tahmag@tahmag.com Simon Chammas schammas@tahmag.com Dubai Schammas@tahmag.com +967 50 2971007

Printing

Distribution KSA - UAE - OMAN - TURKEY LEBANON - JORDAN - KUWAIT BAHRAIN - QATAR - EGYPT All rights reserved by the HOSPITALS magazine. No part of this publication can be reproduced in any form without prior permission in writting from the publisher.

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ARTICLE FEATURES . Obesity

NOV . DEC 2021

48 Almoosa North Tower Hospital

NEWS

8 Abbott and Real Madrid Team Up to Support the Health and Nutrition of Children Globally 12 H.E Roberto Speranza, Minister of Health, Italy visits Thumbay Medicity Ajman 16 Organon announces commitment to accelerating advancements in women’s health at EXPO 2020 18 Arab Health and Medlab Middle East confirmed for 2427 January 2022 20 Dr. Muna Tahlak, CEO of DHA’s Latifa Hospital for Women and Children, First Arab women to get elected as the IHF President Designate 22 Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City focuses on holistic care this breast cancer awareness month 26 Aster introduces renewable energy at its hospitals in partnership with Emirates Electrical Engineering LLC 28 Sheikh Khalifa Medical City is the first healthcare facility in the Middle East to receive prestigious ‘ANCC Pathway to Excellence®’ accreditation 32 Valiant Clinic & Hospital honored with Healthcare Project of the Year Award at Design Middle East Awards 2021 34 Deborah Bowen (USA) begins term as the IHF President for 2021–2023

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38 SEHA’s Corporate Nursing Division is formally accredited by the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) for its excellence in Nursing Continuous Professional Development (NCPD) 40 Gulf Medical University ties up with Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Mayo clinic, Abu Dhabi in Clinical Training and Cancer Research 42 100% of Abu Dhabi-based Hospitals Connected to Malaffi 74 Organon and Flat6Labs Launch Accelerator for Female-Founded Start-ups Operating in Digital Healthcare in MENA 86 Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital in Dubai performs Aortic Valve Replacement Using Cutting-Edge Technology 102 Decade of achievement for WCM-Q’s Institute for Population Health 102 Leading Healthcare Experts Highlight Importance of Multidisciplinary Treatment Approach at ‘2021 Regional Interchange on Diabetes’ 106 Bupa Global Executive Wellbeing Index reveals UAE HNW individuals are the most proactive in managing mental health and the most adaptive globally

NEWS

SEPT . OCT 2021

54 #Hospotels in surveys

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

5 Marble Medical Centre 72 Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center 88 Acibadem Senology Institute 92 Acibadem International: The Travelling Pink Ribbon

ARTICLES

112 Insulin Pump

FEATURES

54 #Hospotels in review 94 Breastfeeding 112 Insulin Pump 114 Therapeutic nutrition clinics and centers

INTERVIEWS

68 Smart Hospital, Resilient Organization By Benjamin

64 Dr. Thurayya Arayssi, Professor of Clinical Medicine

Kanter, MD, FCCP, Chief Medical Information Officer, Vocera 70 Quiet Hospital Initiative Cuts Down on Overhead Announcements 78 The Future of Healthcare in the Middle East Is About Data and AI … and Partnership By Mark Stoesz, General Manager Imaging, Emerging Markets at GE Healthcare 108 Half brain child By Aylin Altuntas, Founder at AA Executive Consulting / Board Member at The Future Healthcare Conference 110 Your health is not always your decision. How you handle it is. By Brian Dooreck, MD, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Executive Health Navigation

and Vice Dean for Academic and Curricular Affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) 76 Dr. Bassam Kaddissi, Executive Council Member of the Arab Hospitals Federation 80 Rabii Madi, MD, MBA, FACS, Consultant Urology, Director of Robotic Surgery at Clemenceau Medical Center in Dubai 84 Rolla Abu-Arja, MD Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinician 98 Sultana Afdhal, CEO, World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH)

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NEWS

Abbott and Real Madrid Team Up to Support the Health and Nutrition of Children Globally

A

bbott announced it has entered into a three-year agreement to be the Health Sciences and Nutrition Partner of the Real Madrid Football Club and Global Partner of the Real Madrid Foundation—an organization founded by the club to promote the values inherent in sport to children globally. The partnership will encompass education, sports and social welfare activities in support of at-risk children in 80 countries, as well as nutritional support for the first men's and women's and Academy teams and new product innovation and development.

Real Madrid is one of the most successful and recognized sports clubs in the world and is supported by more than 600 million fans globally. In 1997, the club launched the Real Madrid Foundation to support social and cultural integration for at-risk children around the world through sport, through teaching values such as teamwork, respect, collaboration—and physical fitness.

"Football is a universal sport that's played, watched and loved around the world," said Daniel Salvadori, Executive Vice President of Abbott's nutrition business. "Abbott and The Real Madrid Foundation have the same goal: to nourish children around the world so they can have better health and can achieve their potential. The combination of our collective efforts will enable us to reach more people and have even greater long-lasting impact in the lives of tens of thousands of children around the world."

Working with local partners, the Real Madrid Foundation identifies and brings together local children in key at-risk areas—usually in remote, rural communities. The schools cover many different activities, ranging from healthy snacks and dental hygiene, to after-school programs that involve health education and sports training. Each program includes a local social or environmental activity, such as healthcare facility visits. The children are screened for key health indicators at the beginning of each program and

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The partnership will run through the end of the 2023-2024 soccer season and will encompass working with Real Madrid Foundation Social Sports Schools in twelve countries to provide malnutrition screening, education and nutrition support, while also supporting nutritional needs for the Real Madrid Foundation clinics, which take place in 42 countries. As the Health Sciences and Nutrition Partner, Abbott will also work closely with the club to drive research into new ingredient and product innovation and development as part of the nutritional support for the Real Madrid first men's, women's and Academy teams.

supported nutritionally throughout. The Real Madrid Foundation also runs week-long clinics for children who wish to improve their game with the Real Madrid methodology.

"Through the work of the Real Madrid Foundation, we’re not looking to develop the next footballer, we're looking to grow the next engineer, scientist or lawyer," said Emilio Butragueño, director of institutional relations for Real Madrid. "By teaming up with Abbott, a global leader and expert in nutrition, we can support children around the world in living healthier overall."

A Focus on Malnutrition Malnutrition affects 1 in 3 people of all ages, all geographies and all socioeconomic classes.

Abbott has long been focused on improving nutrition through our innovations, recently announcing the formation of the Abbott Center for Malnutrition Solutions—a hub of Abbott and external nutrition experts and partners with a goal to reduce malnutrition in every region of the world over the next ten years. With this partnership, the first under the center, Abbott will work with the Real Madrid Foundation Social Sports Schools around the world to support at-risk children in their goal of having access to a healthier life and a better future. This work will contribute to Abbott's 2030 Sustainability Plan ambition to transform care for malnutrition, chronic disease and infectious diseases, with a goal to improve the lives of more than 3 billion people by decade's end.

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NEWS

H.E Roberto Speranza, Minister of Health, Italy visits Thumbay Medicity Ajman

H

is Excellency Roberto Speranza, the Italian Minister of Health paid a special visit to Thumbay Medicity in Ajman on Saturday, 23rd October 2021 where he was received by Dr. Thumbay Moideen, President and Founder of the Thumbay Group in his office. The momentous visit opened doors for new strategic ties and cooperation between Thumbay Group and two of Italy’s prestigious institutions namely San Raffaele University (UniSR) and Gruppo San Donato (GSD) Italy.

To promote collaboration in health professions education and research, the first MOU was signed between Gulf Medical University represented by Prof. Hossam Hamdy and San Raffaele University, Italy represented by Dr. Paolo Roteli, President of the Vita – Salute San Raffaele University. UniSr ranks in the top 2.3% among 19,788 universities in the world according to the 2021-22 edition of the ‘Global 2000 List by the Center for World University Rankings’ based on their excellent academic performance and research.

The second crucial MOU was signed between Thumbay University Hospital represented

by Mr. Akbar Moideen Thumbay, Vice President Healthcare Division, Thumbay Group and Gruppo San Donato (GSD) Italy represented by Dr. Kamel Ghribi, President of GKSD Investment Holding for full cooperation in developing and strengthening the Department of Cardiac Sciences at the Thumbay University Hospital and making it a Center of Excellence in the region.

Being the number one hospital group in Italy, Gruppo San Donato is a pioneer in multiple research fields, with outstanding clinical programs and academic excellences. With 44 different locations around Italy, GSD's network consists of: 3 research hospitals, 16 general hospitals, 7 outpatient clinics, 11 Smart clinics and more. Their facilities have a capacity of more than 5000 beds and treat more than 4.7 million patients each year while its profile and brand are the symbol of Italian healthcare excellence.

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THUMBAY GROUP SIGNS TWO VITAL MOUS IN THE PRESENCE OF THE MINISTER FOR COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND HEALTHCARE.

His Excellency was highly impressed by the infrastructure and facilities provided by the management and congratulated the President, Dr. Thumbay Moideen for having made such a remarkable progress.

Commenting on this occasion, Dr. Moideen said, “We are very excited to join forces with two of Italy’s leading institutes and look forward to strengthening our offerings through this relationship.”

Thumbay Medicity, Ajman, plays a key role in the advancement of medical education, healthcare, and research. It houses the Gulf Medical University – the region’s leading private medical university, Thumbay University Hospital – the largest private academic hospital in the region, Thumbay Dental Hospital – the first private dental hospital in the country and the largest academic dental hospital in the Middle East region’s private sector, and Thumbay Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital – the biggest stateof-the-art rehabilitation hospital in the country.

Thumbay Medicity also has outlets of Thumbay Pharmacy – including the biggest robotic pharmacy, in addition to the central lab of Thumbay Labs – the biggest CAP-accredited private diagnostic facilities in the region. It also has leisure and hospitality amenities, such as Body & Soul Health Club and Spa, Thumbay Food Court with diverse food brands and cuisines, The Terrace Restaurant, Blends & Brews Coffee Shoppe etc. With its state-of-the-art facilities and superior amenities, Thumbay Medicity is expected to attract 15,000 visitors daily.

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NEWS

Organon announces commitment to accelerating advancements in women’s health at EXPO 2020

A

global healthcare company with the vision of creating a better and healthier every day for every woman around the world, Organon hosted a thought leadership panel discussion, “Accelerating advancements in the health of women across the region” forum at EXPO 2020. Held in partnership with the United States Chamber of Commerce, the USA Pavilion, Jhpiego and Friends of Cancer Patients, Organon convened the forum of global experts and industry thought leaders to better understand the existing gaps in women’s healthcare and explore potential solutions. Attended by many distinguished guests, among them His Excellency Dr Amin Al Amiri and Megan Gregonis, the United States Consul General in Dubai the forum marked the launch of Organon in the MENAT region.

With a diverse portfolio spanning Women’s Health, Biosimilars and Established Brands, Organon is the only company globally focusing exclusively on women’s health. Keen to shift the focus of women’s healthcare beyond female reproduction to unaddressed needs, the healthcare company, which serves 140 markets with 60 medicines and solutions, is now operating across UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, KSA, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Ukraine. In line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal

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for gender equality and female empowerment, Organon’s mission is to improve and innovate across the women’s healthcare space.

Commenting on the launch, Ramy Koussa, Associate Vice President, Organon MENAT, said, “Our goal is to advance women’s healthcare across MENAT by addressing their unmet needs, helping to build a healthier and a brighter future for all women, families and communities. Leveraging our existing global footprint and expertise and working closely with local authorities and industry stakeholders, we are keen to shift the women’s health paradigm beyond reproductive health to encompass the entire life cycle. This forum is an important first for us at Organon MENAT in providing a platform to listen to women and becoming a trusted women’s healthcare partner in the region,” he added.

Among the topics discussed by the distinguished women’s healthcare experts were existing gaps in data that act as a barrier to improving women’s health, how to monitor progress toward the UN Sustainable Goal of gender equality, investments in healthcare and accelerating change through economic empowerment. Attending panelists included: Dr Susanne Fiedler, Chief Commercial Officer of

HELD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE USA PAVILION, JHPIEGO AND FRIENDS OF CANCER PATIENTS, GLOBAL HEALTHCARE COMPANY ORGANON CONVENED A FORUM OF GLOBAL EXPERTS TO DISCUSS THE BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCING WOMEN’S HEALTH IN THE REGION.

NEWS

Mazen Altaruti Organon; Susanne Mikhail, Regional Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women for the Arab States; Bathylle Missika, Head of the Networks, Partnerships and Gender Division at OECD Development Centre; Myra Betron, Director of Gender at Jhpeigo; and Dina El- Shenoufy, Chief Investment Officer at Flat6lab.

Ms. Susanne Mikhail, Regional Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women for the Arab States, said, “Better understanding and addressing women’s unmet healthcare needs is essential to achieving the Sustainable Goals of the 2030 Agenda, including the critically important goals of gender equality and female economic empowerment. Besides looking at health services as a basic right by itself, women’s health is directly related to economic development as well. For example, women could add $28 trillion (or 26% of global GDP) to the global economy by 2025, if their health issues are addressed, allowing them to participate in the labor market more fully. Therefore, it is exciting to see Organon focusing on the health needs of women and accelerating advancements in women’s health in this region.”

Commenting following the panel discussion, Dr. Susanne Fiedler, Chief Commercial Officer, Organon, said, “At Organon, we are working toward a world where every woman enjoys better health. It is imperative that, as a company, we not only listen to but learn from women about what of their current needs are not being addressed. To that end, we will work closely

Ramy Koussa together with industry stakeholders from private to public organizations, healthcare providers, patient societies and others, establishing efficient and differentiated operating models to improve the delivery of women’s healthcare services across the region.”

Dr. Sawsan A. S. Al Madhi, Director General, Friends of Cancer Patients, added, “Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP) is a patient-centric organization. We fundamentally believe that to provide the best care possible, the patient must be heard and empowered. We welcome the launch of Organon across the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey region, and look forward to our collaborative approach to better understanding and addressing the unmet health needs of women.”

OPENING NOTES WERE DELIVERED

BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR AMIN AL AMIRI, ASSISTANT UNDERSECRETARY OF HEALTH REGULATIONS SECTOR AT THE UAE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND PREVENTION (MOHAP)AS WELL AS BY MEGAN GREGONIS, UNITED STATES CONSUL GENERAL IN DUBAI.

With a dynamic business model and entrepreneurial approach and in line with their commitment to accelerating advancements in women’s health, the company has also announced the launch of the Femtech Accelerator Program in the Middle East and North Africa together with early-stage venture capital firm, Flat6Labs, the result of its first official regional collaboration. Together the companies will support female-led and focused start-ups in the digital healthcare space, supporting them in the development of a Medium Viable Product (MVP). Selected start-ups will participate in a two-month intensive acceleration program featuring one-on-one coaching and mentoring with relevant leading sector experts, online training, and matchmaking with potential technical, investment and business partners.

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NEWS

Arab Health and Medlab Middle East confirmed for 24-27 January 2022

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new report by Informa Markets, organisers of Arab Health and Medlab Middle East, the MENA region’s leading exhibitions for the healthcare and laboratory industries, has revealed investment in new healthcare technology has become the top priority for 2021.

Titled Voice of the Healthcare Industry Market Outlook 2021 and produced by Omnia Health Insights, the report highlights that 45% of respondents identified technology as the best opportunity for business growth in the GCC, with digitisation creating the most significant impact according to the agents, dealers and distributors, clinics, medical practices, consultancies and manufacturers surveyed.

Solenne Singer, Group Director for Informa Markets, said: “As a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the global health crisis, there has been a distinct shift in priorities with the focus now on implementing new technologies for better healthcare delivery. “Digitalisation, blockchain and Big Data are growing in prominence, and according to our report, AI is the second most impactful area of tech overall, followed by robotics. 23% of those surveyed from the GCC placed a much higher priority for investment in this area of new technology."

Technology will take centre stage at the 2022 edition of Arab Health and Medlab Middle East. A series of panel discussions and keynote presentations from leaders within the industry will highlight the latest advancements within the sector. Meanwhile, innovation will be prominent with the return of the Arab Health Innov8 Talks, while Medlab Middle East will showcase the latest innovations from the laboratory industry via a range of product displays and talks.

According to the report, funding was outlined as the most significant challenge public and private medical practices faced.

This was also true of charities and non-profit organisations, creating the greatest barrier to

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implementing new technology. When asked about emerging trends in the next 12 months, the number one response was value-based healthcare. This is when healthcare providers are rewarded for helping patients improve their health, reduce the effects and incidence of chronic disease, and live healthier lives in an evidence-based way. Almost half of all respondents placed this as the top forecasted trend.

The previous edition of Arab Health and Medlab Middle East, which took place earlier this year, welcomed 22,800 visitors from 172 countries who connected with 1,700 exhibitors generating AED767.7 million new business deals. A total of 61 countries were represented by exhibitors, which included 30 international pavilions.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every single member of the healthcare community, both personally and professionally. We are, however, at a point where the industry is ready to move forward, return to live events and secure new business deals. The last edition of Arab Health and Medlab underscored this desire, and we now look forward to welcoming participants once again in 2022,” added Singer.

The 2022 edition of the show, which returns as a co-located event for the healthcare and laboratory industries, will take place from 24 – 27 January at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

This year's theme is ‘United by business, forging ahead’. The event is once again expected to be supported by a host of government entities, industry leaders and influencers in their respective sectors. As part of Informa's commitment to providing the highest hygiene and safety levels, the event will again take place under the protocols introduced via the company’s Informa AllSecure health and safety mandate.

The enhanced measures include 35 guidelines covering all aspects of cleaning and hygiene, social distancing measures, and the use of PPE, screening, and a track and trace in conjunction with local authorities.

Solenne Singer

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NEWS

Dr. Muna Tahlak, CEO of DHA’s Latifa Hospital for Women and Children

First Arab woman to get elected as the IHF President Designate and nurture the growth of Emirati women across all fields and specializations including the medical field.

"This victory highlights not only the progress that Emirati women have made but also reflects the position of the health sector in the UAE." She stated that she will serve her tenure with utmost dedication and highly values this opportunity. She added that her work with the IHF over the past five years has helped her gain experience and gave her the opportunity to highlight the successful work of hospitals in the UAE on a global scale.

Dr. Muna Tahlak

T

he United Arab Emirates achieved an important victory in the global health front as Emirati Dr. Muna Tahlak, CEO of DHA’s Latifa Hospital for Women and Children, was elected as the President of the International Hospital Federation (IHF). This is the first time that an Arab woman will hold this esteemed position, the highest international position in the history of the Union.

The IHF Governing Council voted to elect Dr Tahlak as the new IHF President Designate. In doing so, Dr Tahlak ends her term as Treasurer with IHF and now begins her two-year term as President Designate of the IHF.

Commenting on this important historic victory, Dr. Muna Tahlak said: "I am honoured and I extend my deepest thanks and gratitude to our wise leadership who have always directed to empower women. Emirati women have held and continue to hold various high-ranking positions and responsibilities across all fields. The country has provided ample opportunities to support

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Awadh Al Ketbi, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), congratulated Dr Muna Tahlak on this important and historic victory. He said that this victory reflects the position of a developed country and the contribution of Emirati women. He said it is a win for everyone in the health sector in the UAE who are fulfilling their responsibilities and duties with dedication and sincerity. Al Ketbi added that Emirati women have always been successful across all fields, especially in the medical field, and greatly contribute to the growth and development of the country.

Dr Muna Abdul Razzaq Tahlak is the Chief Executive Officer of Latifa Hospital (a 347-bed specialized maternity and pediatric hospital), part of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), United Arab Emirates.

Dr Tahlak is an obstetrics and gynaecology consultant. She is also the first Emirati woman to complete her specialization in obstetrics and gynecology from the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She is American board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Tahlak is a regular speaker at conferences and has received various awards for excellence in her field. After being IHF Treasurer, Dr. Tahlak was elected IHF President Designate in November 2021. Additionally, she is a member of several other esteemed national and international societies and associations.

THE IHF GOVERNING COUNCIL VOTED TO ELECT DR TAHLAK AS THE NEW IHF PRESIDENT DESIGNATE. IN DOING SO, DR TAHLAK ENDS HER TERM AS TREASURER WITH IHF AND NOW BEGINS HER TWO-YEAR TERM AS PRESIDENT DESIGNATE OF THE IHF.

NEWS

Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City focuses on holistic care during breast cancer awareness month

S

heikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), one of the UAE’s largest hospitals for serious and complex care and a joint-venture partnership between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and Mayo Clinic, drives emphasis on holistic care during Breast Cancer Awareness Month – observed in October of every year, beginning from education to a multi-disciplinary model of care.

Dr. Shahrukh Hashmi, Consultant and Chairman, Hematology & Oncology Division at SSMC, said: “Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual, month-long initiative to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. While the annual observance increases collective consciousness around the disease and healthcare providers emphasize the significance of regular screening, it is equally important to focus on education and understanding the holistic effects of the disease on patients, from the physical to the psychological.”

SSMC adopts a multi-disciplinary treatment approach, with cross-specialty physicians that holistically diagnose and treat breast cancer, including oncologists, surgeons, plastic surgeons, and pathologists. Part of their services for screening includes genetic testing that checks for mutated genes in carriers who might have a significantly higher risk of developing breast cancer. This gives people an opportunity to learn whether breast cancer is highly prevalent in their family due to a gene mutation that is inherited. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be used to screen those who have a high risk of breast cancer, while other forms of testing include breast examinations, ultrasound, thermography, and tissue sampling.

Mayada, a 50-year-old breast cancer survivor: “I was diagnosed with cancer in my breast in its early stages when I was 46 years old. My mother is a breast cancer survivor herself. When she heard me complain about a pain in my breast, she urged me to see a doctor. I never thought it could be cancer since I didn’t feel any

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changes in my breast except for the pain. I never did self-checks or opted to go to hospital for a screening, despite my age and family history.

The fear of facing the possibility of cancer made me ignore the early and regular screenings, which is why I am thankful that my mother and family encouraged me to see a doctor, and only following a biopsy was I diagnosed. I encourage everyone not to let the fear of discovery stop them from taking care of themselves and to understand that cancer is a disease that can be treated, when caught early.”

Depending on the patient case, type of breast cancer, and stage of diagnosis, it is common for patients with breast cancer to get more than one kind of treatment. Treatment options for breast cancer vary, and include: surgery to remove cancer tissue; chemotherapy to shrink or kill cancer cells; hormonal therapy which blocks cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow; biological therapy that collaborates with the body’s immune system to help it fight cancer cells; and radiation therapy that uses high-energy rays to kill cancerous cells.

Dr. Nahed Balalaa, Consultant, Breast Surgeon at SSMC said: “A life-changing diagnosis like breast cancer not only has a physical effect, but it is also a form of cancer that can have a strong psychosocial impact, introducing feelings of low self-esteem and negative self-image. A lesser known fact about breast cancer is that treatment goes beyond purely ridding the body of the cancer itself but also addresses the outward effects of the disease, which can be alleviated with surgical treatments. Where a patient’s condition allows for it, breast conservation is an option where surgeons elect to keep the breast, and only remove the cancerous tissue. There is also the option of breast reconstruction which includes 2 types: the immediate reconstruction and delayed reconstruction. The type of the reconstruction depends on the cancer stage, medical condition, and any additional therapies that could be required after the surgery.”

Dr. Nahed Balalaa

Dr. Sharukh K. Hashmi

DEPENDING ON THE PATIENT CASE, TYPE OF BREAST CANCER, AND STAGE OF DIAGNOSIS, IT IS COMMON FOR PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER TO GET MORE THAN ONE KIND OF TREATMENT.

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NEWS

Aster introduces renewable energy at its hospitals in partnership with Emirates Electrical Engineering LLC

A

ster DM Healthcare, one of the largest integrated healthcare provider in the GCC and India, has signed an agreement with Emirates Electrical Engineering LLC, a member of Al Rostamani Group and a leading ESCO company of UAE; to install solar energy panels across 4 hospitals in UAE – Aster Hospitals in Mankhool, Qusais, Cedar and Medcare Hospital in Al Safa Dubai. To be implemented by Eurohealth Systems, the total solar power generation will help reduce carbon dioxide generation by 1774 metric tonnes annually.

The project is in alignment with Aster DM Healthcare’s global ESG (Environment, Social and Corporate Governance) policies through which the organisation is trying to build a sustainable future by defining a path that creates shared values benefitting the organisation, community and the environment across the 7 countries where it has a presence. Over the years, Aster has incorporated GRI and Dow Jones sustainability index into its operations to fulfill its commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goals with Climate Action being one of the 8 goals being supported.

“While being wholly devoted to the service of people and the community, we also remain committed to our environmental initiatives. In India, many of our hospitals have already undertaken multiple initiatives to conserve water

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and electricity and with this initiative we stand united with the vision of H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, for a green economy which can support sustainable development.

The installation of the solar energy panels at the 4 hospitals in UAE is just the beginning in our journey to make our facilities energy efficient and provide a greener environment to our patients that encourages health and well-being,” said Ms. Alisha Moopen, Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare.

“We are glad to partner with Emirates Electrical Engineering LLC in the implementation of this project which will not only ensure energy conversation but also reduce emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide which has a detrimental impact on the environment,” added Mr. Hanie Sathar, Director, Eurohealth Systems.

“The Al Rostamani Group owned Emirates Electrical Engineering has been serving UAE Electrical power sector for the last 35 years. We are proud to associate with Aster DM Healthcare to pave a green way towards a sustainable future by harnessing the solar energy. EEE spares no efforts in delivering high performing solar power plants to the commercial and industrial sectors in UAE,” added Mr. Prabash Manthara, General Manager, Emirates Electrical Engineering LLC.

IN ALIGNMENT WITH ITS ESG POLICIES WHICH AIM TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR THE ORGANISATION AND THE COMMUNITIES IT SERVES, THE PARTNERSHIP WITH EMIRATES ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING LLC (AL ROSTAMANI GROUP) WILL SEE ASTER INTRODUCE SOLAR ENERGY PANELS ACROSS 4 HOSPITALS IN UAE.

NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL WORLD-CLASS PROGRAMS. TRAILBLAZING RESEARCH. PERSONALIZED CARE. Columbus, Ohio, may feel like a world away, but our faculty, researchers and facility have earned international reputations for expertise in rare and complex conditions. Our Cardiovascular team is leading groundbreaking development of a biodegradable tissue-engineered vascular graft for children with congenital heart defects. Our multidisciplinary Center for Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction excels in advanced care for even the rarest congenital disorders, motility issues, fecal incontinence concerns and more, for patients in more than 60 countries. And the powerhouse team at the helm of our Neurosurgery and Neuro-Oncology programs excels in both leadership and collaboration in multinational cancer research. When you’re here, you are the center of our attention. Come to Nationwide Children’s —nothing but the best in care, in an accessible, cosmopolitan city.

Reach out to our Global Patient Services team to find out why we should be your new global destination for complex care.

Learn more, refer a patient or plan a trip: NationwideChildrens.org/Global-Patient-Services GlobalPatientServices@NationwideChildrens.org +1 614 362 9127 Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio – USA

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AMERICA’S SECOND

LARGEST CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

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NEWS

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City is the first healthcare facility in the Middle East to receive prestigious ‘ANCC Pathway to Excellence®’ accreditation

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heikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), part of the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), is the first healthcare facility in the Middle East to receive the ‘Pathway to Excellence’ accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association.

The ‘Pathway to Excellence’ accreditation is a global credential that highlights Sheikh Khalifa Medical City’s commitment to empowering and valuing nurses for the fundamental work they do in elevating patient care. The accolade reinforces SKMC as one of the best places for nurses to work and underlines its commitment to fostering a healthy and positive workplace culture.

“Nurses are an integral part of any healthcare organization and at the heart of all patient care,” said Dr. Safa Azaat Al Mustafa, Acting CEO at SKMC. “We are extremely proud to be the first healthcare facility in UAE and the Middle East to receive this prestigious accreditation, which is a testament to our world-class nursing team's hard work, devotion, and passion.”

“At SKMC, we take pride in the fact that our nurses are valued, respected and heard, as well as leading change and impacting operations at SKMC”. Dr. Al Mustafa continued, “When nurses are engaged, job satisfaction increases resulting in a better patient experience and excellent superior outcomes which, ultimately, results in the best care for our patients,” added Dr. Al Mustafa.

AS AN ‘ANCC PATHWAY TO EXCELLENCE’ ORGANIZATION, SKMC LEADS THE UAE’S EFFORTS IN ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF CARE, PATIENT AND NURSING SAFETY.

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In order to secure this accolade, SKMC successfully passed a thorough and rigorous review process of all its practices, policies and initiatives specific to nursing. Multiple nursing staff and leaders worked diligently for three years to develop all required documents with supporting evidence and submitted to the American Nursing Credentialing Center. A survey was then conducted by the ANCC to verify all information and compare the results with the feedback of the nurses. The six pillars of this review were quality, professional development, safety, leadership, shared decision-making and wellbeing.

“At SEHA, nurses are the foundation of our network, play a crucial role in patient experience and represent the largest portion of our workforce. As often shown in our patient experience surveys, it is the care and compassion from nurses which often leaves a lasting impression on our patients. We are incredibly proud that our nurses’ commitment to excellent patient care is being recognized through this accreditation,” Aysha Al Mahri concluded.

As an ‘ANCC Pathway to Excellence’ organization, SKMC leads the UAE’s efforts in enhancing the quality of care, patient and nursing safety. It also affirms SKMC’s role in delivering the highest standards of nursing care, in line with global best practice.

Aysha Al Mahri, Group Chief Nursing Officer at SEHA, added, “The ‘ANCC Pathway to Excellence®’ accreditation strongly reinforces our commitment to raising the standards of

nursing care within the country. SKMC is a leading example of how SEHA is paving the way in elevating the role of nurses within the region’s healthcare industry and attracting the brightest nursing talent.”

Dr. Safa Al Mustafa

SKMC is a flagship tertiary hospital in the UAE and the largest teaching medical center in Abu Dhabi, employing 1312 nurses.

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Learn more about BD at bd.com/en-mena/our-products bdbiosciences.com/en-eu/instruments Not all products, services or features may be available in your local area.

Please check with your local BD representative.

© 2021 BD. BD and the BD Logo are trademarks of Becton, Dickinson and Company.

03 - 04 DECEMBER, 03 -- 04 042021 December, 2021 03 December, 2021 LIVHOSPITALEXPO.COM

Liv Hospital, which stands for “Leading International Vision”, continues to expand its healthcare vision every day in order to raise the quality of healthcare services in Turkey above world standards, as befits its name.

Liv Hospital, which broke new ground in the world with Eri Global, gathers world leaders, medical tourism agencies and other institutions and organizations within the scope of medical tourism under the same roof with an international “Expo”.

Liv Hospital brings together investors from all over the world in order to convey its superior service and technological infrastructure to every corner of the world. From the “attendees” In the international arena, we aim to be together with the leading names in the sector, mostly from the investors, business partners, health tourism companies, from airline companies to hospital owners.

EXPO PROGRAM Friday, December 3rd Day 1 0 8 : 3 0 - 0 9 : 0 0 Welcome 0 9 : 0 0 - 0 9 : 0 5 Openning Show 0 9 : 0 5 - 0 9 : 3 0 Bobbie Celler Eri Global President and CEO 0 9 : 3 0 - 0 9 : 4 5 Meri İstiroti Liv Hospital Group Coordinator 0 9 : 4 5 - 1 0 : 0 0 Emin Çakmak Global Healthcare Travel council - Founding and Honorary Chairman Turkey’s Rising Role Among the Leader in International Medical Tourism Destinations 1 0 : 0 0 - 1 0 : 3 0 Coffee Break 1 0 : 3 0 - 1 1 : 0 0 Rob L. Mckinney Ceo – Ravn Alaska Airlines 1 1 : 0 0 - 1 1 : 3 0 Prof. PhD. Erdal Karaöz, MD Rector of Istinye University Modern Possibilities of Stemcells in Regenerative Medicine 1 1 : 3 0 - 1 2 : 3 0 Panel 1 Groundbreaking Target-oriented Treatments Prof. Merdan Fayda, MD – Radiation Oncology Prof. İlhan Elmacı, MD - Neurosurgery Prof. Emel Ceylan Günay, MD - Nuclear Medicine 1 2 : 3 0 - 1 3 : 3 0 Lunch 1 3 : 3 0 - 1 3 : 4 5 Sponsor Session 1 3 : 4 5 - 1 4 : 4 5 Panel 2 - Orthopedics and Traumatology Most Advanced Orthopedic Interventions Prof. Çağatay Öztürk, MD – Spine Surgery Assoc. Prof. Şenol Bekmez, MD – Pediatric Orthopedics Prof. Erden Ertürer, MD – Total Knee and Hip Prosthesis Prof. Ufuk Aydınlı, MD – Orthopedic Oncology 1 4 : 4 5 - 1 5 : 0 0 Sponsor Session 1 5 : 0 0 - 1 5 : 3 0 Coffee Break 1 5 : 3 0 - 1 6 : 1 5 Sponsor Session 1 6 : 1 5 - 1 7 : 1 5 PANEL 3 - Aesthetic, Cosmetic & Beauty New Approaches in Aesthetic, Cosmetic & Beauty Treatments Hamid Aydın, MD – Hair Transplantation Director DDS. Alper Çıldır - Oral and Dental Health DDS. Zeynep Kabalcı Holtoft – Dental Health Prof. Ahmet Hakan Birkent, MD - Voice Aesthetics 1 7 : 1 5 - 1 7 : 3 0 Sponsor Session (16:30 - 17:30 Investor Presentation In VIP Room) 1 7 : 3 0 - 1 8 : 3 0 DJ & VIP Cocktail Hour

Saturday, December 4th Day 2 Bobbie Celler / Liv Executive Speaker TBD Panel 4 – Cardiac Health Cardiac Health in Adult and Children Prof. Sertaç Çiçek, MD, FACS, FACC, FCCP - Cardiovascular Surgery Prof. Alp Burak Çatakoğlu, MD - Cardiology Assoc. Prof. Ali Buturak, MD - Cardiology Prof. Levent Saltık, MD - Pediatric Cardiology Prof. Enis Oğuz, MD – Cardiology Lunch Sponsor Session Panel 5 – Pediatric Health and Diseases All for Healthy Kids Prof. Ozan Özkaya, MD - Pediatric Nephrology and Reumatology Prof. Makbule Eren, MD - Pediatric Gastroenterology Prof. Tülin Tiraje Celkan, MD - Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Sponsor Session Speaker TBD Coffee Break Sponsor Session

10:00-10:30 10:30-1 1 : 0 0 1 1 : 0 0-12:00

12:00-13:00 13:00-1 3 :1 5 1 3 :1 5-1 4 :1 5

1 4 :1 5-14:30 14:30-15:00

15:00-15:30 15:30-15:45 Panel 6 – Robotic Surgery 1 5 : 4 5 - 1 6 : 4 5 More Arms More Succes: Robotic Surgery Prof. Çağatay Tezel, MD - Thoracic Surgery

Prof. Hakan Teoman Yanar, MD - General Surgery Prof. Volkan Tuğcu, MD – Urology Sponsor Session 1 6 : 4 5 - 1 7 : 0 0 Speaker TBD 1 7 : 0 0 - 1 8 : 3 0 (17:30 - 18:30 Investor Presentation In VIP Room) Networking Party 1 8 : 3 0 -

NEWS

Valiant Clinic & Hospital honored with Healthcare Project of the Year Award at Design Middle East Awards 2021

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aliant Clinic & Hospital, a multispecialty boutique healthcare provider situated in City Walk has been awarded Healthcare Project of the Year at the 2021 edition of the prestigious Design Middle East Awards.

The award came as a recognition for Valiant Clinic & Hospital VIP inpatient wing’s project in partnership with AMG Design Consultants, to accomplish the vision of holistic design and innovative approaches to healthcare environments. Along with efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the holistic patient-centered design of the healthcare facility has also become important for delivering a high standard experience to patients in a rapidly transforming healthcare sector.

Soliman Elmatbouly, Chief Operating Officer of Valiant Clinic and Hospital said: “We are immensely proud to be chosen as Healthcare Project of the Year 2021 at the Design Middle East Awards. This achievement is a recognition of Valiant Clinic & Hospital VIP inpatient wing’s determination to deliver unparalleled healthcare utilizing the latest technological advancements. Our partnership with AMG Design Consultants has enabled us to receive this honor, and to design a holistic hospital space that reduces stress and anxiety, improve patient satisfaction, and contribute to a positive health outcome.”

“An aesthetically designed hospital environment can also aid the facilitation of better service. As a healthcare provider that prioritizes patient-centric approaches, we are aware of the role of patient’s wellbeing in the process of healing and better results. By creating a supportive healing environment, we could deliver a positive experience to the needs of everyone involved in the patient care, including family, caregivers, and medical personnel,” he added.

The challenges faced by the healthcare

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DESIGN MIDDLE EAST AWARDS IS ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER AWARDS IN THE DESIGN INDUSTRY.

industry has increased drastically with the pandemic and holistic approaches are integral for prioritizing patients’ experience. A humane design in the healthcare facility will cater to the well-being of patients, visitors, the workforce, or any other stakeholders involved in the patient's health and rehabilitation.

Design Middle East Awards is one of the most sought-after awards in the design industry as it is about recognizing and honoring the best and foremost design projects, designers, architects, and design agencies in the region.

NEWS

Deborah Bowen (USA) begins term as the IHF President for 2021–2023

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eborah Bowen has taken up the position of President of the International Hospital Federation (IHF) following her election in 2019 and a two-year term as President Designate. At the Closing Plenary and Ceremony of the 44th World Hospital Congress in Barcelona (Spain), the presidency was formally transferred to Deborah Bowen (USA) from Dr Risto Miettunen (Finland) who completes his term on the IHF’s Governing Council.

Bowen Deborah

MS BOWEN BRINGS A WEALTH OF LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE TO THE ROLE.

Deborah Bowen is President and Chief Executive Officer of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served on the IHF’s Governing Council since 2015. Ms Bowen brings a wealth of leadership and management experience to the role. Since becoming president and CEO of ACHE, Ms Bowen has been recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare and one of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare.

Ms Bowen was elected President Designate of the IHF in November 2019. In starting her term as President, Ms Bowen commented: “There has never been a more important time to be a leader in healthcare. What drives us and binds us is our calling to deliver the highest quality of care to patients.”

With great humility, I follow Risto Miettunen who led the IHF during the pandemic with strength and courage. I thank him for his service and guidance. I am tremendously honoured to serve the International Hospital Federation and I look forward to working with the international community as we move our field forward. Together, we can make important strides toward a healthier, more equitable future for all.”

At the completion of his presidential term, Dr. Risto Miettunen has come to the end of eight years on the Governing Council of the IHF. He will remain a valued member of the IHF’s community as he becomes a lifelong Honorary Member in recognition of his service to the organization. Reflecting on his experience, he

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emphasized the importance of international collaboration and strong leadership: “I am extremely honoured having been able to serve at the IHF in different capacities during all these years, now stepping down as President. My role has included the creation and implementation of the IHF´s strategy update and the recruitment of CEO Ron Lavater as the successor to Dr Eric de Roodenbeke at his retirement. I especially want to thank Eric for all his contribution for IHF. Coming from Finland, I have very much appreciated this unique opportunity for international networking and knowledge sharing at the International Hospital Federation. I want to express my gratitude to all members of the Governing Council for supporting me, and wish the new President and CEO the best of success in the IHF´s path to the future.”

There have been 35 presidents of the IHF since it was established in 1929, of which Ms Bowen is the second woman to be elected (the first being Gillian Morgan, former CEO of NHS Confederation (UK) who was President in 2003–2005).

As Ms Bowen’s term as president begins, the Governing Council voted (in November 2021) to elect Dr. Muna Abdul Razzaq Tahlak (UAE), Chief Executive Officer of Latifa Hospital, part of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). Dr Tahlak now begins her term as President Designate. In doing so, Dr Tahlak ends her term as Treasurer of the IHF. Reflecting on regional ties with the IHF, Dr Tahlak said: “The IHF community was initially established in UAE at Dubai Health Authority and now has extended to all the medical organization in UAE, expanding its reach to the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) and Department of Health (DOH) covering the whole of the UAE medical team. This shows the involvement of the entire UAE in the IHF community, and we are excited to host the 45th World Hospital Congress in Dubai in 2022.”

Organized By

International Course on Electron Microscopy Applications in Pathology Diagnostics

Renal

Nerve

Dr. Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ajlan MD, FRCPC, UK

Dr. Muhammad Fahim Tungekar MBBS, MD, FRCPath (UK)

Mrs. Kawthar Al Adawi Sr. EM Biomedical Scientist BSc, MSc

Registration Fee

30 BD

Muscle

Skin

Dr. Ali Hassan Al Asseri MD, FRCPC, Canada

Ms. Marwa Al Shukri EM Biomedical Scientist BSc

Cilia

Dr. Emine Korkmaz Thermo Fisher Scientific

Mr. Baig Mirza Saleem EM Manager - ExpressMed Laboratories

CME Hours Accredited Register at: www.emeducation.org For more info, contact us: +(973) 38003884 +(973) 33145743 Email: emlab@expressmedlabs.com

18 December 2021 The Westin - Bahrain City Centre

International Course on Electron Microscopy Applications in Pathology Diagnostics

18 December 2021 The Westin - Bahrain City Centre

PROGRAM SCHEDULE Time

Topic

8:30 - 9:00

Registration

9:00 - 9:05

Welcome

Dr. Kadhem Alkhenaizi - ExpressMed Labs

9:05 - 9:10

Opening Remarks

Dr. Omar Sweid - Thermo Fisher

9:10 - 9:40

Application of Cutting Edge Technology in Electron Microscopy

Mr. Baig Mirza Saleem

9:40 - 10:10

The Role of Electron Microscopy in the diagnosis and management of medical kidney disease

Dr. Muhammad Fahim Tungekar

10:10 - 10:30

Role of EM in the diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesias - the Omani experience

10:30- 10:50

Coffee Break

10:50 -11:20

The Role of Electron Microscopy in the diagnostic processs of the Muscle disease

11:20 - 11:50

Dermo path challenging cases

11:50 - 13:00

Prayer & Lunch Break

13:00 - 13:30

Thermo Scientific Electron Microscopy Workflow Solutions for Pathology Research

Dr. Emine Korkmaz

13:30 - 14:00

Diagnostic usefulness of Electron Microscopy for Neuro pathology

Dr. Ali Hassan Al Asseri

14:00 - 14:15

Overview of the Electron Microscopy core facility at Sultan Qaboos University - Research & Diagnostics

Ms. Marwa Al Shukri

14:15 - 14:45

Speaker

Mrs. Kawthar Al Adawi

Dr. Ali Hassan Al Asseri

Dr. Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ajalan

Digital Electron Microscopy advancement at your doorstep for pathology applications Mr. Baig Mirza Saleem

14:45 - 15:15

Coffee Break & Certification and Momentums

Dr. Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ajalan Mr. Virasath Khan

Register at: www.emeducation.org EM Live Demo available at ExpressMed Laboratories after the course Organized By

Accredited By

NEWS

SEHA’s Corporate Nursing Division is formally accredited by the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) for its excellence in Nursing Continuous Professional Development (NCPD)

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he Corporate Nursing Division at Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the UAE’s largest healthcare network, has been formally accredited by the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) for its excellence as a provider of Nursing Continuous Professional Development (NCPD) activities. ANCC as a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA) one of the largest and most prestigious international bodies that grant accreditations in the nursing professional development field.

Aysha Ali Al Mahri

The certificate of excellence was awarded to the nursing division at SEHA by the ANCC after an in-depth preparation and evaluation process during which the ANCC reviewed SEHA’s policies and procedures to determine the quality and excellence of all its Nursing Continuous Professional Development Activities, in addition to benchmarking SEHA against high-ranking American nursing organizations.

Speaking about the prestigious accolade, Dr. Tarek Fathey, SEHA's Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “We strongly value our nursing staff who are a key pillar of the healthcare system and fundamental to delivering excellent patient care. Every day, they showcase consistent

D. Tariq Fathe

strength and compassion through communicating with patients and their loved ones, as well as displaying quality medical expertise. Receiving this prestigious accreditation from the ANCC is an important recognition that showcases SEHA’s excellence locally and internationally. This would not have been possible without the non-stop dedication and compassion from our nursing team.” Dr. Fathey also added that SEHA prides itself on continuously training and developing its nursing staff, as well as the future nursing generation in the UAE, so they are fully equipped to perform their practical duties and responsibilities to the highest international standards.

Obtaining this accreditation is in line with SEHA’s priorities to equip nurses with the knowledge and skills needed to improve patient care. Aysha Ali Al Mahri, Group Chief Nursing Officer at SEHA, said: "Receiving this prestigious award is an important achievement that enhances nursing excellence and patient outcomes while providing a safe and positive work environment at SEHA. This achievement highlights how important it is to us, at SEHA, to provide continuous development, based on quality and international best practice, particularly for our nursing staff.”

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Succeeds in Confronting Coronavirus Variants

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he Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has succeeded in confronting coronavirus variants, the Ministry of Health official spokesman Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali stated.

The Health Ministry spokesman, at the press conference, stressed that the booster dose helps to limit the spread of the virus and reduces the chance of getting infected. The Ministry of Health, meanwhile, is expected to include the Moderna vaccine along with Pfizer vaccine as a booster dose. The spokesman added that the Kingdom's statistics are stable as new COVID-19

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THE MHRSD CONFIRMED 1,275 PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES VIOLATIONS IN PRIVATE SECTOR ESTABLISHMENTS, AND 2,260 PEOPLE WERE VIOLATED FOR NOT ADHERING TO PREVENTIVE MEASURES.

cases in Saudi Arabia continued to stay below the 50-mark on Sunday, with 30 new infections recorded over the past 24 hours. He added that Saudi Arabia has administered more than 46 million doses of the vaccines till date since the start of the vaccination drive.

At the same press conference, Saad Al-Hammad, spokesman of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), said that the ministry during October has carried out 143,331 inspection tours to monitor violators of precautionary measures.

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NEWS

Gulf Medical University ties up with Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Mayo clinic, Abu Dhabi in Clinical Training and Cancer Research

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ulf Medical University (GMU) students undergo clinical training in the Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), a premier state-of-the-art tertiary care facility located in Abu Dhabi being run in collaboration with the prestigious Mayo Clinic USA.Consultants at SSMC and faculty of the Mayo Clinic supervise training of GMU Students.

Senior delegates from SSMC visited GMU to strengthen the relationship and collaborate in the areas of Medical Education, Research and Continuous Professional Development activities.

Joint research activities in the areas of cancer, public health and clinical research are being planned which aligns with the research direction of UAE. We are very impressed by the talent and infrastructure and continue to expand to support research, education and clinical practice. We look forward to having many opportunities for collaboration at multiple levels, said Abba Chedi Zubair, Dean of Education SSMC. Rola K. Alhayek, Education Director, added that “It is impressive to see the GMU & Thumbay University hospital facilities and learn about the Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine and the translational cancer research program, to meet growing challenges facing

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UAE healthcare providers dealing with the increase in cancer burden. We aspire to enhance and expand the SSMC Education and Research Shields as it relates to recognized international standards, it is essential that we work together and create synergies with international and existing local institutions”.

Prof Hossam Hamdy, Chancellor of GMU, mentioned that this is an important collaboration which provides excellent clinical training to our students. We share the same vision and values of Mayo Clinic 3 shields patient care, education and research. Students from Gulf Medical University will have a unique clinical experience.

The students will be also exposed to the latest developments in patient care and interact and be mentored by excellent faculty. We are happy to have such a partner and we hope to take this collaboration to a higher level.

Gulf Medical University (GMU) is a leading medical university based in the United Arab Emirates, with its own growing network of world-class academic institutions, hospitals and a dynamic research division, that are constantly endeavoring to transform the University into a vibrant Academic Health System linking the best of medical education, healthcare and research.

SENIOR DELEGATES FROM SSMC VISITED GMU TO STRENGTHEN THE RELATIONSHIP AND COLLABORATE IN THE AREAS OF MEDICAL EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES. JOINT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN THE AREAS OF CANCER, PUBLIC HEALTH AND CLINICAL RESEARCH ARE BEING PLANNED WHICH ALIGNS WITH THE RESEARCH DIRECTION OF UAE.

NEWS

100% of Abu Dhabi-based Hospitals Connected to Malaffi

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n line with the ongoing efforts to enhance patient experience and improve the quality of healthcare and patient outcomes in Abu Dhabi, Malaffi, the region’s first Health Information Exchange (HIE) platform and a strategic initiative of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH), announced that all public and private hospitals in the Emirate are now connected to the platform. This is an important milestone towards allowing healthcare providers to safely exchange important patient health information in real-time, creating a centralised database of unified patient records.

In addition to all 59 hospitals, 1,100 clinics and medical centres and 380 pharmacies are now connected to the platform. Now over 39,600 doctors, nurses and other members of staff from the 1,539 healthcare facilities across Abu Dhabi have secure access to Malaffi and are enabled to make better-informed and more efficient decisions.

Malaffi provides easier access to medical records in which helps healthcare professionals to save the time and trouble of transferring previous medical records and avoid undergoing the same tests. The platform enables healthcare facilities to be more efficient and better coordinated providing safer care to across all the emirate. Malaffi collates 559 million unique clinical records of medical information such as patient visits, medical conditions, allergies, procedures, lab results, radiology reports, vaccination records, vital signs, and medications.

Since the launch of Malaffi over two years ago, the DOH has supported the development of the platform as it plays a pivotal role in the digital transformation of healthcare as part of its strategy committed to adopting digital solutions that support the advancement of the sector in the emirate.

Dr. Hamed Ali Al-Hashemi, Advisor to the Chairman of DOH, said: “Malaffi is one of the most prominent and innovative programs launched by Abu Dhabi to advance the healthcare sector as it continues to adopt digital technology and achieve the highest levels of

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efficiency and effectiveness regarding the sector. Today, we have been able to develop a pioneering healthcare system that is in line with the most advanced systems in the world. We will continue to work in line with Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 to achieve a healthy society and consolidate the emirate’s position as an incubator for innovation and distinguished digital initiatives, which will positively affect the health and well-being of all members of society.”

Atif Al Braiki, the Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Health Data Services, the operator of Malaffi, said: “Connecting 100% of hospitals in Abu Dhabi to be able to access and share important patient data through Malaffi in under three years is a major accomplishment. Our mission to enable a safe and secure exchange of patient health information across the entire sector is now closer than ever. I am personally glad to see the wide recognition of the value of connected healthcare for the delivery of better care, especially during the pandemic. We are grateful for the support of the DOH and the entire healthcare sector that have been crucial to this success. We look forward to further supporting the communities of the emirate on their journey to good health, happiness and prosperity.”

DOH continues to lay a solid foundation for a future based on technology, innovation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the emirate’s healthcare sector through a series of initiatives and programmes such as The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab, TIP Healthcare Innovation programme Awards, Abu Dhabi’s Workforce Health Management System, Population Risk Management, COVID-19 Predictive Modelling and Capacity Planning Tool along with other digital platforms.

WELCOME TO MALAFFI CONNECTING HEALTHCARE

Malaffi, the Abu Dhabi Health Information Exchange, will connect all public and private healthcare providers in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, to create a unified patient file and to improve healthcare quality and patient outcomes.

www.malaffi.ae /Malaffi

BD CAN HELP YOU GET YOUR MEDICATION MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES ON THE SAME PAGE, AND YOUR TEAM DOING WHAT MATTERS MOST. At BD, we know medication management is incredibly complex.

Aligning people, technologies and systems to get a single medication safely to a patient is daunting. But there’s a better way, one that enables IT professionals to get all the players, parts and processes on the same page. At the heart is our integrated approach that connects our medication management solutions with each other - and with the EMR. The result? Improved efficiency and greater visibility across your enterprise, so your clinicians can get back to what matters most: your patients. Discover medication management that takes less management. Discover BD.

Discover connected medication management by visiting bd.com/connected-tech BD, the BD Logo and HealthSight are trademarks of Becton, Dickinson and Company or its affiliates. © 2021 BD. All rights reserved. 1910004695 (04/20) BD-17226

SafetyPort

Every bed will be connected

Ready to prevent

100 % of bed related falls1

Using integrated bed sensors allows continuous monitoring of the main safety features of all the beds in a ward. Contactless technology pairs bed data with the patient’s EMR data.

SafetyPort reduces the cost of injuries

Improved patient safety

€124 389/year Can be saved by equipping a 100-bed facility with beds beds that have SafetyMonitor installed2

Enhanced Prevention

Intuitive user interface

HL7 v2 standard

of the risk of falls

compatibility

1 Based on 6 month field test at the University Hospital Vinohrady – Department of Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation II 6 month field test at the Medizine Hochschule Hannover – Department of Neurology.

Nurses confirmed that SafetyMonitor did help prevent up to 5 falls. No falls were documented during the period of field tests.

2 Hoffman, et al. Claims-based Identification Methods and the Cost of Fall-related Injuries Among US Older Adults. Medical Care. Volume 54, Number 7, July 2016.

@LINETMEA

www.linet.ae

COVER STORY

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COVER STORY

F

ounded in 1996 as the first private Hospital in Ahsa, today Almoosa Specialist Hospital is ranked among the best 10 hospitals in the GCC and is considered a worldclass health system that promotes wellness and heals illness.

Healthcare is evolving and technology is shaping the future of healthcare. Almoosa Hospital is one of the first hospitals to adopt these changes by incorporating technology to transform and revolutionize the way of patient care. The new hospital continues Almoosa's proud legacy of caring for the local community and patients from around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the GCC. Almoosa North Tower Hospital offers its patients a unique experience by embracing new technologies such as artificial intelligence to improve speed effectiveness and response.

The patients will be welcomed to the spacious environment-friendly, where AI and technology are incorporated but still blended with the human touch that every patient seeks during his healing journey. The main goal is to create an environment of healing and comfort

Wellness and comfort When you enter the North Tower of the hospital you can’t but feel like home, each room is designed for patient's pursuit of wellness.

All patient rooms are private, floor-to-ceiling windows bring in natural light. Every room has dedicated space for loved ones to visit. The 200 private rooms allow the natural light to penetrate deep into each floor plate, setting the

stage for patient-centric and hospitality-inspired care. In-room digital tools transform the patient experience and support the healing journey.

Patients can control lighting, temperature, and window blinders, choose entertainment options to view on the 55-inch television, and order meals, all from the tablet at their bedside.

Gardens and greenery are all over the place to bring the calming nature of outdoor spaces to patients and visitors.

The impressive tower with terracotta, glass structure and overhanging canopy represents more than a unique building, it also represents the vision of Almoosa Hospital that is to always honor the patients and their families and where the design is part of the patients healing process.

Healing begins as soon as the patient arrives at the hospital, from the moment he enters, he is greeted by natural sunlight, unique art from around the world, green walls and decorative stone and wood surfaces. The smell of coffee from the beautifully designed Sidra Café on the ground floor and the 8 meters high wall with beautiful artwork by Peter Hite will take the patient and the visitor to a soothing moment away from the stress.

ASH has been embracing art as creative healing since the inauguration of the south medical tower in 2015, as they believed that art lowers the caregiver’s and patient’s stress, increases their satisfaction, and helps create an ambiance that fosters a sense of comfort. Also, the choice of colors that elicit high levels of pleasure with low arousal levels were preferred to induce a state of calm created by the blues and greens of landscape and nature scenes.

THE MAIN GOAL IS TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT OF HEALING AND COMFORT.

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OPTIMIZING HOSPITAL WORKFLOW WITH HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY IS ALMOOSA'S PRIORITY Introducing the Future of Surgery:

The Hybrid OR

Almoosa Hospital offers its patients the latest in surgery experience where a single surgical room can combine imaging equipment with a multifunctional surgical table.

The ability to image patients during surgery is one of the most anticipated capabilities of the new hybrid ORs. An intra-operative O-arm located within the sterile surgical field allows physicians to see real-time images during complex, multi-step procedures for immediate attention, reducing the need for follow-up surgeries. The interventional platform brings together multiple surgical and procedural specialists —cardiologists, gastroenterologists, surgeons, radiologists, and pulmonologists into one common area.

Pharmacy Automation Solutions At Almoosa Hospital, patient safety is a priority. The use of a robotic pharmacy will benefit the patient and the caregiver by offering an error-free environment for medical dispensing.

In the new pharmacy, robots will pick pills and boxes, put them in bags with bar codes, make the process more efficient and reduce

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mistakes, and free up pharmacy staff to work on human interactions and consultations.

Orders can be delivered by automated guided vehicle, besides the dispensing stations throughout the inpatient wards “Omnicell dispensing stations.”

The automated lab is introduced with the latest technologies used in laboratory science, where samples are treated automatically and

THE ABILITY TO IMAGE PATIENTS DURING SURGERY IS ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED CAPABILITIES OF THE NEW HYBRID ORS.

COVER STORY

without any human intervention to ensure that there are no ERRORS! The system speed reaches 8000 samples per hour. The system supports the work with emergency samples to provide faster service to patients and to provide better healthcare.

correct matching of mothers and infants, and quick response to abduction attempts.

Thus, IoT enables real-time alerting, tracking, and monitoring which permits better accuracy and improves complete patient care delivery results.

Internet of Things ... IN ACTION Tracking and Alerts

The North Tower Hospital Architecture and Design

Almoosa Hospital is committed to improving treatment outcomes that is why a real-time tracking system was installed to track the location of staff and equipment in real-time, improving efficiency and inventory control with one another in new ways.

Alerts and alarms will go directly to secure mobile devices carried by nurses and doctors instead of sounding at nursing stations— reducing noise levels, while ensuring the safety of infants throughout the hospital, support the

The 17-story medical tower is the tallest hospital in Al-Ahsa - Saudi Arabia. Its majesty is seen for miles, and the gleaming structure portrays the level of care within, representing a beacon of hope for healthcare and wellness for the community. ASH's emblem, the local Sidra tree, symbolizes life and nurturing care for patients, visitors, and the local community.

The influences of the Sidra tree are found in the building's gentle curving façade. Throughout the interior architecture, features referencing

IoT ENABLES REALTIME ALERTING, TRACKING, AND MONITORING WHICH PERMITS BETTER ACCURACY AND IMPROVES COMPLETE PATIENT CARE DELIVERY RESULTS.

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nature continue to soothe anxiety and reinforce the Almoosa brand. The building embraces the Al-Ahsa community and the Almoosa brand.

A three-story-high glass Atrium graciously welcomes visitors into the building. The ground level hosts food, retail, and respite spaces, reinforcing a sense of hospitality and reducing anxiety upon arrival.

The facility incorporates 220 beds, ten operating theatres, PICU, two cardiac catheter laboratories, ICU equipped with the latest model of ICU beds HILL ROM featured with bed connectivity to HIS & nurse call system in addition to advance pulmonary function, automated GLP Lab, laboratory counters casework, automated dispensing cabinets "OMNICELL" modular CSSD. A customized huge reception desk with 4 receptionists who are welcoming the patient and helping him with his applications or directions, waiting seats are distributed along

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the ground floor with different types which can please all preferences. The purpose is to optimize the patients workflow and scheduling.

All the hospital rooms are single-patient rooms with direct sunlight and a floor-to-ceiling windows. All the rooms are beautifully designed

COVER STORY

with customized hidden headwall services, a lot of storage spaces for the patient and his companion, comfortable seating where each room has a sofa bed, recliner and other options of seating.

Almoosa Hospital's main focus is on

patient-centered features like reduced noise, natural light, visitor-friendly facilities, well-designed rooms, and hotel-like amenities. Every detail was designed meticulously to give the patients a hotel experience in a hospital.

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#Hospotel

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#Hospotel

#Hospotels in review This is what patients want

T

he expansion of hospotels around the world has led to the increase of the number of customers or patients who wish to visit this type of hospital and receive its distinguished services. Although the number of people who prefer hospotels during the treatment period varies from one country to another or between one region and another globally, these numbers are on the rise. Studies conducted in this field have shown that the number of patients seeking excellent care and luxury hospital services is growing year after year, without being hindered by the increased costs that this may entail for the patient. In fact, many are requesting the provision of these services in case they are not available, which made them expand steadily. The Arab world has come a long way in this regard.

Surveys conducted in Europe and the United States have confirmed that a growing number of patients are willing to spend 38% more than usual for a hospotel room. 41% of the people surveyed supported the idea of ​​transforming traditional hospitals into hospotels.

In this context, Courtney Suess-Raesinafchi, main researcher and assistant professor in Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration, said that in the past the hospitality industry focused on restaurants, lodging or hotels, but now it appears that hospitals are increasingly focusing on patient satisfaction. This transformed hospitals into a more customer-centric model, and represented a major change that brought a lot of attention to the physical and service environment. Thus, it achieved additional profits for the hospitals that entered this type of services.

As for regions, it was found that Europe ranked first in terms of the rate of hospitalization seekers in hospotels, followed by the United States, while Australia ranked third, and then other rich countries. It turned out in a separate study that the Arab world is progressing rapidly in this regard, especially the Gulf states

IN TERMS OF THE SURVEYED PATIENTS’ OPINIONS, IT WAS FOUND THAT THEY FOCUSED MORE ON THE INTERIOR DESIGN OF HOSPITALS, IN ADDITION TO OTHER MATTERS SUCH AS FOOD AND SERVICE.

A recent study reviewed the online opinions of nearly 400 people, all of whom had been staying in hospitals in the past six months.

Participants in this study examined forty hospital room designs, each featuring different combinations of hotel amenities.

Both Raesinafchi and Research Associate Makarand Moody, Assistant Professor of Hospitality Marketing, expressed their interest in the amenities that patients like the most.

This is after testing 18 items, including interior design, healthcare service and food choices.

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#Hospotel

and Egypt. In the Arab region, hospitals began to strongly shift towards this type of luxurious hospitalization.

Patients perspective of care survey In terms of the surveyed patients’ opinions, it was found that they focused more on the interior design of hospitals, in addition to other matters such as food and service. For instance, one of the selected room samples in the designs contained luxurious bedding, a small kitchenette in the corner of the room, and a soft, patterned bathrobe hung on the bathroom door. There is also a type of room with a simple bed, but its walls are decorated with artistic drawings and also has healthcare staff trained to provide hospitality service with superior hotel specifications. All these facilities were labeled for ease of identification, and participants assessed the rooms to see which of them they would have chosen if they had to stay in the hospital in the future. The researchers also analyzed the results to see which amenities received the most votes.

By the end of the research, it was found that the interior design topped the list, as the participants preferred the hospital rooms with a state-of-the-art design and a modern twist, such as those with a different color-painted wall, or wooden floors. While the hospitality-trained team came in second place in this list, and the third place was for the available technology, such as high-quality flat-screen television, or similar equipment. The study showed the important relationship between healthcare and design, which may surprise some. It revealed that healthcare has always relied on the competence of doctors and nursing staff, but in fact, it has relied on a set of research that showed that hospital rooms similar to hotel rooms and with a team trained in hospitality can actually improve patient outcomes.

The study showed that design choices such as large, sunny windows, landscape or garden views, or even artistic nature scenes help reduce the patient's stress and pain, according to a 2008 historical review by Roger Ulrich, Professor of Architecture at the Center for Healthcare Building Research at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and a team of colleagues.

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The study examined the opinions of a number of doctors about what they observed, whether from the patients’ course of recovery or their satisfaction, and the answer was that patients who were staying in sunny rooms experienced less pain, and consumed less pain relievers by 20% compared to those who lived in rooms without sunlight. Both Raesinafchi and Modi asked participants how much more they would be willing to pay for a luxury hotel-like room than a standard room. On average, they were willing to pay 38% more than they would normally spend for a hospotel room. They stressed that such services were shown by conclusive evidence that they are not a detail or for mere entertainment, but are at the heart of the hospital work in the modern sense.

It was also found that there are different choices between two groups of participants: “the least healthy” and “the healthiest”. The “least healthy” participants who spent more time in hospital and whose physical and mental health were less than the “healthiest” group were willing to pay 44% more for a hospotel room, while the “healthiest” group were willing to pay only 31% more. They stressed that some of the hotel's luxury amenities, such as a kitchenette equipped with a refrigerator and a coffee machine, are tools that patients' visitors may benefit from if they are staying for a long time.

#HOSPOTEL implementation in the Arab world But what about the cost of converting standard rooms into hospotel rooms, and how do their management department view this change, as the Arab world is witnessing an important development in this regard?

Specialists believe that some of these changes are neither difficult to implement nor expensive, such as changing the hospital’s lighting, painting the walls or putting artistic drawings, which will be positive changes that will lead to increased financial returns, improve the rooms’ interior design, gain patient satisfaction, and even improve their health. Hospital administrations stress that they really want to check the impact of hospitality and well-being on the physical, mental, psychological and social

IT REVEALED THAT HEALTHCARE HAS ALWAYS RELIED ON THE COMPETENCE OF DOCTORS AND NURSING STAFF, BUT IN FACT, IT HAS RELIED ON A SET OF RESEARCH THAT SHOWED THAT HOSPITAL ROOMS SIMILAR TO HOTEL ROOMS AND WITH A TEAM TRAINED IN HOSPITALITY CAN ACTUALLY IMPROVE PATIENT OUTCOMES.

#Hospotel

aspects of patients and their families.

In the Arab world, many countries, especially the Gulf countries, have begun to strongly shift to hospotels in terms of design, equipment and services. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for example, Saudi chefs have been appointed to prepare meals for patients, by applying the hotel system, and giving the patient the opportunity to choose his favorite three main meals on a daily basis, after assessing the appropriate nutrition for him according to the recommendations of the attending physician and a nutrition specialist. The medical complex applies the electronic system to measure patient satisfaction with nutritional services, in line with the vision of the Ministry of Health to achieve one of its goals to raise the level of patient satisfaction.

The equipment is being constantly updated by establishing guest rooms in each of the regular inpatient floors that operate around the clock to serve the patient and his family.

In the UAE, the Dubai Health Authority added a distinctive hotel medical service at the Latifa Hospital for Women and Children, where the Authority created “Al Bustan Suites”, to surround

These are just examples of some of what is being achieved in the Arab world at the level of hospotels, whose adoption is expanding more and more in different countries, with very distinctive designs, equipment and services. It keeps pace with the world's wide adoption of hospotels. And all this after it became clear how satisfied patients are with these services and the positive health and psychological impact it has on them, as well as its financial return on the sector as a whole.

women with more care and intensive care before and after surgery and delivery, in an important step in which “Dubai Health” is proceeding towards providing competitive, high-quality services, and multiple options for customers in its hospitals in general. “Al Bustan Suites” are characterized by a hotel atmosphere in terms of accommodation, quality and method of serving meals, general atmosphere and top furnishing, in addition to providing more entertainment facilities, while meeting any other personal needs in accordance with the protocols in force within the Authority's hospitals. It is worth noting that benefiting from the 15 “Al Bustan Suites” is optional.

Egypt has also adopted the principle of hospotel service for years, as it began distributing packaged hotel meals to inpatients, as well as to workers from doctors, nurses, technicians and their support groups, in 15 general, central and specialized hospitals in Alexandria, so that about 60,000 patients benefit from the service annually. Of course, the same applies to other regions of the country. There are also other countries that adopt the same matter, including Qatar and Jordan.

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MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

Marble Medical Centre A great turning point for the health sector in Qatar

M

arble Medical Centre was established in 2016, which was specialized in dentistry, dermatology, obstetrics and gynecology. With the support of the most famous, experienced and professional doctors, we have been able to expand our range of services.

Currently, Marble Medical Centre is booming. At the beginning of the year 2021, Marble Plus Medical Centre opened different depart-

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ments, including the surgical department.

Marble Medical Centre is a great turning point for the health sector in Qatar, combining luxurious and distinguished medical services.

Now we have two branches in the State of Qatar, Marble Medical Centre in Al Dafna area and Marble Plus Medical Centre in the Lusail area. The most important thing is that we always strive to expand our scope more inside and outside Qatar.

AT MARBLE MEDICAL CENTRE WE HAVE HIGHLY EXPERIENCED DOCTORS IN VARIOUS SPECIALTIES.

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

The vision of Marble Medical Centre is to support, develop and implement a comprehensive, client-focused, an accountable and accessible healthcare system that also meets the needs of a growing and changing population in Qatar.

It provides the latest devices and technologies in the health sector.

As a world-class clinic, our services are provided by highly experienced doctors who have been trained and supervised by the most experienced administration in Qatar, we have the latest equipment and technology, allowing us to provide the highest level of service and comfort. As one of the most innovative centers

in Qatar, we are unique in our ability to provide comprehensive medical services.

Doctors’ Experience At Marble Medical Centre we have highly experienced doctors in various specialties. They have the ability to deal with patients quietly so that the patient receives the best treatment and the best results. Our doctors are always undergoing training workshops to keep abreast of the latest changes in the world of medicine and add them to Marble Medical Centre and the State of Qatar specifically. (Our doctors are smile makers in various fields.)

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Advanced medical equipment At Marble, we understand the importance of ensuring the comfort of our patients and the availability of medical equipment for use whenever needed. In this sense, we are keen to provide high-quality services. We offer comprehensive options for medical equipment. We have the latest laser devices - skin cleaning - dental treatment devices - body sculpting devices physiotherapy devices - panoramic X-rays devices - teeth whitening devices - sonar devices - rays axial dish - suction and fat injection devices.

MEDICAL SERVICES Dental Department The dental department offers oral and dental surgery using laser, immediate implantation, impacted tooth extraction, orthodontics and transparent orthodontics. There is also a pediatric clinic where patients can find all that he needs. Patients can find: • Dental Veneers (Hollywood Smile) • Snap-on smile • Cosmetic Fittings • Treatment of gum pigmentation with laser • Gummy Smile fixing • (4D) Teeth Whitening • Teeth scaling and polishing • Endodontic Clinic: Root canal treatment (single visit)

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• •

Bad breath treatment Bruxism treatment

Ear, Nose and Throat Department (ENT) Diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose and throat diseases, both medical and surgical.

• Sinusitis • Hearing loss • Cases of speech disorders • Allergic diseases (immunotherapy) • Hoarseness and vocal cord tumors • Dizziness and imbalance problems • Cases of Tinnitus • Sleep Apnea and Snore Cases • Snoring and breathing difficulties • Pharyngitis and tonsillitis • Otitis media

AS A WORLDCLASS CLINIC, OUR SERVICES ARE PROVIDED

BY HIGHLY EXPERIENCED DOCTORS WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED AND SUPERVISED

BY THE MOST EXPERIENCED ADMINISTRATION IN QATAR.

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

Surgical interventions: • • • • •

Septoplasty Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy Turbinectomy Myringoplasty Laryngoscopy

Family and internal medicine Medical services are offered to all family members such as general check-ups and all types of lab tests.

• Follow-up of chronic disease as Diabetes and Hypertension • Treatment of Anemia and other Hematology Disorders • Treatment of Gastroenterology Disorder • Treatment of Respiratory Disorders and Allergy • Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia and Hypertriglyceridemia managements • Electrocardiography (E.C.G) • Respiratory function check • Treatment and diagnosis of sleep-related diseases (sleep disorders, anxiety and insomnia) • Gallbladder Ultrasound • Health Check-up for men aged above 40.

• Health Check-up for women aged above 35.

• Growth control and short stature.

Pediatric clinic Care of the child from newborn to adolescent; there is also Paediatric Vaccination Unit conducting vaccinations according to the ap-

proved schedule. The pediatric clinic is specified by organizing educational seminars for mothers about breastfeeding and formula feeding.

• Treatment of Allery and Asthma • Treatment of anemia and malnutrition • Detection of congenital malformations with children • Treatment of diarrhea and gastroenteritis • Diagnosis and treatment of jaundice

Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department • • • • • • • • • • •

Treatment of delayed childbearing, impaired fertility, and sterility Assisted Pregnancy and Gynaecological Surgery Follow-up of pregnant women (4D Ultrasound) Menstrual disorders and their treatment Treatment for polycystic ovary Intrauterine injection (IUI) Female internal and external plastic surgery Treatment of vaginal infections and cervical infections Early detection of cancer Ovulation Monitor Diagnose cases of recurrent miscarriages

Dietitian Clinic Dietitians are healthcare professionals who are trained to provide advice and counseling about diet, food and nutrition. They use the best available evidence coupled with good

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judgment about the patient’s unique values and circumstances to determine guidance and recommendations.

Roles of a Dietitian: •

• •

•

•

•

•

Identifying nutrition problems and assessing the nutritional status of patients in a clinical setting.

Developing diet plans and counseling patients on special diet modifications.

Assessing, promoting, protecting, and enhancing the health of the general public in a community setting and providing strategies for prevention of nutrition-related diseases.

Managing a cost-effective food production operation, distributing high-quality meals/snacks, and monitoring sanitation and safety standards in a food service setting.

Operating private consulting practices to provide expertise in nutrition, as well as promote health and prevent disease Working with individuals, groups, workplaces and media to provide dietary advice for healthy living.

Working with food and pharmaceutical companies to provide research, develop products, educate consumers and promote and market better food and nutritional products in a business setting.

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Plastic surgery Department The plastic surgery clinic at Marble Medical centre in Qatar provides consultations for plastic surgery, face, breast, body sculpting, reconstructive and aesthetic medicine treatments.

Plastic surgery at Marble Medical Centre guarantees the best results, in the shortest recovery period.

Through our new services in plastic surgery and medicine, the people of Qatar can get the best cosmetic services of their choice. Marble Medical centre relies on providing the most famous plastic surgeons from Europe.

Treatments: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Eyelids surgery upper (BLEPHAROPLASTY) Eyelids surgery lower (BLEPHAROPLASTY) Dimple Face fat injection Liposuction (face) Liposuction Double Chin Liposuction Body (per area) Breast Lifting Breast Augmentation Otoplasty Septorhinoplasty Facelifting Body Lipofilling Lifting (arms- thighs-abdomen)

AS ONE OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE CENTERS IN QATAR, WE ARE UNIQUE IN OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL SERVICES.

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

Dermatology and Cosmetology Department

•

Treating all skin diseases:

•

• • • • • • • • •

•

Integrated protocol for treating skin allergies Treating acne diseases, warts, polyps and skin fungi Hair disease (alopecia areata - hair loss) Acne scars Treatment for cysts Dark Spots and Melasma treatment Multi-Vitamin Drips Iron infusion Drips Microscopic stem cell technology to treat hereditary baldness and hair problems Genetic hair loss and baldness treatment by microscopic stem cells

Cosmetic and laser: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Fillers and Botox Extra Rejuvenation (Profile + Profound) (PRP) golden plasma for hair and face Face Lift Threads Mesotherapy and Derma pen Rejuvenation injections Remove unwanted hair (cold laser) Treating burns, wounds and acne scars Remove tattoos, melasma and freckles Telangiectasia treatment of superficial blood vessels Pink peeling Bikini peeling Whitening for sensitive areas Facial peeling (cold peeling)

Skin Micro-needling Technology – Radiofrequency for rejuvenation and skin tightening Morpheus: for rejuvenation, skin tightening and lifting.

Medical Recreation Department • • • • • • • • • •

Accurate skin analysis using a machine (skin analyzer) Deep and skin cleansing (Hydra-Facial) Skin cleaning with gold (Golden Facial) Medical body massage Cupping Lymphatic drainage therapy Sauna room Steam room Dry Cupping Body contouring with the latest devices (viora - Onda)

Slimming and body sculpting Physiotherapy Innovation and Excellency Our future goals are to provide world-class medical services to our patients along with providing high-quality, affordable care to every citizen and resident of the State of Qatar. We aim to provide a world-class medical clinic and strive for continuous innovation and excellence in the world of medicine. We also aim to expand inside and outside Qatar in neighboring countries and develop medical tourism in Qatar.

The most advanced devices are used in this clinic, such as: • • • • • •

Laser Hair Removal (Cold Laser) Hair bleaching laser Carbon Laser (Hollywood Peeling) HIFU for face and neck lifting without surgery and jaw contouring.

Fractional laser for treating scars, acne scars, wounds and pigmentations Vitamin laser (Celebrity laser) for freshness and vitality of the skin and treatment of pores and pigmentation

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INTERVIEWS

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INTERVIEWS

Dr. Thurayya Arayssi Professor of Clinical Medicine and Vice Dean for Academic and Curricular Affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q)

“We develop our activities according to the needs of the healthcare professionals in our community"

D

r. Thurayya Arayssi is Professor of Clinical Medicine and Vice Dean for Academic and Curricular Affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q). She has been working in the area of international medical education for more than two decades and has held multiple leadership positions including Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, Designated Institutional Official, Assistant Dean for the Clinical Curriculum, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, and Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Continuing Professional Development (CPD). She is the founding Associate Dean for the Division of CPD at WCM-Q. Dr. Arayssi spoke with “Hospitals” magazine about the success of the WCM-Q CME/CPD program and its importance to healthcare professionals and patients in Qatar, the MENA region and beyond.

Can you brief us about the division of Continuing Professional Development at WCM-Q? The Division of Continuing Professional Development at WCM-Q provides high-quality professional development opportunities for physicians and other healthcare professionals to increase competence, enhance performance in practice and lead to improved healthcare for patients. The activities of the Division of Continuing Professional Development at WCM-Q are accredited locally by the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Healthcare Professions – Accreditation Section and internationally by

THE DIVISION OF CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT WCM-Q PROVIDES HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PHYSICIANS AND OTHER HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TO INCREASE COMPETENCE, ENHANCE PERFORMANCE IN PRACTICE AND LEAD TO IMPROVED HEALTHCARE FOR PATIENTS.

the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) – recognized as the leading accreditation body in the US. WCM-Q’s CME/CPD program was initially accredited by the ACCME in 2016, becoming one of the first medical education colleges in the world outside the US to receive such accreditation, which confers the rights and responsibility to designate AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (American Medical Association Physician's Recognition Award).

Then, in 2019, following an exhaustive assessment of its CME/CPD program, WCM-Q was granted Accreditation with Commendation by the ACCME, which is the highest level of accreditation for the provision of continuing medical education the organization can confer.

How do you determine which learning activities are going to be useful to the healthcare community here in Qatar and the wider region?

The way we develop our activities is based on the needs of the healthcare professionals in our community, so we start by conducting extremely thorough needs assessments on a regular basis, both in Qatar and in the region as well. Once we have analyzed the feedback and identified their needs, we then develop our activities in a very targeted and rigorous way.

I believe this is what makes our program of Continuing Professional Development activities so successful and popular with healthcare professionals all over the MENA region and beyond.

People will only participate in activities that are meaningful for them either for their professional development in an area of interest

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INTERVIEWS to them, or in an area directly related to their practice where they need to learn about the new treatments or the latest literature. So, this is how we build our program.

You offer a wide variety of different types of activities. What are the main themes or sections of your CPD program?

Based on our regular needs assessments with our stakeholders, we essentially divide our activities into three categories: activities that are related to clinical practice, activities related to skill enhancement for educators in the health professions sector, and finally activities designed to enhance the research skills of practicing healthcare professionals.

This final area is an important one that I want to highlight and explain a little about – it’s not that we are expecting people to become researchers, but rather our activities are gauged towards increasing the skills of the healthcare practitioners in understanding research and applying it to the care of their patients.

There is a very large and growing body of research across almost every area of health and medicine but finding and digesting that research is time-consuming and requires specific specialist knowledge and skills to be able to interpret the research.

We help health professionals to take advantage of this rich body of research, with the ultimate aim of improving patient care.

In addition, if healthcare practitioners are interested in advancing their research skills in order to conduct their own research, we do have certificate programs that help them learn the basics of research, particularly in the area of biostatistics, an understanding of which is absolutely fundamental to anyone who wishes to interpret or conduct biomedical research in the era of big data.

What other certificate programs do you offer, beyond research skills?

We have a number of certificate programs covering a variety of areas, and these are especially popular with our community.

For example, we noted that there was a great deal of demand from healthcare professionals all over the region for a certificate

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IF HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS ARE INTERESTED IN ADVANCING THEIR RESEARCH SKILLS IN ORDER TO CONDUCT THEIR OWN RESEARCH, WE DO HAVE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS THAT HELP THEM LEARN THE BASICS OF RESEARCH, PARTICULARLY IN THE AREA OF BIOSTATISTICS, AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY FUNDAMENTAL TO ANYONE WHO WISHES TO INTERPRET OR CONDUCT BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH IN THE ERA OF BIG DATA.

program on the medical humanities, so we developed a program with our WCM-Q faculty members who are leading experts in this area. This has proved extremely popular across the region.

When you speak of the region, which countries, in particular, are you engaging with most?

Of course, our largest representation is with healthcare professionals in Qatar, but in addition over the last two years especially we have seen a large upswing all over the MENA region but also from South Asia, South East Asia, and Central Europe.

We have also seen a growing appetite and demand for some of our more specialized content from further afield and we are now even reaching healthcare professionals in North America and Australia. Interestingly, this trend became more pronounced during the pandemic but has continued despite the easing of restrictions in some places.

What do you think is/are the reason (s) that your programs and activities have proved so popular with healthcare professionals?

We are very gratified that we have met with a great deal of success, which in large part is due to the enthusiasm and dedication of the healthcare professionals in our community.

Beyond this, I think there are a number of reasons our activities have been so engaging: firstly, to return to an earlier point, a major reason for our success is that our activities are geared towards the needs of our community.

Additionally, we have embraced technology and remote delivery of our activities, which was particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic but was something we were already doing before then, just not to such a degree.

Indeed, one of our key successes recently has been our series of live webinars on COVID-19 delivered by expert speakers, which allowed us to reach very large numbers of healthcare practitioners across a wide geographical area and really enhance and increase their knowledge about a whole new disease that many people did not know how to deal

INTERVIEWS

with initially. Another reason for the popularity and success of our program is the diversity of our speakers. We bring in very highly regarded, internationally renowned speakers from elite medical institutions all over the world to come and share their knowledge and expertise with other healthcare professionals.

Furthermore, many of our activities are focused on not only enhancing knowledge but also on acquiring or enhancing practical skills in specific areas, which is quite rare and difficult to find in the region.

Another key reason for the popularity of our activities is the fact that they are accredited locally by the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Healthcare Professions – Accreditation Section and internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). This is something that is very important for healthcare professionals.

How do you gauge the success of your activities?

We evaluate all of our programs on a regular basis in a very systematic manner and we are interested not only in finding out whether the participants gained the knowledge communicated in the activity, but also in determining whether their competence and performance in the area improved. We conduct follow-up surveys with participants as much as six or eight months after they have attended to assess the impact of the learning experience on their actual practice.

Why is a robust continuing medical education/continuing professional development program so important?

As most people are aware and as we saw very clearly in the pandemic, medical knowledge develops very rapidly.

Most healthcare professionals recognize that what they learned during their training has been superseded by new knowledge or methods as new discoveries are made and new systems of best practice are established.

Therefore, for any healthcare practitioner to

ONE OF OUR KEY SUCCESSES RECENTLY HAS BEEN OUR SERIES OF LIVE WEBINARS ON COVID-19 DELIVERED BY EXPERT SPEAKERS, WHICH ALLOWED US TO REACH VERY LARGE NUMBERS OF HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS ACROSS A WIDE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA AND REALLY ENHANCE AND INCREASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT A WHOLE NEW DISEASE THAT MANY PEOPLE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH INITIALLY.

stay up-to-date in their area they always need to be aware of the new literature that is being published.

However, it is often extremely difficult for healthcare professionals to find the time to study independently as they are so busy with patients, who are always their main priority. Our activities help solve this problem by providing opportunities for them to come together and update their knowledge on a regular basis in a very time-efficient, rigorous way. So, we support and enable our community of healthcare professionals to engage in lifelong learning for the benefit of their patients.

What do your participants tell you they value about your programs?

Our participants have been very supportive and speak very highly of the quality of the speakers we present to them. They value the fact that all the information presented to them is absolutely up-to-date, especially when it has a clear impact on clinical practice. We give them the opportunity to stay at the cutting edge, and they tell us they value that a great deal.

The participants also enjoy being able to interact with other healthcare professionals who take part in our programs and activities and in so doing to be part of a network and a community of peers sharing knowledge and ideas in both formalized and spontaneous ways. We call them ‘communities of practice’ and we know that our participants really thrive on these.

Clearly, this is something that happens more when activities are in-person, and that is something we are looking forward to seeing more of as the pandemic restrictions are gradually eased.

However, the virtual platforms we use provide a surprisingly effective means for maintaining and developing that community and we have made an effort to build in time for this type of interaction into our online activities.

Looking to the future, we hope that we will be able to develop both in-person and online communities of practice to more healthcare practitioners all over the region and across the globe, helping healthcare professionals continually enhance their skills and knowledge and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

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Smart Hospital, Resilient Organization

By Benjamin Kanter, MD, FCCP, Chief Medical Information Officer, Vocera A smart hospital leverages its digital infrastructure to continuously derive insight and value from its systems and rapidly address operational and clinical challenges.

Information Must Be Communicated to Be Acted Upon

Health Information Technology Can Enable Organizational Resilience Clinical and operational systems in hospitals push out notifications about patient care events: a patient is deteriorating; a patient is about to fall; a patient has pressed the nurse call button.

For care teams to respond effectively to notifications from multiple different systems, the hospital’s digital infrastructure must be able to rapidly convert data from these sources into actionable information. This is a key component of a smart hospital.

Clinical and operational friction adversely affect care quality and patient safety. Clinical friction includes things like delays in knowing about clinical events like abnormal lab results or sepsis risk alerts, or delays in responding to nurse call. Operational friction includes things like an unexpected staff shortage or problems with getting rooms cleaned.

The ability to respond rapidly to events and thereby minimize operational and clinical friction characterizes hospitals that successfully navigate crises, and is a major factor in what makes an organization resilient.

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But deriving insight is not enough. The information must be communicated if it is to be acted upon. This is why a modern clinical communication and collaboration (CC&C) platform is a foundational infrastructure for a smart hospital.

Rapid sharing of organizational knowledge is critically important because most problems that arise during patient care are event-driven and time-dependent. Without a modern CC&C platform, connections in the information chain depend upon fallible staff members, and this fallibility can introduce the opportunity for communication delay or failure. If knowledge sharing is delayed, the consequences can be profound for both the patient and the organization. For example, the length of time taken to rescue patients with unexpected clinical deterioration has been correlated with poorer outcomes, including excess days in the ICU, increased mortality rates, and additional costs.

To Shorten Time to Act and Intervene, Communication Is Essential Smart hospitals enable caregivers to shorten their time to act and intervene by tightly integrating health information technology systems with a comprehensive communication platform.

Most health information technology systems implemented in hospitals today can send notifications about the status of a patient or the monitoring system itself. Unfortunately, these systems are often siloed, resulting in an excessive number of uncoordinated notifications primarily impacting the patient’s nurse.

This can contribute to cognitive overload and burnout.

RAPID SHARING OF ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE MOST PROBLEMS THAT ARISE DURING PATIENT CARE ARE EVENT-DRIVEN AND TIME-DEPENDENT. WITHOUT A MODERN CC&C PLATFORM, CONNECTIONS IN THE INFORMATION CHAIN DEPEND UPON FALLIBLE STAFF MEMBERS, AND THIS FALLIBILITY CAN INTRODUCE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNICATION DELAY OR FAILURE.

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The Solution: Break Down Silos Through CC&C Interoperability The solution is a CC&C platform that can receive and analyze data from multiple health information technology systems and orchestrate the necessary actions.

A CC&C platform can determine the relative priorities and distribute work to the right person or teams. Smart hospitals require a solution that can make sense out of chaos and ensure data is converted into information and distributed efficiently.

At the most basic level, a CC&C platform is made up of three elements: inputs, a processing layer, and outputs. Inputs come from clinical and operational systems that send messages and alarm notifications. The Vocera CC&C platform has more than 150 integrations with health information technology systems through the Vocera Engage intelligent workflow engine; those integrations serve as input to the main platform’s processing layer.

The processing layer aggregates data streaming in from the various systems. It breaks down silos so data from independent sources can be merged and processed together using a system of rules. If a rule determines that infor-

mation needs to be transmitted (for example, a critical lab result, notice of a room cleaning delay, or a sepsis risk alert) the system routes it to the right person or team-based upon the role, responsibility, and availability. The same platform constructs an audit trail and provides analytics and reporting services.

Given data feeds from staff assignment systems, electronic health records, and digital on-call schedules, the Vocera system creates and maintains a real-time care team directory for each patient. It tracks who’s currently working, their role, which patients they’re caring for, and their availability. Maintenance of this up-to-the-moment care team is crucial to the outputs – delivering the right information to the right people and helping to reduce interruption fatigue.

Smart Hospitals Can Improve Safety An optimal CC&C platform integrates with multiple different hospital systems, processes data, and intelligently distributes information to those who are responsible for acting. As a direct result, hospitals become more efficient and patient outcomes are improved, while communication burdens for physicians and nurses are reduced.

MOST HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTED IN HOSPITALS TODAY CAN SEND NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT THE STATUS OF A PATIENT OR THE MONITORING SYSTEM ITSELF. UNFORTUNATELY, THESE SYSTEMS ARE OFTEN SILOED, RESULTING IN AN EXCESSIVE NUMBER OF UNCOORDINATED NOTIFICATIONS PRIMARILY IMPACTING THE PATIENT’S NURSE. THIS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO COGNITIVE OVERLOAD AND BURNOUT.

About Benjamin Kanter Benjamin Kanter, MD, FCCP, MD, FCCP, is the Chief Medical Information Officer at Vocera, where he works closely with clinicians and engineers to co-design the next generation of real-time communication and collaboration solutions for hospitals and health systems.

Prior to joining Vocera, Dr. Kanter worked as an industry consultant and thought leader with several innovative healthcare IT companies.

Dr. Kanter earned his medical degree and completed internal medicine training at Northwestern University. He completed post-doctoral studies in both pulmonary disease and critical care medicine at the U.C.S.D. Medical center in California. Dr. Kanter is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease and medical informatics.

www.vocera.com/me

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Quiet Hospital Initiative Cuts Down on Overhead Announcements

“It got to be very stressful,” she said. “Sometimes I’d feel sad, because it meant someone was in dire straits. Or, I’d feel irritated, if I was trying to have a rest, and the announcement didn’t have anything to do with the Dialysis Unit.”

We launched the Quiet Hospital initiative last month, and have been able to dramatically reduce the number of overhead announcements by re-evaluating which announcements are really necessary, and using other means for communication to staff.

• It dramatically reduces the number of overhead announcements.

• New communications technology has helped us do that.

Thanks to Alison Foard, there’s a little bit more peace and quiet at BRHS these days.

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Alison is a patient in our Dialysis Unit, and so she spends quite a few hours at BRHS each week receiving treatment.

They are hours in which she tries to relax and to rest.

That’s difficult to do when you’re attached to a dialysis machine.

It’s especially difficult to do when every few hours a voice interrupts over the loudspeakers to make an announcement – of a pending arrival, a medical emergency somewhere on the hospital campus, or an announcement of a staff meeting.

Alison said she’d noticed an increase in the

SEVERAL PATIENTS AND VISITORS SAID THE ANNOUNCEMENTS, PARTICULARLY ONES INVOLVING PENDING MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, OR CODE GREY ALERTS ABOUT SOMEONE BEING AGGRESSIVE TO STAFF, MADE THEM FEEL DISTRESSED OR ANXIOUS.

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number of these overhead announcements over the past couple of years, up to 4 or 5 a day in recent times. Alison thought surely there was a way to limit these overhead announcements in areas where the information wasn’t relevant.

“So I mentioned it to Justin (Hamilton – Dialysis Unit Nurse Unit Manager),” Alison said. “He gave me a Consumer Feedback Form and I filled it out.”

We’re glad she did.

It was the feedback we were starting to hear more regularly, from our staff and visitors to BRHS, as well as from other patients.

And we’ve acted on that feedback.

“We want BRHS to be a place of rest and healing for patients,” said Director of Clinical Operations, Bernadette Hammond. “And so after hearing from a number of patients and staff about the frequency of the overhead announcements, we knew we needed to make a change.”

Overhead public address announcements are used at BRHS for a variety of reasons, including urgent medical alerts known as “Met Calls,” meeting reminders for medical and nursing staff, and reports for visitors that someone has left their car headlights on.

As helpful as these announcements often were, they came at a cost.

Several patients and visitors said the announcements, particularly ones involving pending medical emergencies, or Code Grey alerts about someone being aggressive to staff, made them feel distressed or anxious.

Staff also reported that multiple announce-

ments became intrusive, especially during meetings, conference calls, or conversations with patients and families.

The key to reducing the number of announcements has been the roll-out of hands-free Vocera communications units across much of the main campus.

The Vocera units – smaller than most mobile phones – allow staff to communicate and connect with each other instantly via voice commands or finger taps on the small device worn on the lapel. By sending announcements directly to relevant staff through Vocera, we’ve been able to reduce the number broadcast publicly over the speakers.

“There are, of course, announcements we are required to make under the Emergency Services Act legislation, for certain emergency situations,” Hammond said. “But we think this change will make the hospital a quieter and more restful place. We thank the community for providing the feedback that ultimately drove this improvement.”

About Bairnsdale Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, known as BRHS, provides healthcare services to the East Gipplands Community in Bairnsdale, Australia.

BRHS aims to provide healthcare that is accessible, high quality and sustainable, delivering care across 3 campuses featuring 52 beds, 19 sub-acute beds, a modern theatre suite, a high dependency unit, palliative care and a new maternity unit.

This article originally appeared on brhs.com. au and is reprinted with permission.

www.vocera.com/me

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MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center: Dedicated Oncology and Cardiology teams work collaboratively for innovative care

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here are many options for treating breast cancer, including breast cancer surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and more. And while treatment is often necessary, research suggests that certain therapies for breast cancer can increase a patient’s risk of heart disease in the future. Let’s look into how breast cancer treatments can affect the cardiovascular system.

What effects can estrogen-based hormone therapy have in women’s cardiovascular systems?

Some tumor growths are dependent on hormones. If your lab results show estrogen-positive (ER+) and progesterone-positive (PR+) tumors, your doctor may recommend hormone therapy as a treatment to prevent the growth, spread, and recurrence of breast cancer. Having ER+ or PR+ tumors means that remaining cancer cells will continue to grow in the presence of these hormones in your body. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) will block your body’s natural production of either estrogen or progesterone to help prevent the growth of ER+ and PR+ tumors. While previous research has shown that

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HRT can reduce heart disease in women over 40, new studies suggest that the opposite may be true. Studies on the long-term use of HRT in women indicate that while it might decrease a woman’s susceptibility to osteoporosis later in life, it may also cause a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and other serious health problems.

Currently, the understanding of estrogen-based HRT in the treatment of older women is still being developed.

What we do know is a mix of positive and negative effects. It: • • • • •

Relaxes and dilates blood vessels to increase blood flow Increases HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) Decreases LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) Helps remove naturally occurring particles in the blood that can harm arteries Can promote the growth of blood clots

Is there a link between chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and heart failure?

Recent studies have suggested a link

THE LINK BETWEEN BREAST CANCER TREATMENT AND CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE IS NOT ONLY DEFINED BY STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY, BUT

BY THE WAY IT AFFECTS PEOPLE’S QUALITY OF LIFE. CYNDI LOPER, A PATIENT AT BAYLOR ST. LUKE’S MEDICAL CENTER AND THE TEXAS HEART® INSTITUTE, IS ONE SUCH PERSON.

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between chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and cardiotoxicity. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are two of the more well-known treatments for cancer. Radiation therapy includes targeted and precise radiation of cancerous areas in the body, and chemotherapy is the use of medication to stop the growth and development of cancer cells. A growing field of research into the long-term effects of cancer treatment is beginning to find a link between chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and congestive heart failure.

With improvements in cancer treatment, cancer patients live longer, giving way to longterm side effects from treatments as they get older. Certain medications used in chemotherapy might contribute to the development of heart failure, also known as cardiotoxicity, in the years after cancer treatment. The use of radiation therapy to treat breast cancer can also increase risks of heart failure due to radiation being directed at cancer growing in the chest area.

Some studies have found that within five years of recovery, heart failure becomes three times more likely in people who received treatment for breast cancer or lymphoma than in people without a history of cancer treatment.

Additionally, the age at which you received cancer treatment can increase your likelihood of heart failure even more. People who are treated for breast cancer or lymphoma who are 80 years of age or older have a greater risk of congestive heart failure than those who were treated at a younger age.

A story close to home The link between breast cancer treatment and congestive heart failure is not only defined by statistics and probability, but by the way it affects people’s quality of life. Cyndi Loper, a patient at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and the Texas Heart® Institute, is one such person.

In 1997, Loper was treated for breast cancer. She underwent rounds of radiation to her chest, and while it did treat her breast cancer, it had unfortunate consequences for her heart’s health. Seventeen years after her initial breast cancer treatment, Loper was evaluated for a complete heart transplant at Baylor St. Luke’s

Medical Center and Texas Heart® Institute; however, due to her complex situation, she didn’t qualify for a transplant.

It was after her rejection for a heart transplant that she first visited Baylor St. Luke’s Heart Failure Clinic and found Dr. Reynolds Delgado III, a cardiologist specializing in heart failure and heart transplantation—her new cardiologist.

Despite her challenging case, the physicians at Baylor St. Luke’s Heart Failure Clinic worked with what options were available. They not only monitored the fluid around her heart and provided tips on living a healthy lifestyle, but they took the time to help her understand her vital signs in relation to her medications. They were able to develop a personalized treatment plan for Loper, giving her hope for the future.

According to Loper: “The diagnosis was dreary, but the outcome has been fabulous.

No one thought I would still be here four years later. There wasn’t much other hospitals and specialists could do for me, but Dr. Delgado III and the team at Baylor St. Luke’s have given me a new beginning.”

Who is at a higher risk of congestive heart failure after breast cancer treatment?

Our health system has dedicated oncology and cardiology teams who work collaboratively with their patients to provide innovative and personalized care options.

Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center is nationally ranked for cancer care and for cardiology and heart surgery.

The Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center is known for its breakthrough scientific research and is distinguished as one of the best cancer treatment centers in Texas. Our medical partnership with Baylor College of Medicine gives our patients access to one of the largest clinical genetics research programs in the nation.

Breast cancer patients who have any of the following risk factors are at an increased risk of congestive heart failure.

• History of smoking • History of heart failure • History of diabetes • An inactive lifestyle • People who receive treatment for cancer at 80 years of age or older FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT INTERNATIONAL SERVICES AT BAYLOR ST LUKE’S MEDICAL CENTER Via email at international@stlukeshealth.org or call +1 832 355 3350 or visit StLukesInternational.org Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas - USA

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NEWS

Organon and Flat6Labs Launch Accelerator for Female-Founded Start-ups Operating in Digital Healthcare in MENA

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global healthcare company with the vision of creating a better and healthier every day for every woman around the world, Organon, in partnership with Flat6Labs, the MENA region’s leading seed and early-stage venture capital firm, launched the Femtech Accelerator Program to support female-led start-ups operating in the digital healthcare space in MENA. The partnership was signed at the Expo 2020, USA Pavilion, marking the launch of Organon in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. The partnership is the kickoff of the company’s vision to work closely with partners in the region to empower innovative women’s healthcare programs.

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Commenting on the program, Susanne Fiedler, Chief Commercial Officer of Organon, said, “As a new regional healthcare entity with a commitment to advancing the health of women in this region, we are very excited to launch this program supporting female entrepreneurs. We know that investing in women has far-reaching benefits, reaping dividends for families, local and national communities, and economies. We will continue to listen to women’s needs to better understand the gaps and identify the right solutions for a better and healthier every day for her.”

Ramy Koussa, Associate Vice President at Organon MENAT, added: “COVID-19 has accel-

THE PARTNERSHIP WAS SIGNED AT THE EXPO 2020, USA PAVILION, MARKING THE LAUNCH OF ORGANON IN THE MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA AND TURKEY.

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erated digital transformation across industries, including healthcare. Due to restrictions on our movements and the strain on healthcare services globally, digital transformation has served as an important tool to enable both management of the coronavirus, as well as maintaining essential healthcare services. The future of healthcare is digital, and this accelerator program has been created to help facilitate that transformation in our region by delivering new and innovative digital tools to improve women’s healthcare. Organon is committed to building a company based on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles and today’s announcement represents an important milestone in our commitment to working in partnership with key stakeholders across MENAT to advance women’s health” Dina El-Shenoufy, Chief Investment Officer at Flat6labs, added, “Globally, both the current start-up landscape as well as the healthcare industry are male-dominated spaces. If we are to achieve greater gender equity, while supporting economic development across MENA, we need to do more to support female entrepreneurs and advance women’s healthcare. Our newly

launched Femtech accelerator will meet this need and that of greater digital innovation in the healthcare space while demonstrating the importance of cross-industry collaboration to further the goals of female economic empowerment.”

Those start-ups selected to participate in the accelerator program will be female-founded and demonstrate that they can address unmet women’s needs in line with Organon’s mission to advance women’s health. Ten of the best start-ups will be invited to join the two-month intensive accelerator program following a selection process and receive support in turning their idea into a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and securing venture funding.

ORGANON AND FLAT6LABS LAUNCH THE FEMTECH ACCELERATOR PROGRAM TO HELP FEMALE-FOUNDED DIGITAL HEALTH START-UPS, ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA), SUCCEED BY PROVIDING SUPPORT TO BUILD PRODUCTS, TEST MARKET FIT AND IMPROVE BUSINESS MODELS.

Flat6labs will provide business and technical training and access to their local and regional partner networks. Participating start-ups will be connected to businesses, local and international experts, and access big data and new opportunities. Organon, meanwhile, will mentor participants, connect them with global industry experts, and provide access to their entire business network, including internal teams and external partners.

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INTERVIEWS

Executive Council Member of the Arab Hospitals Federation

Dr. Bassam Kaddissi “The objective of the new strategy is to enhance the performance of health institutions”

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r. Bassam Kaddissi’s career began more than 22 years ago in the field of architectural design in many aspects, especially in healthcare design. He gained good expertise in architectural design practice, applicable healthcare guidelines and accreditation standards in Arab hospitals and others ... He was appointed as a member of the newly formed Executive Council of the Arab Hospitals Federation to be an advisory member in his field. Dr. Kaddissi, in an interview with the “Hospitals Magazine”, referred to the growth taking place in the Arab Healthcare sector, which is an important investment, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. The latter was a wake-up call that forced Health sectors and facilities to make rapid changes in their infrastructure and healthcare delivery systems. This led the Arab Hospitals Federation to present a strategy about the new vision in the design of healthcare facilities in the Arab world. Hospitals Magazine recently interviewed Dr. Bassam Kaddissi who shared an overview of the healthcare facility design in the Arab World.

You have been appointed as a member of the Executive Council of the Arab Hospitals Federation, which was recently formed by a group of experts who worked on setting a strategy for the years 2021-2024. In the beginning, can you tell us about this council and its objectives?

The Arab Hospitals Federation appointed a new Executive Council last June which gathers a group of experts from the Arab world. The new

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THE UNIFICATION OF THE HEALTHCARE FACILITIES DESIGN VISION WILL NOT BE AN EASY TASK.

Council set a strategic plan for the year 20212024 to help the Arab Healthcare sector in general and Arab health institutions in particular, in addition to healthcare workers in advancing health in the Arab countries.

The objective of this strategy is to enhance the performance of health institutions by providing updated health policies, capacity building through a wide range of programs, strategies and plans that include many headlines to be spread in the Arab healthcare sector and among

INTERVIEWS stakeholders, leading to better healthcare services.

We were very impressed by the strategy you are working on, which is the strategy for the new vision in the design of healthcare facilities in the Arab world. Can you tell us why this concept was chosen?

Health is seen as valuable in its own right, but also as a key factor supporting Arab economic growth, and should be recognized as an important investment for the Arab countries.

The challenges we have faced in the last two years, especially the COVID-19 pandemic crisis taught us the importance of being prepared and having robust systems in place.

The speed at which the virus spread across the world has left us no time to plan and implement new strategies.

We learned the importance of being ready and prepared, in addition to the importance of having robust Healthcare FACILITIES in place.

Therefore, we found the necessity to spread this concept and adopt it in the Arab world in order to help the health institutions be strong and flexible in the future, act quickly in addition to the importance to expand ahead of any future crisis.

Did you find that Arab Hospitals faced design-building problems during the Covid-19 pandemic? And how hospitals can get ready for any future crises through your vision?

Not all healthcare facilities were ready and equipped for the pandemic from isolation or quarantine throughout observation, treatment and recovery. Preparedness in most of the Arab countries was weak, and this should have been planned ahead of time; not only for pandemics but also for disasters, energy resources provision amongst other issues faced by the sector on daily basis.

This strategy in its concept will provide a new vision that fosters the importance of design flexibility, encourages sustainability and green hospital concept, promotes WELL certification, and ensures the adaptation to climate change as well as the adaptation and

integration of smart systems and innovations.

All of these points will contribute to obtaining a robust healthcare facility building, a strong system capable to face challenges and will develop the healthcare sector in the Arab world.

Tell us what the strategy of the new vision in the design of healthcare facilities in the Arab world will include, and what are the points you stressed on?

The strategy will call for the cooperation between Arab Hospitals to foster the ability of facilities and pathways to respond quickly to potential changes affecting its value delivery, in a timely and cost-effective manner. It will promote evidence-based design, usage of suitable building materials, in addition to conducting regular meetings/workshops for sharing experiences, lessons learned, without forgetting the collaboration with Authorities, Syndicates and Ministries of Health for its implementation.

In your opinion and through your experience in hospitals building, is unifying the healthcare facilities design vision necessary in the Arab world? And how to reach it?

The unification of the healthcare facilities design vision will not be an easy task. Codes, standards, regulations are already set and adopted in all countries. The goal of our vision is to be complementary to those, but the concept of unifying this vision is essential and constitutes an important part of the complete strategy that will carry many concepts and points to eventually have a safe, sustainable, smart, green and comfortable hospital.

Is there a specific date for launching this strategy? How will it be spread and implemented in the Arab health sector?

We are going to launch the strategy at the 23rd annual forum of the Arab Hospitals Federation Medhealth Cairo 2022 which will be held simultaneously with the Arab Health Ministers Council on 15 - 16 March 2022 in Cairo-Egypt.

THIS STRATEGY IN ITS CONCEPT WILL PROVIDE A NEW VISION THAT FOSTERS THE IMPORTANCE OF DESIGN FLEXIBILITY, ENCOURAGES SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN HOSPITAL CONCEPT, PROMOTES WELL CERTIFICATION, AND ENSURES THE ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE AS WELL AS THE ADAPTATION AND INTEGRATION OF SMART SYSTEMS AND INNOVATIONS.

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The Future of Healthcare in the Middle East Is About Data and AI … and Partnership

By Mark Stoesz, General Manager Imaging, Emerging Markets at GE Healthcare

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n the healthcare sector, approximately 5% of the data that is generated by imaging equipment, patient records and other medical information is used to improve patient diagnosis, care and outcomes. The other 95% is wasted.

What’s more, every 73 days, the volume of this data close to doubles.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and health ministries across the Middle East and North Africa – much like the rest of the world – are facing a host of challenges: cost pressures, staffing shortages, and rising patient loads caused by postponed care and long-term trends related to rising populations and an increasing burden of disease.

In response, hospital groups, clinics and health ministries are looking for ways to operate more efficiently, to better manage patient volumes, and to continue delivering high-quality, patient-centric care.

Digital, remote solutions and AI are crucial in addressing these challenges, largely by helping improve or speed the way administrators, technologists, doctors and nurses do their work, ultimately allowing doctors and nurses to spend more time directly caring for patients.

The pandemic helped speed the adoption of many of these solutions. Telehealth consultations allow physicians to see more patients, even patients living or working in far-flung areas.

Across the region, GE Healthcare engineers have delivered remote preventative maintenance to help keep machines running to the highest standards – in part by saving the time that would have been spent getting a technician to the facility.

Additionally, through GE’s Digital Expert remote training can be provided to ensure hospitals and clinics have staff trained to operate

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advanced imaging equipment and make use of the latest updates and enhancements.

In cases where advance trained technologists are not available, remote clinical support ensures complex imaging scans can still be given. Particularly in countries such as Iraq and Syria where access into the market can be a challenge, GE Healthcare experts have guided the technologists to perform advanced procedures to help capture precise images that are crucial to helping diagnose and treat patients.

AI improves positioning and imaging In the field of AI, GE Healthcare is leveraging Edison AI and analytics to create powerful solutions that help improve operations and patient care. For example, AI is helping optimize patient setup for all types of imaging scans, so sessions take less time and patients are exposed to less radiation, when it comes to X-Ray, MR and CT scans.

As well, AI is helping improve the signal to noise ratio in images to make them more clear.

This helps technologists and doctors review and assess images more easily, helping them make assessments faster and process more scans.

These improvements in care are crucial, given health trends in the region, where both cardiovascular disease and cancer are on the rise.

End-to-end solutions But technologies – whether imaging equipment or AI software – is only part of the solution. Today’s healthcare environment means customers need more. We’re helping with endto-end solutions that include imaging equipment, but also software, training, best-practice patient flow guidance, and a range of financing options.

HOSPITAL GROUPS, CLINICS AND HEALTH MINISTRIES ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO OPERATE MORE EFFICIENTLY, TO BETTER MANAGE PATIENT VOLUMES, AND TO CONTINUE DELIVERING HIGHQUALITY, PATIENTCENTRIC CARE.

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These can be customized to particular types of disease, such as prostate or breast cancer or cardiovascular disease solutions such as Stroke or Ischemic Heart. Longer term, we are working with customers to develop approaches that transition healthcare systems from their current focus on responding to illness to a focus on preventing illness.

Precision healthcare Other longer-term efforts seek to leverage the massive data being generated by the healthcare sector to enable greater precision. Precision healthcare is about gathering data from millions of patients regarding aspects such as symptoms, illness progression and treatment, and combining that with data about each patient. The result is truly tailored care.

For example, chemotherapy requires oncologists to assess how a patient is responding to a particular agent.. Based on the results, the specific therapy may be changed and rounds of treatment implemented. With the impact of additional side effects endured by the patient as well as the increased cost. With precision healthcare, data will guide the appropriate treatment from the beginning, providing a more accurate determination of what the patient requires.

This may also help to reduce the number of chemotherapy rounds required, thereby improving the patient experience, ultimately speeding treatment, and improving outcomes.

Partners in preventing illness I began this article talking about data, but I want to end it by talking about people and partnership. While the power of data is unquestionable, the power of relationships is at least as important. We always begin any conversation by identifying on the customer’s needs. If we can meet those needs, we will. But sometimes, it’s not us that can address what’s required, so we will connect them with someone who can.

Our view is that if you do the right thing, customers will return to you, because they see you as a true partner.

After all, we are part of every community in which we operate, and like everyone else, use those same hospitals and clinics. If we’ve done everything we can to help hospitals provide the best possible care, that’s good for our families as well. Like healthcare itself, the best approach includes not only advanced technologies and AI solutions, but also the human touch, and for us, that means partnership and collaboration.

TODAY’S HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT MEANS CUSTOMERS NEED MORE.

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INTERVIEWS

Rabii Madi

MD, MBA, FACS, Consultant Urology, Director of Robotic Surgery at Clemenceau Medical Center in Dubai

“Men’s wellness package aims to increase awareness of men’s health overall”

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en’s wellness package at Clemenceau Medical Center in Dubai is an exciting health package for men in order to achieve that goal of increasing awareness about prostate health and overall men’s health.

“Hospitals” magazine met with Rabii Madi MD, MBA, FACS Consultant Urology, Director of Robotic Surgery at Clemenceau Medical Center in Dubai, who focused on men’s health in general and the importance of early detection of prostate problems after age 50.

We would like to focus on men’s health on the occasion of International Men's Day on November 19? What is the main concern?

Actually, what we are looking for in men’s health awareness in November or as it’s known the month of ‘Movember’ is to increase the awareness among men especially when it comes to prostate cancer. As you know, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and it affects mostly men above the age of 50. It is estimated that out of 100 men 13 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and unfortunately three to four will die from it. So it’s very common and it increases with age. It's important for every man to know about the way we detect prostate cancer and the way we treat it and hopefully some ways of preventing it.

What should be done to help men improve their health?

What we can do is increase the awareness of the diseases that can affect

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INTERVIEWS men with age, especially prostate problems that mostly include prostate cancer by knowing what to do to prevent it, when to start screening and what to do to treat it.

Men’s wellness package is an exciting health package for men in Clemenceau Medical Center in Dubai. What does it include? What is its importance?

Men’s wellness package that we have at Clemenceau Medical Center in Dubai is very attractive since we are offering it at a discounted rate just in order to achieve that goal of increasing awareness about prostate health and overall men’s health. So that package includes a visit to see a urologist, PSA blood test that screens for prostate cancer and it includes the male hormone testosterone which is very important in men’s health and wellness.

The package also includes an Ultrasound (KUB) that gives us an idea about the condition of the kidney, the bladder and the prostate.

Let’s focus on male urology concerns.

When a man should start visiting a urologist? Should it be done regularly every year?

Men should see a urologist whenever he has any urologic symptoms or sexual problems which might happen at any age whether in men or women. But when it comes to men’s health awareness, a routine visit to the urologist should be done starting at the age of 50 to check his prostate condition and screen it, as well as to check his overall sexual health condition because it is well-known that as men get older, they will be at higher risk of developing prostate cancer or prostate enlargement and erectile dysfunction. We recommend that every man starting at the age of 50 should visit a urologist on a yearly basis even if he does not have any symptoms at all. Men with a family history of prostate cancer need to come earlier starting from age 40. Also, men who see blood in their urine should see a urologist at any age.

What are the most common urological issues affecting men?

The most common urological issues affecting men vary depending on age. For men over

the age of 50, we have to keep an eye on three important entities; the benign enlargement of the prostate which is unavoidable for every man and it is part of the aging process and that causes symptoms or troubles in urination such as weak stream, experiencing nocturia which is the need to urinate two or three times during the night and many other symptoms.

The second problem that might happen while aging is prostate cancer which is very common and silent since it can affect men’s health without any symptoms.

The third problem is bladder cancer which is common among smokers. It presents with blood in urine.

That’s why screening is very important since it leads to early diagnosis and cure as well.

Any man with blood in the urine that he can see or blood in the urine analysis test should see a urologist; of course, there are many health problems that might occur during men’s life and need the intervention of a urologist such as kidney stones, urinary tract infection and of course if he has some sexual dysfunction or low testosterone.

It is well known that prostate abnormalities are normal after the age of 50 such as enlarged prostate which might become a cancer after years if not treated.

Here, I would like to clarify the difference between prostate cancer and prostate enlargement that happens with men which we call “Benign prostatic hyperplasia” (BPH) which is part of the aging process of men and of course it is manifested by some urinary symptoms; this case is usually managed by medication or surgery when these medications did not work. What I want to emphasize is that the enlargement that happens with age is not a risk for prostate cancer. BPH is not transformed into cancer. Those are two separate entities and are not connected to each other.

Prostate cancer can be totally silent and that is what we see in our clinics; many cases

MEN’S WELLNESS PACKAGE THAT WE HAVE AT CLEMENCEAU MEDICAL CENTER IN DUBAI IS VERY ATTRACTIVE SINCE WE ARE OFFERING IT AT A DISCOUNTED RATE JUST IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL OF INCREASING AWARENESS ABOUT PROSTATE HEALTH AND OVERALL MEN’S HEALTH.

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INTERVIEWS do not have any symptoms at all but they have prostate cancer based on the early detection, screening and PSA blood test.

How can men avoid it?

Men cannot totally avoid prostate cancer or even prostate enlargement; unfortunately, it’s not related to any specific factor that we can prevent. Prostate cancer is not directly related to a factor that we can minimize and this is why early screening and detection because it’s asymptomatic. But of course some risk factors such as family history, having a father or brother who suffers from prostate cancer should urge man to start screening before the age of 50 without suffering of any symptoms.

Moreover, having a healthy lifestyle by following a healthy heart diet is good for the heart and the prostate; healthy eating habits is recommended by increasing the consumption of vegetables and fruits and decreasing meat and fatty products. Exercise is also very important.

What are the advanced treatments?

There are different treatments available; here, I would like to emphasize that there is no one-size-fits-all treatment, some patients will react very well with surgery while others need radiation, and maybe we can apply it to other treatment options. This depends on many factors like the patient’s age, his health in general, and how aggressive the prostate cancer is according to the biopsy result. It’s very important to take the decision between the urologist and the patient after diagnosis.

If prostate cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, we have many options to treat it. One of the treatments is just watching it “active surveillance” where we don’t treat cancer but monitor it closely. The second option is surgery which is the most prescribed procedure and the most curative. The third option is radiation therapy whether external beam or brachytherapy. Ablation is also another option, whether it is through cryoablation or high-intensity focal ablation.

What is the role of robotic surgeries in treating prostate cancer?

Robotic surgery is the most advanced surgical treatment for prostate cancer. As I

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mentioned earlier, one of the most common ways of treating prostate cancer is surgery, and the most advanced and accurate way is robotic surgery which has been available for more than 17 years and it’s a gold standard for the treatment of prostate cancer in many countries such as the US where more than 90 percent of surgeries for prostate cancer are done by robotic surgery.

I’m lucky to be among the first in the United States who adopted robotic surgery and I have been doing robotic surgeries for prostate cancer for more than 15 years and performed more than two thousand surgeries.

What is the importance of awareness?

What should be done to encourage men to visit a urologist regularly?

The importance of awareness is very simple.

Prostate cancer is very common and it can be silent at an early stage, so every man should be aware of that silent possibly fatal cancer.

The good thing is that we have easy ways to detect it earlier; thus with early detection comes early treatment which leads to cure.

Prostate cancer awareness is as important as breast cancer awareness in women. Many women are aware of it and every man should be the same at the age of 50 or earlier if there is any family history. PSA blood test and digital rectal examination should be done.

PROSTATE CANCER IS THE MOST COMMON CANCER IN MEN AND IT AFFECTS MOSTLY MEN ABOVE THE AGE OF 50. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT OUT OF 100 MEN 13 WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER AND UNFORTUNATELY THREE TO FOUR WILL DIE FROM IT.

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INTERVIEWS

Rolla Abu-Arja, MD Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinician

“Our Transplant Program is One of The Largest Programs in The United States"

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ationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the largest pediatric hospitals and research institutes in the United States. It is consistently ranked as one of America’s top 10 children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, the recognized authority in United States hospital rankings. Dr. Abu-Arja is the clinical director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Team and a hematology/oncology/BMT specialist at Nationwide Children’s. She is active in clinical research to advance treatment options for patients requiring bone marrow transplants and specializes in transplants for children with immune and metabolic disorders.

What types of patients may be seen by a blood and marrow transplant (BMT) specialist?

Blood and marrow transplant specialists see patients with blood cancers that typically don’t respond to standard chemotherapy regimens.

We also see many patients with genetic and blood diseases, such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Patients with metabolic and immune disorders detected on newborn screening tests are also managed by the BMT team.

What other specialties do you collaborate with most often for patient care?

The care of a BMT patient requires a multidisciplinary approach. We primarily collaborate with infectious disease physicians and the pain management team. The exact range of other specialties depends on a patient’s condition and unique health needs, but we often work with specialists in physical therapy, genetics, psychology, endocrinology and fertility preservation, gastroenterology and nephrology.

What makes Nationwide Children’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Program different?

The transplant program at Nationwide Children’s is one of the largest programs in the Unit-

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WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT GROUP OF CLINICAL PHYSICIANS AND PHYSICIANSCIENTISTS THAT HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF EXPERIENCE IN MANAGING VERY COMPLEX PATIENTS…[AND WE] ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE GLOBAL PATIENT SERVICES TEAM TO HELP US TAKE EXCELLENT CARE OF OUR MANY INTERNATIONAL PATIENTS. WE PREPARE FOR THEIR RETURN HOME IN ADVANCE, TO ENSURE A SEAMLESS TRANSITION WITH THE LOCAL TREATING TEAM.

ed States and is highly ranked. We are a National Marrow Donor Program Transplant Center, and we are accredited by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy.

We have an excellent group of clinical physicians and physician-scientists that have a great deal of experience in managing very complex patients. The advanced practice nurses, nurse clinicians and support staff are very knowledgeable and experienced, and they provide excellent personalized patient care.

How does your team manage international patients, especially regarding follow-up care and survivorship once they return home?

We are fortunate to have the support of the Global Patient Services team to help us take excellent care of our many international patients.

We prepare for their return home in advance, to ensure a seamless transition with the local treating team. Then we continue to communicate with the local physicians and families as needed.

How are the fields of bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy related?

Bone marrow transplant (BMT) is a form of cellular therapy, which is a broad field of treatments that use living cells to treat disease,

INTERVIEWS

including cancer and genetic disorders. Some cellular therapies—including BMT—can use the patient’s own cells, but in many cases immune cells are taken from healthy donors and given to the patient to help them fight their disease.

In the lab, cells can be grown to high enough numbers to be effective, selected to improve function or reduce side effects, or altered to give them new function. Cellular and gene therapies are sometimes combined to correct mutations, or to reprogram immune cells to identify and attack abnormal cells before they are reintroduced to the patient. The fields are highly integrated, and BMT is sometimes considered the “original” cellular therapy.

What does the future of bone marrow transplant in pediatrics look like?

I believe we have a great future ahead for this field of medicine. We will be treating more patients with BMT and growing the bone marrow donor pool with the advancement in haplo-identical transplants. I think we can also expect to see much more precision medicine, graft engineering and gene therapy that will expand treatment options for our patient population. All of these advancements will certainly come with continued improvement in supportive care for our young patients, to make sure that their outcomes are optimized and they are as comfortable and healthy as possible for the long-term.

I BELIEVE WE HAVE A GREAT FUTURE AHEAD FOR THIS FIELD OF MEDICINE. WE WILL BE TREATING MORE PATIENTS WITH BMT AND GROWING THE BONE MARROW DONOR POOL WITH THE ADVANCEMENT IN HAPLO-IDENTICAL TRANSPLANTS.

To learn more about Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Dr. Abu-Arja, visit NationwideChildrens.org/Specialties/ bone-marrow-transplant-clinic

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NEWS

Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital in Dubai performs Aortic Valve Replacement Using Cutting-Edge Technology

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lemenceau Medical Center hospital in Dubai has successfully performed Aortic Valve Replacement using the novel Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) technology, making it one of the very first to adopt this new generation of valves in the Middle East.

Mr. Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Khansaheb

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Speaking on the development of the UAE’s healthcare system and the vision of Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital Dubai, Chairman of the Board of Directors Mr. Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Khansaheb said: “The hospital has set a longterm objective to attract world-renowned healthcare specialists who would play a pivotal role in advancing the UAE’s healthcare sector, which is already of high standards. Today, we’re proud to announce such an extraordinary achievement in just two years. This gives us more drive to reach even more important milestones in the future”.

Mr. Khansaheb added: “A patient flying into the United Arab Emirates to undergo such a critical surgery at the Clemenceau Medical Center hospital in Dubai is, by itself, a great indicator

ANY PATIENT WHO DECIDES TO COME TO CLEMENCEAU MEDICAL CENTER IN DUBAI- DHCC FROM ABROAD TO UNDERGO THIS DELICATE SURGERY IS A TESTAMENT TO THE PARADIGM SHIFT THAT THIS CENTER HAS PROVIDED TO THE MEDICAL TOURISM SECTOR IN THE UAE. MR. ABDULRAHMAN ABDULAZIZ KHANSAHEB

NEWS

of the hospital’s contribution to the progress of the medical tourism sector in the country.”

Dr. Wassim Shatila, Head of the Structural Heart Program, performed the surgery with the assistance of a medical team comprising the Head of the Heart Failure Unit Dr. Righab Hamdan, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon Dr. Walid Shaker, and the Head of the Anesthesiology & Resuscitation Unit Dr. Nauras Idriss.

The intervention required the replacement of the aortic valve in a forty-year-old patient with history of cancer, weak cardiac muscle, extreme narrowing in the aortic valve, and difficult breathing. Following a careful discussion of the severe condition, open-heart surgery was considered at high risk, and the medical team decided to opt for a TAVI procedure instead.

From his end, Dr. Wassim Shatila, Head of the Structural Heart Program at Clemenceau Medical Center hospital in Dubai, confirmed that performing Aortic Valve Replacement surgery using these new valves has revolutionized the treatment of similar cases. He said: “This high-precision procedure requires the intervention of cardiac catheterization specialists and the medical team at Clemenceau Medical Center hospital in Dubai is nothing short of brilliant, with some of the best doctors and consulting surgeons in different specialties, especially in cardiovascular surgery and catheterization, not to mention the hospital’s highly capable medical staff.”

Also commenting on the achievement, Dr. Righab Hamdan, Head of the Heart Failure Unit at Clemenceau Medical Center hospital in Dubai said: “The Heart Failure Unit team successfully managed to treat the patient’s weak cardiac muscle for several months prior to the valve replacement surgery, whereby he underwent an intensive treatment program within the unit.

Following the treatment’s success, the condition

Dr. Wassim Shatila stabilized and the patient was able to undergo the aortic valve replacement surgery without any significant complications or side effects.”

Dr. Shatila expects the number of patients benefiting from these new valves to increase, as the latter can be used to treat tens of patients in the UAE per month among those suffering from complex chronic diseases, including older patients who need their valves replaced but cannot undergo high-risk open-heart surgeries.

THE SURGERY REQUIRED THE REPLACEMENT OF THE AORTIC VALVE IN A FORTYYEAR-OLD PATIENT SUFFERING FROM A WEAK CARDIAC MUSCLE, EXTREME NARROWING IN THE AORTIC VALVE, AND DIFFICULT BREATHING.

Dr. Righab Hamdan

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ACIBADEM SENOLOGY INSTITUTE Science and experience against breast cancer

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41-year-old woman is diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 33rd week of pregnancy. After extensive evaluation of both the mother and the fetus, a multidisciplinary council drafts a treatment plan and starts a well selected chemotherapy regimen prior to delivery. Three weeks later the patient gives birth to a healthy baby and three months later the tumor is totally removed with breast conserving surgery. Today, she is free from cancer and a happy mother of two.

How is it possible to cure the patient without harming the baby?

Favorable results both for the mother and the child are possible in a set of clinics around the world: those that have extensive experience and apply a multidisciplinary approach to achieve effective treatment while minimizing the risk for the fetus. “Multidisciplinary approach enables joint decision on which diagnostic method and treatment are appropriate for each patient,” says Professor Cihan Uras, a prominent surgeon for breast cancer treatment in Turkey, whose team planned and performed the successful treat-

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ment. After more than 30 years of experience among the firsts who apply the novel techniques in surgical treatment, Prof. Cihan Uras headed the Acibadem Research Institute of Senology, which was established to conduct trials and investigations that will make contributions to the senology – the science of breast.

Why science matters for breast cancer patients?

Breast cancer is not just one single disease.

It is a group of diseases, impacting the lives of 2.1 million women in the world each year.

Just like there are no two people alike, no two tumors are the same. The common point is that they all start with abnormal and uncontrollable growth of cells. However, breast cancers can start from different parts of the breast: the ducts that carry milk to the nipple or the glands that make breast milk, or some other tissues in the breast. Besides, breast tumors differ in their grade, stage and hormone receptor status, and each of these differences affects progression rates and prognoses. That is why the treatment of breast cancer becomes more and more

WE ARE ABLE TO REMOVE THE ENTIRE BREAST TISSUE FROM A SMALL INCISION FROM THE ARMPIT. THIS IS FOLLOWED

BY PLACEMENT OF PROSTHETICS THROUGH THE SAME INCISION BY A PLASTIC SURGEON. IT ALLOWS US TO PERFORM AN OPERATION WHICH YIELDS MUCH BETTER COSMETIC RESULTS SINCE THERE ARE NO INCISIONS ON THE BREAST AND IT IS EASILY POSSIBLE TO CONCEAL THE INCISION UNDER THE ARM.

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

personalized, as doctors learn more about the disease. Scientific researches are aiming to contribute to better understanding of the breast cancer and improve survival rates.

How medical advancements affect breast cancer patients?

The 41-year-old pregnant woman, diagnosed with the disease, for instance, benefited from a new treatment option, using chemotherapy before surgery. “We especially avoid starting treatment with surgery in tumors of stage 2 and higher, which are referred to as locally advanced breast cancer,” says Prof. Cihan Uras.

In those cases, samples from the tumor are collected and analyzed, and medical treatment is determined in accordance with the biological structure of the cancer cells. Prof. Uras explains: “One of the advantages of starting with medical treatment, which is chemotherapy, is the possibility that the nature of the surgical procedure to be applied can change for the better.

For instance, surgery on a patient with locally advanced breast cancer, which also involves the axilla area, requires us to remove all lymphatic glands. However, chemotherapy can eliminate cancer from the glands and revert them to their condition in the early stages of the disease.

This allows us to try the early-stage method of removing a gland sample for analysis. If it turns out that cancerous cells are entirely eliminated from the sample, we choose not to remove all lymphatic glands. It completely eliminates the risk of developing lymphedema in later stages of life for the patient. This is one of the most important innovations of the last 3 or 4 years.”

From radical mastectomy to breastconserving surgery Breast cancer is probably the most feminine of all diseases, affecting the very essence of a woman, her body image and emotions. “Our first choice is always breast-conserving surgery,” says Prof. Cihan Uras. In breast protective surgery, tumor tissue is excised with about 1-2 cm normal breast tissue around it. The surgeon explains: “We prefer to spare the breast by removing only the cancerous part and the tumor, and then apply oncoplastic surgery, which is a

method that combines the concepts of cancer surgery and plastic surgery, to ensure for the breast to be left in a condition which is cosmetically satisfying for the patient.”

In some cases, removal of the entire breast tissue cannot be avoided. These are not necessarily only advanced cancer cases. For instance, total removal is required when multiple tumors at different locations of the breast are detected, even if the cancer is not in advanced stage. “We apply two methods to remove the entire breast while sparing the nipple, the area surrounding it and the skin,” Prof. Cihan Uras points. The surgery can be done using either conventional or endoscopic techniques. The latest accomplishment in this field is usage of Da Vinci robotic system for mastectomy which does not involve any incisions on the breast.

Prof. Uras explains: “We are able to remove the entire breast tissue from a small incision from the armpit. This is followed by placement of prosthetics through the same incision by a plastic surgeon. It allows us to perform an operation which yields much better cosmetic results since there are no incisions on the breast and it is easily possible to conceal the incision under the arm.”

Breast cancer surgery of the 21st century involves medical and aesthetic treatment performed simultaneously: “It is possible for us to reconstruct the breast tissue in cases where we remove the entire breast. This is what we prefer in any case. Rather than delayed breast reconstruction, we prefer to perform the procedure at the same time as the removal of the breast.”

Professor Cihan Uras adds that breast prosthetics or patient’s own tissues can be used for the reconstruction.

STANDARD RADIOTHERAPY INVOLVES IRRADIATION OF THE ENTIRE BREAST ON PATIENTS WHO UNDERGO BREASTSPARING SURGERY, FOLLOWED BY HIGH-DOSAGE IRRADIATION OF THE TUMOR AREA FOR 8 SESSIONS. INTRAOPERATIVE RADIOTHERAPY REDUCES 8 SESSIONS OF APPLICATION TO A SINGLE APPLICATION DURING SURGERY.

The evolution of radiation treatment to a Single Dose Radiotherapy Radiation treatment, which is used to destroy cancer cells, has changed dramatically over the past years, providing new techniques and modalities. One of the latest options is ap-

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plication of a single dose of radiotherapy during surgical treatment of breast cancer (IORT), in the tumor bed itself. It is applied by a special robotic device which involves a lead plate placed over the target region on the chest wall during radiotherapy.

The device focuses and locks on the target, allowing only for the targeted breast tissue to receive radiation, protecting the rest of the body and organs from the effects of radiotherapy. It is usually used on patients over the age of 50, with tumors having a biological structure which does not require chemotherapy.

This method, referred to as intraoperative radiotherapy, is used for another purpose as well, says Professor Cihan Uras: “Standard radiotherapy involves irradiation of the entire breast on patients who undergo breast-sparing surgery, followed by high-dosage irradiation of the tumor area for 8 sessions. Intraoperative radiotherapy reduces 8 sessions of application to a single application during surgery. This allows for a single-dose application which is carried out while protecting the rest of the body to eliminate the need for subjecting the patient to high-dosage radiotherapy 8 times. A short irradiation of the whole breast complements the single-dose procedure and allows us to finish a long treatment in a much shorter time.”

How Acibadem Senology Institute creates better opportunities for the patients?

“Acibadem Research Institute of Senology is not a conventional diagnosis and treatment unit. It is, in fact, a center of science,” says Professor Cihan Uras and adds: “The goal of this center is to discover novelties in both diagnosis and treatment. These studies are conducted on surgery, medical oncology and radiation oncology, and we can place our patients on appropriate treatments based on our investigation results. This approach creates many future opportunities for our patients.”

The increasing variety of medical options requires an integrated approach, with a care team of specialists in different branches, taking into account the specific needs of every patient.

At Acibadem Research Institute of Senology,

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the multidisciplinary approach is adopted for all patients, with experts in general surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, cosmetic and plastic surgery, radiology, pathology and genetics, who have specialised especially in breast cancer treatment. All of them are highly experienced in their medical disciplines and have qualifications of an instructor. Only in the last 5 years, Acibadem has provided breast cancer treatments to nearly 3.000 patients from more than 20 countries. “We have all the equipment that is available in a limited number of centres around the world,” Professor Uras adds.

Acibadem Research Institute of Senology is the first high education board-certified institute in Turkey and one of the few specialized research institutions in the world that are expected to create better opportunities for breast cancer patients in the years to come.

ONE OF THE LATEST OPTIONS IS APPLICATION OF A SINGLE DOSE OF RADIOTHERAPY DURING SURGICAL TREATMENT OF BREAST CANCER (IORT), IN THE TUMOR BED ITSELF. IT IS APPLIED BY A SPECIAL ROBOTIC DEVICE WHICH INVOLVES A LEAD PLATE PLACED OVER THE TARGET REGION ON THE CHEST WALL DURING RADIOTHERAPY.

MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

THE TRAVELLING PINK RIBBON Against Breast Cancer, We Will Win Together

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pink ribbon, the universal symbol of breast cancer awareness, has traveled around the world with a special message in a global campaign launched by Acibadem Senology Research Institute in Turkey. In October 2021, the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, seven amazing women and popular influencers living on three continents joined the campaign to spread the message: 5 minutes per month can save your life! Even during the COVID pandemic - especially then - do your breast self-exams regularly. Early detection can make a difference in the successful treatment of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is currently the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, according to the latest data of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The estimated 2.3 million new cases in 2020 indicate that one in every eight cancers diagnosed was breast cancer. It is also the leading cause of cancer death in women, causing 1 in 6 cancer deaths globally. Late diagnosis may reduce the

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treatment options and survival rates. Unfortunately, women often prefer to postpone their medical check-ups and avoid visiting doctors or hospitals. The situation becomes even worse during the pandemic when the fear of exposure to Covid-19 keeps women from seeing their doctors.

The experts from Acibadem Senology Institute recommend regular self-exams from the age of 20. Over time, women get to know their breasts well and spot any changes quickly, contributing to early diagnosis. Changes in the size, shape, and texture of one’s breasts, skin, or nipples must be referred to a doctor as soon as possible.

As a part of its commitment to providing high-quality diagnosis and treatment solutions globally, Acibadem Senology Research Institute in Turkey set up an awareness project with social media influencers from different countries. The campaign aims to promote breast self-examination and share the new treatment possibilities with breast cancer patients. Seven

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FOR 30 YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO PROVIDE THE BEST TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR BREAST CANCER IN OUR CENTER. WE DO NOT JUST FOCUS ON DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT; WE ARE DISCOVERING NOVELTIES IN BOTH THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES. TODAY, WE HAVE A DIFFERENT GOAL: TO CREATE AWARENESS OF BREAST CANCER IN OUR WOMEN.

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ambassadors from different countries, including popular TV hosts, singers, and social media activists, received a pink ribbon as a symbol of the fight against breast cancer. They passed it on to each other, spreading awareness messages in their social media accounts to educate and inspire their audience.

Professor Cihan Uras, a breast surgeon and director of Acıbadem Senology Research Institute, said: “For 30 years, we have been working to provide the best treatment options for breast cancer in our center. We do not just focus on diagnosis and treatment; we are discovering novelties in both the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Today, we have a different goal: to create awareness of breast cancer in our women. I prepared the pink ribbon box to travel 8 countries and 3 continents, visiting 7 women in Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Russia, Dubai, Jordan, and Kenya. These women have the power to influence all women in their countries and say ‘do your self-examination.’ I believe we will win together against breast cancer.”

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Acibadem Research Institute of Senology, part of Acibadem Healthcare Group, is a center of science. It is established by renowned academicians with extensive expertise particularly in breast cancer treatment. In cooperation with Acibadem University and its research labs, they are able to investigate new approaches in surgery, medical oncology, and radiation oncology and incorporate their findings in the treatment process, creating better opportunities for their patients. Over the last 5 years, more than 3.000 patients from 20 countries have chosen Acibadem for their breast cancer treatment.

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ARTICLE FEATURES . Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding Immunity for the mother and child

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reastfeeding is a top priority given its paramount importance to the health of both mother and child. Research continues to reveal more breastfeeding benefits and positive impact. New study suggests that breastfeeding may help prevent cognitive decline with age.

WHO recommends early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth; exclusive

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BREAST MILK PROVIDES THE CHILD WITH THE APPROPRIATE NUTRITIONAL NEEDS FOR HIS AGE.

breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life; and. introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breastfeeding reduces the risk of many chronic diseases, including asthma and obesity.

ARTICLE FEATURES . Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding benefits for the baby Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses. It is particularly effective against infectious diseases because it strengthens the immune system by directly transferring antibodies from the mother.

Strengthening the immune system: Breastfeeding strengthens the baby’s immunity, thus preventing infection and decreasing the risk of allergies, asthma, obesity and other chronic diseases. Breast milk contains antibodies that can fight infection. Breast milk also is made up of other proteins, fats, sugars and even white blood cells that work to fight infection in many different ways. They are especially helpful in fighting gastrointestinal infections, since breast milk heads right to the stomach and intestine when your baby eats.

Improving brain function: Medical research confirms that a mother’s milk contains fatty acids that help in the child’s brain development as well as his mental abilities such as cognition, memory, concentration and logical thinking.

Breast milk has probiotic factors, too. Some support the immune system and others serve as a nutrient source for healthy bacteria in the body, called the human microbiome. The healthy microbiome can play a lifelong role in not only preventing infection. In the same context, many studies have linked the high IQ of children with breastfeeding, as it was found that it improves learning and memory skills due to the fact that breast milk contains nutrients such as docosahexaenoic acid, which positively affect the child’s brain development.

Digestive health: Breast milk contributes to improving the health of the digestive system and increasing its efficiency because it contains insulin and cortisol, in addition to amino acids that play a major role in the development of the child’s digestive system, which limits the incidence of various digestive system infections, and reduces cases of constipation, diarrhea and various disorders that the child may face during

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION RECOMMENDS THAT MOTHERS EXCLUSIVELY BREASTFEED THEIR BABIES FOR UP TO 6 MONTHS, AND THEN CONTINUE TO BREASTFEED FOR AN ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW NUTRIENTS.

the early stages of growth in the first months of his life.

Prevention of chronic diseases: Breast milk prevents chronic diseases, whether in childhood or in the future, in addition to preventing childhood cancer, especially leukemia, as well as heart disease, reducing the incidence of type 1 diabetes in children, and protecting against immune diseases such as various allergies and asthma.

Soothing the baby and better sleep: The strong bond between the mother and her child is established during cuddling and breastfeeding, so the child feels calm and reassured, which relieves his tension, crying, and even his pain because of his connection with his mother during breastfeeding. The baby's sleep also improves because the mother's milk secretes the hormone melatonin, which plays a sedative role, reduces colic and helps the baby enjoy a comfortable sleep.

Balanced Nutrition: The advantage of a mother’s milk is that it provides the appropriate nutrition for the baby’s age, and the longer a woman breastfeeds, her breast milk’s composition changes, which helps in providing the appropriate nutrition for the child at different stages. A study has shown that after one year of breastfeeding, breast milk becomes rich in fat and energy, which meets the child’s needs and provides him with the right nutrition for his age.

Strengthening the bond between mother and child: Women who breastfeed for a longer period feel the real meaning of motherhood, and this is reflected in their children’s lives, and a strong bond is established that makes the mother able to read her child’s signals, and become more flexible in her behavior with him.

Benefits of breastfeeding for the mother Cancer prevention: Breastfeeding reduces the risk of the mother developing cancer because certain hormones are secreted in the breast that contribute to preventing the formation of cancerous cells in it. Breastfeeding mothers are less likely to develop breast cancer than non-breastfeeding mothers, and the longer

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the mother breastfeeds, the lower the risk of developing this disease.

Breastfeeding also contributes to reducing the risk of developing uterine and ovarian cancer due to the low levels of estrogen hormone during breastfeeding. The more times you breastfeed if you have more than one child, the more these hormones are secreted, and thus the mother's chances of being protected against breast cancer increase compared to other mothers who did not breastfeed their children or who breastfed their children for a shorter period of time.

Prevention of osteoporosis: Research indicates that breastfeeding mothers are four times less likely than non-breastfeeding mothers to develop osteoporosis, and they are also less likely to have hip fractures during menopause.

Uterine contraction: Breastfeeding helps the uterus shrink back to its normal position because breastfeeding helps secrete oxytocin, which causes uterine contractions that help shrink the uterus back to its pre-pregnancy size and contributes to the prevention of uterine cancer.

Reducing mental disorders: Breastfeeding helps reduce depression, stress and anxiety that the mother experiences after pregnancy and through the lactation stage.

Weight loss: Breastfeeding helps to lose weight and increases calorie burn, so the woman loses the kilograms she gained during the months of pregnancy. During breastfeeding, the body consumes the fat stored during pregnancy, and therefore breastfeeding regularly and for long periods of time helps to get rid of this fat and lose weight. During breastfeeding, it is important that the mother eats a healthy and balanced diet that contains fiber, fluids, natural sugars and protein.

Psychological effects of breastfeeding on mothers and children There are countless psychological effects and benefits, whether for the mother or the baby. These moments in which the mother

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IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING PHYSICAL BENEFITS THROUGH CRITICAL NUTRIENTS, RESEARCH SHOWS THAT BREASTFEEDING ALSO HAS A DEEP AND LASTING EFFECT ON THOUGHT AND UNDERSTANDING, BEHAVIOR, AND MENTAL HEALTH IN CHILDREN.

cuddles her child contribute to creating a strong intimate relationship between them, giving the child tenderness and warmth. It is the first real containment process for the child after his birth.

The mother holds her newborn baby close to her chest to make him feel loved and safe.

Breastfeeding creates a bonding experience between mother and child because it promotes skin-to-skin contact, more holding and stroking.

Many experts say that affectionate bonding during the first years of life helps lessen social and behavioral problems in both children and adults. Breastfeeding can also help mothers learn to read their infant’s cues and can help babies learn to trust caregivers. This helps shape a baby’s early behavior.

In addition to providing physical benefits through critical nutrients, research shows that breastfeeding also has a deep and lasting effect on thought and understanding, behavior, and mental health in children.

RANKED AMONGST TOP 100 WORLDWIDE HIGHEST RANKED HOSPITAL IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONLY HOSPITAL RANKED IN LEBANON

INTERVIEWS

Sultana Afdhal CEO, World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH)

“Climate Change and Health are inextricably linked"

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orld Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) participated at COP26 climate summit as an institute that focuses on research related to healthcare policy. “Hospitals” magazine had the privilege to meet Sultana Afdhal, CEO of WISH, to talk about the relation between health and climate change since both are inextricably linked and profoundly affect one another.

As an institute that focuses on research related to healthcare policy, why was WISH at COP26?

Climate change is a public health emergency as it directly affects the social and economic determinants of health. We were at COP26 to stress the importance of tackling climate change in the context of setting and implementing effective healthcare policies.

This is what our research shows to be the most effective way of addressing the climate crisis and avoiding further health-based global emergencies.

In a recent joint statement released by over 200 medical journals worldwide, it was recommended that “despite the world’s necessary preoccupation with COVID-19, we cannot wait for the pandemic to pass to rapidly reduce emissions.” We strongly believe that governments must put tangible measures in place to act on climate change right now, and they must work with the healthcare industry in order to do so.

healthy dry cities and our recent research report, in collaboration with British Medical Journal (BMJ), entitled “Protecting health in dry cities: considerations for policy-makers”. Qatar, as part of the GCC region, is considered to be one of the most arid urban environments in the world. Our report provides recommendations for building and maintaining healthy dry cities, in order to improve the health and wellbeing of those that live in them.

Therefore, our COP26 highlights included running a session on the findings and recommendations from our report, as well as hosting a photo exhibition, which was essentially a visual representation of our report and which demonstrated the measures which Qatar Foundation has already put in place for the benefit of Qatar’s citizens. The photos were taken at Sidra Hospital, Msheireb Downtown, and various spots within Education City.

Please highlight WISH’s participation at COP26

Can you elaborate more on why the healthcare sector must be represented when action plans for climate change are discussed?

We held various different activities at COP26, predominantly around the topic of

Health and climate change are inextricably linked and profoundly affect one another. The

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OVER THE COMING MONTHS AND YEARS, WISH WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH TO HAVE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEALTH & CLIMATE CHANGE RECOGNIZED AS AN AREA THAT MUST BE URGENTLY FOCUSED ON.

INTERVIEWS

Retractable shades covering Barahat Square in Msheireb Downtown, Doha Shading reduces land surface temperature by intercepting solar radiation, and significantly improves human thermal comfort.

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World Health Organization (WHO) recently stated that climate change is the 'single biggest health threat facing humanity.' There are several elements to this interdependence; for example, the healthcare industry is a huge polluter, producing the equivalent to 4.4% of global net emissions including significant amounts of methane, hydrofluorocarbons and anesthetic gases. But at the same time, the health of all living things is directly affected by rising temperatures.

Global warming and the extreme weather conditions that it brings will result in forced mass migrations. In turn, this will lead to an increase in communicable diseases such water- and vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever, and the introduction of novel pathogens, risking further global pandemics. Similarly, Earth’s rising temperatures are causing natural bodies of water to dry up, severely impacting the health of those who rely on them. Water scarcity means food shortages (and drug shortages due to a lack of plant-based medicines) and malnutrition, as well as increased levels of non-communicable diseases such as stress and kidney damage, especially when linked with high temperatures.

There’s another element to this too; when healthcare systems are stressed, the care models that we work with, which are designed with a specific capacity in mind, put a strain on resources. A heavy disease burden also drives up insurance premiums making healthcare costly for everyone and ultimately, with higher levels of sickness comes lower productivity levels and weaker economies due to lower productivity.

The effects of climate change on the healthcare industry as a whole are undeniable, but the impact of healthcare on our climate is just as damaging. Reviewing and refining our healthcare policies can help us to fight the global climate crisis.

What steps do you think global governments should take in order to make the health and climate crisis a priority?

In our various research reports on this topic, we make some clear recommendations for governments. One of those is to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and ecosystems by working

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with scientists from various disciplines such as climatology, ecology, and social sciences on robust policy-oriented research. By evaluating how to adapt current health systems, for example, governments will be able to track the outbreak of new diseases and respond to pandemics in a more effective manner.

For urban environments specifically, they should invest in sustainable solutions to cool and control their microclimates. In dry cities, this could include increased amounts of urban vegetation, irrigated green space and technologies such as biofilters. The action of installing nature-based solutions can contribute to the prevention of non-communicable diseases such as depression, via social connection and physical activity. Governments should also use the role of nurses to impact the trajectory of climate change. Nurses have an unrivaled potential to initiate and mobilize change due to their close contact with communities and the high level of trust they hold, and they should be empowered to take up leadership roles. Then, they will be actively involved in creating the climate-resilient healthcare policies that they will be promoting.

What commitments have you made towards the cause and how do you intend to fulfill them?

Over the coming months and years, WISH will continue to push to have the relationship between health and climate change recognized as an area that must be urgently focused on.

To do this, we will continue to produce and promote evidence-based research that demonstrates this relationship, alongside partners who are experts in the field. We will also support and amplify the messages of others that are working in this important area, and will endeavor to lead by example by making sustainability a clear focus of all our future events.

Can you give us an overview of some of the climate action happening in Qatar?

Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 aims to continue Qatar’s transformation into a country that can sustain its own development and provide a high standard of living for its population now, and in years to come. A holistic vision

THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE ARE UNDENIABLE, BUT THE IMPACT OF HEALTHCARE ON OUR CLIMATE IS JUST AS DAMAGING. REVIEWING AND REFINING OUR HEALTHCARE POLICIES CAN HELP US TO FIGHT THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CRISIS.

INTERVIEWS

Msheireb Downtown, Doha Xeriscape gardening - landscaping that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation – can substitute for water-intensive green spaces. that places environmental preservation for Qatar’s future generations at the forefront is paramount. QNV 2030 balances developmental needs and the protection of Qatar’s natural environment, whether land, sea, or air, through measures including an urban development plan that adopts a sustainable policy and the development of environmental institutions that build public awareness about environmental protection and encourage the use of environmentally sound technologies.

Qatar has also recently announced a new Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and its National Environment and Climate Change Strategy, as part of its move towards its goals on sustainability. The new strategy will deliver three objectives of enhancing the health and vitality

of the environment, improving the well-being of Qatar’s population, and ensuring economy’s resilience. To do so, it will focus on five environmental priorities: reducing greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions, restoring biodiversity abundance, establishing sustainable water management, improving waste management and building a circular economy, and enhancing land use productivity.

Qatar has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 percent by 2030, and has put several measures in place to promote sustainable food production in recent years. Sustainability is also at the heart of preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022™, which aims to be the first carbon-neutral event in the tournament’s history.

BY EVALUATING HOW TO ADAPT CURRENT HEALTH SYSTEMS, FOR EXAMPLE, GOVERNMENTS WILL BE ABLE TO TRACK THE OUTBREAK OF NEW DISEASES AND RESPOND TO PANDEMICS IN A MORE EFFECTIVE MANNER.

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Decade of achievement for WCM-Q’s Institute for Population Health

From left: Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamaq, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Bin Hamad AlThani, and Dr. Sohaila Cheema

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he Institute for Population Health (IPH) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) has celebrated its 10th anniversary of advancing population health in Qatar, the wider region and beyond.

“We established the IPH to support the goals set out in Qatar National Vision 2030 to proactively support and improve the health of all people in Qatar through pioneering research, evidence-based public health interventions, educational health programs targeted at all demographics, and by generally empowering the community with the skills and knowledge to live healthy, happy and long lives,” explained Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, Vice Dean for Population Health and Lifestyle Medicine, who co-founded the IPH in 2011 under its original name of the Division of Global and Public Health.

Throughout its decade of operation, the IPH has taken a multi-faceted approach to enhance human health by supporting programs that tackle non-communicable diseases - such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity – and emerging challenges such as COVID19. The IPH pursues this goal by conducting groundbreaking research and implementing evidence-based ini-

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tiatives to promote healthy lifestyle habits (following a healthy diet, tobacco cessation, taking regular exercise, managing stress, developing positive relationships), promoting road safety and encouraging personal hygiene practices.

These measures are of critical importance because preventable lifestyle-related diseases are now the biggest cause of premature mortality worldwide and are of concern in the Gulf region.

Dr. Sohaila Cheema, Assistant Dean for the Institute for Population Health, said: “We have always believed that health problems are best addressed by cooperative approaches, guided by scientific evidence and executed through community engagement. Ultimately, we aim to improve both longevity and quality of life for all members of the community, and to bridge research gaps where they exist. We are extremely gratified by the success we have enjoyed in these endeavors over the past ten years and heartened by the way the community groups we have engaged with have responded with such positivity.”

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Bin Hamad AlThani, Director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health and Associate

THROUGHOUT ITS DECADE OF OPERATION, THE IPH HAS TAKEN A MULTIFACETED APPROACH TO ENHANCE HUMAN HEALTH

BY SUPPORTING PROGRAMS THAT TACKLE NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES - SUCH AS TYPE 2 DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, AND OBESITY – AND EMERGING CHALLENGES SUCH AS COVID19.

NEWS Professor of Clinical Population Health Sciences at WCM-Q, said: “I have closely followed your progress and achievements over the last decade and have been impressed by your commitment and devotion to promoting population health in Qatar and beyond. Initiatives tailored to the needs of our community have yielded tremendously positive results and it has been my pleasure to participate and contribute with you on many successful health programs and activities. I congratulate all of you for your dedication, hard work and determination. Looking to the future, the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health looks forward to working with the Institute for Population Health on many new projects that will help us achieve our common aspirations and further contribute to the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the health of people right across our region and beyond.”

Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q, said: “I offer my warmest congratulations and thanks to our dedicated team of professionals in the Institute for Population Health. For ten years they have worked with great imagination, energy and diligence to enhance the health of the population, both here in Qatar and beyond. I am certain the IPH will continue to thrive for many years, into the future, helping to improve quality and length of life for all members of our global community.”

The IPH goes into schools and local businesses and engages with community groups to share information and guidance about healthy lifestyles, as well as offering a wide variety of courses, seminars and workshops for healthcare professionals and researchers. For example, the IPH runs an innovative Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine program, established in 2020. To date, the certificate program has provided 130 healthcare professionals with evidence-based guidance on lifestyle medicine education to evaluate, prevent, treat, and reverse lifestyle-related diseases.

The Institute supports the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM) in administering its examination, which has thus far allowed 35 physicians and other healthcare professionals to gain IBLM certification. The IPH also offers workshops on Understanding the Basics of Health Research, and an introduction to systematic reviews.

The faculty and staff of the IPH also contribute to WCM-Q’s pre-medical and medical program, enabling future physicians to look outside of mainstream medicine to appreciate the impact of public health approaches, lifestyle factors, the environment and social determinants on the overall health of populations.

Furthermore, the IPH also provides short-term global health experiential opportunities for WCM-Q’s students to visit other countries, such as Tanzania and Vietnam and elective opportunities worldwide via Global Educational Exchange in Medicine and the Health Professions (GEMx), which allows students to gain a first-hand understanding of global health issues and the challenges of providing healthcare in underserved populations. In addition, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the IPH moved swiftly to adapt, engage, and contribute during the global emergency. The team disseminated credible information related to COVID-19 and helped raise awareness among the public during the early stages of the pandemic. As the crisis continued, the IPH published several peer-reviewed research papers on the health and well-being of society during the pandemic.

In the realm of research, the IPH has published 61 publications including book chapters and papers in high-profile international medical journals on a wide variety of subjects, including road safety in Qatar, the impact of waterpipe smoking on health, obesity, type 2 diabetes, physical activity and sedentary lifestyles in the MENA region, COVID-19, and mental illness in the MENA region. Other topics include social determinants of health and disease, capacity-building, public health policy, and migrant health, among many others. The IPH is also home to the Center for Cultural Competence in Health Care, which provides healthcare professionals with courses in medical interpretation, emotional intelligence and cultural competence to ensure patients in a multicultural and multilingual environment such as Qatar receive the very best healthcare possible. To date, the CCCHC has trained 354 medical interpreters in Qatar, improving access to healthcare for speakers of a total of 24 world languages, including Arabic, Malayalam, Tagalog, French, Mandarin, Farsi, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil.

In addition to Dr. Mamtani and Dr. Cheema, the IPH team comprises Dr. Karima Chaabna, Dr. Amit Abraham, Dr. Ziyad Mahfoud, Ms. Raji Anand, Ms. Yasmeen Kalverts, Ms. Samaah Shaams Chalil, Ms. Anupama Jithesh, Ms. Maha Elnashar and Ms. Huda Abdelrahim.

The IPH team is highly engaged with the local healthcare community through the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group – Qatar (LMIG-Q), which Dr. Mamtani and Dr. Cheema established in 2018. The LMIG-Q supports and cultivates a community of dedicated professionals who strive to promote healthy behaviors and lifestyles, reduce the burden of disease, and improve the health of future generations.

Currently, the LMIG-Q has more than 700 members and is growing all the time.

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Leading Healthcare Experts Highlight Importance of Multidisciplinary Treatment Approach at ‘2021 Regional Interchange on Diabetes’

Mohammed Al-Tawil, Regional Managing Director & Head of Human Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim META

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CRM conditions affect more than a billion people worldwide and account for up to 20 million deaths annually making it the leading cause of death globally1.

People with type 2 diabetes have a high burden of comorbidities and risk factors, which include heart failure, kidney disease, hypertension, and obesity. The interconnected nature of the cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic systems means that they share many of the same risk factors and pathological pathways along the disease continuum. Carefully balancing these systems is vital to treatment as dysfunction in one may contribute to dysfunction of the others, resulting in disease progression.

Mohammed Al-Tawil, Regional Managing Director and Head of Human Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, said, “In the Middle East and North Africa region, the prevalence of diabetes is at 55 million adults and is set to double by 2045. At Boehringer Ingelheim, we are committed to improving the health and quality of life of people living with this highly prevalent disease and its associated conditions. Building on our history of leadership, compelling research programs, and strong collaboration with the medical community, we continue to develop solutions that offer integrated, multi-organ benefits for patients with type 2 diabetes. The Regional Interchange on Diabetes is one of the many forums we host that bring together international and regional experts to discuss the latest developments and medical expertise with the aim to improve clinical practice and transform the lives of our patients.”

eading healthcare professionals from across the Middle East and Africa highlighted the need for healthcare professionals to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to managing type 2 diabetes at the ‘2021 Regional Interchange on Diabetes (‘RID’)’ conference. Organized by Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, the event was held on October 15th and 16th at the Hilton Dubai Hotel in Al Habtoor City. Over 300 specialists convened to discuss the latest solutions and guidelines on managing type 2 diabetes and the challenges that link cardio-renal-metabolic (‘CRM’) conditions.

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RID WAS ACCREDITED BY THE BRITISH ACADEMY FOR CONTINUOUS MEDICAL EDUCATION (BACME), AND THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION (ACCME). IN ADDITION TO THE FORUM, BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM HOSTS VIRTUAL, INTERACTIVE CME SESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THAT FOCUS ON SHARING INSIGHTS AND BEST PRACTICES ON TYPE 2 DIABETES MANAGEMENT IN THE REGION.

NEWS

The conference was led by international speakers; Dr. José R. González-Juanatey, Director of the Cardiology Department at University Hospital, Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Dr. Marc Lyndon Evans, Consultant Diabetologist in the United Kingdom, and Professor Merlin Thomas, NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, Professor and Program Leader at the Department of Diabetes, Monash University in Australia. The sessions were moderated by leading specialists from the region; Professor Yehia Ghanim, Head of Internal Medicine and Diabetes and Metabolism at the University of Alexandria, Egypt, Professor Hani Sabbour, Consultant Cardiologist, United Arab Emirates, and Professor Ali Abu Alfa, MD, Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

Professor Yehia Ghanim said, “People with diabetes are at major risk of developing complications within the cardio, renal and metabolic systems. Type 2 diabetes particularly, requires an early and comprehensive approach that not only addresses hyperglycaemia and cardiovascular risk factors in the short term but also reduces the overall risk of disease progression and associated cardiovascular and kidney complications in the long term. An important way to do so, besides diet and exercise, is by coordinating the treatment of related comorbidities including the use of emerging medications with broad cardio-renal-metabolic effects. Events such as the RID conference are important in keeping us updated on these latest solutions that help boost the efficiency and standard of patient care in the region.”

Professor Hani Sabbour said, “The Middle East has witnessed a growing rate of type 2 diabetes. Patients with this condition are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease which is also the leading cause of mortality worldwide. A positive and important development in the treatment of type 2 diabetes is the shift towards the prioritization of cardioprotection. It is vital to consider the use of cardioprotective type 2 diabetes agents early on, to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular-related

Dr Ali Abu Alfa at the RID 2021 Forum complications. Knowledge-sharing platforms like RID help to shed light on these latest medical solutions for type 2 diabetes management, particularly in preventing cardiovascular complications.”

Professor Ali Abu-Alfa said, “The complications and risk factors from type 2 diabetes along with other associated risk factors such as high blood pressure are serious and can affect multiple organs such as the heart and the kidneys. For instance, 37 percent of adults with diabetes have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, while approximately three-quarters of cases of end-stage kidney disease can be attributed to diabetes or hypertension. Access to the latest information and guidelines on how to best manage patients with type 2 diabetes with heart or kidney complications is vital to the medical community. Initiatives such as the RID conference make this possible.”

CARDIO-RENALMETABOLIC (‘CRM’) CONDITIONS ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH WORLDWIDE, ACCOUNTING FOR UP TO 20 MILLION DEATHS ANNUALLY.1

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Bupa Global Executive Wellbeing Index reveals UAE HNW individuals are the most proactive in managing mental health and the most adaptive globally

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upa Global launches the 2nd edition of the Bupa Global Executive Wellbeing Index analysing the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world’s high-networth community. The index, which surveyed over 1,200 HNWIs and senior business executives based across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia shows that despite concerns about economic recovery and mental health, global executives have been quick to redefine existing working models and re-align corporate values in order to future-proof their businesses.

Dean Pollard, General Manager of Bupa Global for the Africa, India and Middle East (BGAIM) said, “As UAE business leaders navigate through the COVID-19 crisis and into the ‘New Normal’, there has been a renewed focus at the organisational level on employee wellbeing and environmental, social, and governance values.

But while the UAE government’s proactive approach to the pandemic has allowed the country to enjoy a more comfortable position than most, this year’s data has unearthed some of the anxieties and uncertainties that lie beneath the surface.”

Economic Outlook: Not out of the woods yet The report revealed that, compared to the optimism expressed in 2020, HNWIs in the UAE are still uncertain about the prospect of global economic recovery. 73 per cent believe that their companies are yet to feel the full economic impact of the pandemic, compared to the global average of 9 per cent. This comes as a contrast to their confidence in 2020, when 88 per cent held the opinion that the economy would rebound strongly. This sense of caution extends to the global economy as well, with only 9 per cent expecting a full economic recovery, compared to 20 per cent globally across surveyed counterparts in Egypt, United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), France, Singapore, China and Hong Kong.

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On this shift in economic outlook, Pollard said, “Much of the optimism we noted in 2020 among high-net-worth individuals has since been tempered with caution, partly due to fact that much of the world is still struggling to cope with this pandemic, thus impacting global markets. As we enter the final months of 2021, there is a prevailing sense that while the worst is behind us, we are not out of the woods yet when it comes to economic recovery.”

96% OF UAE HNW INDIVIDUALS ARE TAKING CHARGE OF THEIR MENTAL WELLBEING, DESPITE FACING CHALLENGES

Mental Health: Persistent challenges require persistent solutions While the UAE has taken the lead globally in terms of COVID-19 vaccinations and re-openings, the study has shown that the pandemic is still very much at the front and centre of our attention. Despite relatively low rates of infection and death, high-net-worth individuals are more worried than they let on with almost all (96 per cent) reporting at least one symptom of mental stress which is the highest of all regions surveyed, and significantly higher than the global average of 77 per cent. 76 per cent cite the continued threat of the pandemic as well the efficacy of vaccines on a daily basis, followed by pressure on personal relationships (74 per cent) and work-life balance (68 per cent).

Remarking on the mental health aspect, Pollard said, “It is encouraging to see that, despite personal hardships and uncertainties brought on over the past year, high-net-worth individuals in the UAE have taken their mental health and wellbeing into their own hands, focusing on exercise, relaxation, and proactively seeking the help they need through their insurance companies and virtual services.”

Work Life: Flexible working is here to stay Compared to most regions, companies in the UAE have done more in the past year to encourage wellbeing among employees, in part by re-evaluating existing working models. Workplace wellbeing initiatives were a key priority in the UAE, with 77 per cent of organisations having initiatives in place, and a further 19 per cent

With the mental health conversation becoming more normalised in the UAE, high-net-worth individuals were also recognised for being the most proactive in dealing with their challenges, with 96 per cent having made life changes to manage or prevent their mental health concerns — the highest level reported globally and, again, significantly higher than the global average (84 per cent).

NEWS planning to introduce more in the near future.

Amongst all the changes, flexible working was the most preferred among 74 per cent in the UAE. In 2021, many organisations adopted a hybrid work model – splitting between remote work and in-person collaboration at offices.

Pollard commented, “These changes didn’t occur in a vacuum but as the result of a shift in perspective among business leaders in the Middle East. Our study revealed that 69 per cent of high-net-worth individuals recognised the increased responsibility organisations have to provide wellbeing support to their teams. With that said, among UAE business leaders, we still note a strong desire for a return to normalcy.”

Only 12 per cent want their organisation to conduct more meetings and important business remotely, compared to 26 per cent globally. And a mere 6 per cent want to see the pace of digital transformation increase, again, significantly below the global average (28 per cent). Pollard remarked, “Hospitality and networking are fundamental elements of business practice in this region, which may explain why high-net-worth individuals would see little value in reducing face-to-face meetings.”

Changing corporate values The most striking change when analysing the ‘New Normal’ in the UAE is a shift in corporate values towards environmental, social, and governance (ESG). Three out of four (73 per cent) in the UAE recognise the importance of ESG and want to see their company do more towards balancing profit with purpose (73 per cent) and furthering the environmental agenda (72 per cent), significantly higher than the global average (35 per cent and 34 per cent respectively).

This year’s study also revealed a difference in how high-net-worth individuals value corporate leadership qualities, where self-awareness and awareness of bias were the most prized CEO qualities, and rated important by 70 per cent — more than twice the global average of 32 per cent and 24 per cent respectively. They also put a far higher value on empathy: 69 per cent, compared to 41 per cent globally. However, only 10 per cent thought CEOs are now expected to show greater empathy, compared to 27 per cent globally.

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Half brain child

By Aylin Altuntas, Founder at AA Executive Consulting / Board Member at The Future Healthcare Conference

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uman brain is made up of 86 billion neurons (nerve cells). The number of connections between the neurons is approximately 0,2 quadrillion. The quantity of connections in one cubic millimetre brain cortex is, twenty times the number of people who live on earth.

We are not even close to creating a millimetre copy of the human brain who is the inventor of artificial intelligence. Unless the human race exterminates itself, artificial intelligence is yet a vehicle for the human beings.

‘Born in 1995, Matthew S. starts to have seizures at the age of three. After the long examinations, Mathew is diagnosed with a rare chronic inflammatory disease called Rasmussen’s encephalitis. This disease not only affects a small part of the brain, but spreads to the hemisphere of the brain. There is only one known treatment of the brain: A brain operation where half of the brain is removed called “hemispherectomy”. At Johns Hopkins Hospital,

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Baltimore, the brain surgeon, working with patience, removes half of the delicate, pink material, which is the source of reason, emotion, humour, fear and love after a long operation.

Matthew’s empty half of skull slowly fills with brain cerebrospinal fluid and at his brain tomography is reflected by a black space. Matthew with a half brain first suffers with enuresis, abasia and alogia. However, after three months, his development stage catches up the exact period of his age. After years, he can well use his right hand well and can walk with slight hobbling. His long-term memory works perfectly. He even completed three semesters at university and lives an extremely normal life...

The remaining half of Matthew’s brain takes over the deficient functions and re-forms the circuit scheme. Neural system adjusts itself to fulfil the needs of life by performing with half of the mechanism.’

The brain constantly adapts itself to overcome the difficulties encountered and adjusts itself to reach its targets. It formalizes its resources to the needs of the circumstances. If it does not have the required means, it creates itself. If you remove the half of the electronic components of a mobile device, it breaks down and you can no longer make a phone call. However, the living software can bend, change and move on with its life.

We gave a Covid-19 break to the Future Healthcare organised in 24-25 October 2019. In the meantime: • • •

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Age 70 & above started online shopping.

Age 20 & below came close to plants and insects.

The business people, who got tired of seeing themselves in Zoom, reduced the number of online meetings.

Desire to skip the class replaced itself with a wish to attend school.

THE BRAIN CONSTANTLY ADAPTS ITSELF TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED AND ADJUSTS ITSELF TO REACH ITS TARGETS. IT FORMALIZES ITS RESOURCES TO THE NEEDS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES. IF IT DOES NOT HAVE THE REQUIRED MEANS, IT CREATES ITSELF. IF YOU REMOVE THE HALF OF THE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS OF A MOBILE DEVICE, IT BREAKS DOWN AND YOU CAN NO LONGER MAKE A PHONE CALL. HOWEVER, THE LIVING SOFTWARE CAN BEND, CHANGE AND MOVE ON WITH ITS LIFE.

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Covid-19 vaccine techniques led the way to the treatments of curing the cancer.

The housewives learned the trade with knitting, jewellery & craft and business people learned to roll out dough.

Human beings who got alone with themselves, started to question their existence, identity, life, job, partner, friend and made brand new decisions.

The technology companies booming with wealth, opened the space travel market.

USA, UAE & China stepped on the surface of Mars.

“Rising up, back on the Street Did my time, took my chances Went the distance, now I’m back on my feet Just a man and his will to survive...”

With the Rocky music of Survivor, at the hybrid Future Healthcare Conference, we are honoured to bring together hundreds of health professionals, doctors, professors, and company executives with about 30.000 audiences in a historical venue in İstanbul, in 18-22 October 2021.

Dr. Oğuz Özyaral, MD.PhD. Yıldıray Tanrıver, MD.PhD. Ender Saraç, Dilara Koçak, Doç.Dr. Leyla Şener, Ergin Ataman, Vahap Munyar, Prof.

Dr. Türker Kılıç, Dr. Steve Mason, Dr. Cem Kınay, Bekir Çakmak, Dr. Sevgi Salman Ünver, Dr. Tayfun Acarer, Sadullah Uzun, Elif Dağdeviren, Gürkan Boztepe, Dr. Cebrail Taşkın, Doğan Eraslan.

During The Future of Healthcare Conference, among the topics discussed for 5 days are: Sustainability, women employment at the health leadership positions, latest global trends at healthcare, nanobots, innovation at cancer treatment, blockchain technology & 5G at healthcare, wearable technologies, internet of bodies, healthy use of big data, virtual surgery rooms, virtual hospitals, avatar patients, new roles of AI at the diagnosis & treatment, hospital security, aerospace health, neom project, intelligent medicines, bite technology, biological techniques, health tourism, healthy life and nutrition...

With the participation of thousands of healthcare contributors, the collective intelligence is activated; the simulation of future health is generated.

Hoping to meet next time with HEALTH!

The Hybrid Conference, which is organised,

by Future X Events and Tazefikir is opened by the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Şuayip Birinci.

Some of the valuable Conference Sponsors are: Abbott, Bayer, Infinity, Eczastok, GSK, Philips, Amgen, Tazı, Starbucks, Nestle, Doğadan, Liv Hospital, King Hussein Cancer Foundation, Açık Holding, Borusan Otomotiv, BEKO, DoctorFollow, Tıbbın Ustaları, TÜBİTAK, Schneider Digital, On Communication, Medikalnews, Dünya Newspaper, The Arab Hospital Magazine, Turkish British, Healthnet.

The medical students were able to attend the conference free of charge.

WITH THE ROCKY MUSIC OF SURVIVOR, AT THE HYBRID FUTURE HEALTHCARE CONFERENCE, WE ARE HONOURED TO BRING TOGETHER HUNDREDS OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, DOCTORS, PROFESSORS, AND COMPANY EXECUTIVES WITH ABOUT 30.000 AUDIENCES IN A HISTORICAL VENUE IN İSTANBUL, IN 18-22 OCTOBER 2021.

www.futurehealthcare-istanbul.com

References: Livewired, Dr. David Eagleman, 2020 –Neuroscientist @Stanford University

Some of the Healthcare Speakers who honoured the Conference are: Prof.Dr. Melvin Salmon, Prof.Dr. Miia Kivipelto, Prof.Dr. Richard A.Lockshin, Dr. Katarina Bjelke, Prof.Dr. Sinan Canan, Prof.Dr. Devrim Gözüaçık, Prof.Dr. Murat Aksoy, Dr. Ayça Kaya, Dr. Michael Marash, Prof.

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ARTICLES

Your health is not always your decision. How you handle it is.

By Brian Dooreck, MD, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Executive Health Navigation Patients are often frustrated. Lost and confused in the maze of poor doctor-patient communication, trying to navigate it alone on how to get information about their own health, not to mention understand it.

The way we see it. “Your health is not always your decision. How you handle it is.”

I

n today’s world if you do not know how to “navigate” the healthcare system and get to the best doctors for your problem “quicker, faster, better, and easier”, then you are wasting time and resources that you may not have.

When there are "real" problems, whether it be acute or chronic - and you want things to move smoother, easier, better, and more effectively...then you need guidance from someone with experience and leverage.

I have seen it thousands of times before. I see it every day. Patients, people just like you, are struggling to move through a very complex healthcare system. Especially in the United States; even being one of the leading healthcare systems in the world. The top doctors. The top institutions. The place almost everyone looks to as the “gold standard” of healthcare. The degree of scale and options add to that challenge. Guidance, reassurance, planning, and direction are needed when nothing matters more. When your health is the conversation.

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I​magine having someone help you navigate the healthcare system?

Imagine if you could get access to the best doctors, quicker, faster, better, and easier?

Does that sound like a fantasy? Well, it’s not. ​ In our world. From what we do. From what we see. We know how to do this. We have solved this problem 1000s of times for others.

Let me tell you how you can too. If and when needed. When you least expect it. When you need it most. As a physician for over 15+ years in clinical practice, I have also learned the value of patient advocacy. For my friends. For my family.

That led to the expansion of my active clinical practice into another world. Another professional space in medicine. One that is based on the highest-level outcomes and results with the expected discretion and privacy.

If you are asking “What is a Patient Advocate?” Let’s start by defining what patient advocacy actually is.

What is a Patient Advocate?

A guide. A navigator. Essentially a medical “Sherpa” to guide you through a very broken and complex healthcare system.

AS A PHYSICIAN FOR OVER 15+ YEARS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, I HAVE ALSO LEARNED THE VALUE OF PATIENT ADVOCACY. FOR MY FRIENDS. FOR MY FAMILY. THAT LED TO THE EXPANSION OF MY ACTIVE CLINICAL PRACTICE INTO ANOTHER WORLD. ANOTHER PROFESSIONAL SPACE IN MEDICINE.

ARTICLES

What is a Patient or Health Navigator?​ A patient navigator helps patients communicate with their healthcare providers so they get the information they need to make decisions about their healthcare. Patient navigators may also help patients set up appointments for doctor visits and medical tests and get financial, legal, and social support.

Who can be a patient advocate?

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement defines a patient advocate as a “supporter, believer, sponsor, promoter, campaigner, backer, or spokesperson.”

In reality, this can be a family member or even a friend. However, there are now independent professionals who specialize in the field of patient advocacy, helping patients and families make sense of the options in the labyrinth of healthcare options, barriers to access and delays in care.

The Patient Advocate Certification Board developed a board certification and in March 2018 held its first test, certifying approximately 150 patient advocates.

discretion and respect to your privacy, with the sensitivity of a physician that actually cares for you. That is what we do.

These are some of the many leading institutions we work with and have access to. For you.

What we do in this space. The level we do it.

It’s not something we share with everyone. Nor is it something we can offer to everyone. But if we can help guide you, provide you some direction, and even connect you with another patient advocate, just ask.

PATIENTS ARE OFTEN FRUSTRATED. LOST AND CONFUSED IN THE MAZE OF POOR DOCTOR-PATIENT COMMUNICATION, TRYING TO NAVIGATE IT ALONE ON HOW TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR OWN HEALTH, NOT TO MENTION UNDERSTAND IT.

Where can I find a patient advocate?

There are many patient advocacy options available to you. There are many professional associations and groups that support patient advocacy. You now have choices.

When the "stakes are high" you need results.

You need experience. That is why if it was me, I would choose a specialist. Someone with credentials and experience to provide you with a level of service that is unmatched. Someone that has a proven record. Someone who has done this a thousand times with confidential

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ARTICLE FEATURES . Insulin Pump

Insulin Pump A technology that mimics the work of the pancreas in the body

A

n insulin pump is a small device similar to an artificial pancreas that serves as an alternative to a malfunctioning pancreas in a diabetic patient. The manufacturing companies have been developing insulin pumps in a way that facilitates the life of diabetics and makes them able to lead a normal life. The new generation of pumps provides a sensor that con-

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TYPE 1 DIABETES PATIENTS RELY ON INSULIN AND BENEFIT FROM THE INSULIN PUMP.

tinuously measures the blood sugar level and automatically pumps insulin at the time needed.

The insulin pump mimics the pancreas in the body through technology, helping the diabetic patient to lead a normal life without the need to prick the finger whenever it is time for the insulin dose. Medical studies and follow-ups with patients who use an insulin pump have

ARTICLE FEATURES . Insulin Pump

shown an improvement in the quality of life and satisfaction of patients with type 1 diabetes of all ages, and it is the latest treatment solution for patients to become more capable of coping with their medical condition.

Insulin pumps are considered one of the best means to control the diabetes rate, avoid complications that could harm the patient’s health, in addition to the high hospitalization cost. They are safe and effective, especially for children, provided they are taught how to use it under the supervision and control of parents, as they help to balance insulin and glucose and reduce hypoglycemia.

Type 1 diabetes patients rely on insulin and benefit from the insulin pump, while type 2 diabetes often rely on oral treatments, but sometimes the patient needs to add insulin and inject insulin on a daily basis, this is when he benefits from the insulin pump.

Insulin Pump Features Small in size, similar to a mobile phone, it can be easily attached to the body without pain.

An insulin pump is a technology that is used as an alternative to insulin injections, especially in cases where the patient needs to inject four times a day. One of the advantages of the insulin pump is the ability to pre-program it and provide it with insulin when needed, which makes it reduce low or high blood sugar level, and over time the pump helps reduce the cumulative diabetes. The pump is also accurate in controlling diabetes, as it only gives the body what it needs.

Thus, the patient has more freedom to eat.

It is also the latest way to pump insulin continuously and regularly throughout the day, so the patient has stable blood sugar level, which gives him the opportunity to lead a normal life.

The development in the medical technology field contributed to the creation of this alternative treatment solution that significantly reduces the risk of hypoglycemia, while eliminating the need for patients to inject themselves during the day and provides a greater ability to control the blood sugar level.

MEDICAL STUDIES AND FOLLOW-UPS WITH PATIENTS WHO USE AN INSULIN PUMP HAVE SHOWN AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND SATISFACTION OF PATIENTS WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES OF ALL AGES, AND IT IS THE LATEST TREATMENT SOLUTION FOR PATIENTS TO BECOME MORE CAPABLE OF COPING WITH THEIR MEDICAL CONDITION.

Hence, the most important features of an insulin pump are as follows: • • • • • • •

I mproving the patient's quality of life Getting rid of insulin injections Diabetes control Reducing the risk of low or high blood sugar levels Helping reduce cumulative blood sugar levels Preventing or delaying complications of diabetes Suitable for all age groups

It is easy to increase and decrease the amount of excess insulin simply by pressing a few buttons. The pump can be also adjusted instantly to allow exercising, during severe illness, or to inject small amounts of insulin to cover meals and snacks.According to studies, the use of insulin pumps works to reduce episodes of severe hyperglycemia or severe hypoglycemia. It continuously pumps insulin to the body over 24 hours in doses programmed by the treating physician, and this is called the basic pumping of the insulin pump. When the blood sugar level drops below the acceptable level, the pump automatically and temporarily stops pumping insulin for up to two hours, which avoids the risk of a sharp drop in the diabetes rate and its complications.

On the other hand, when the patient eats his meal and consumes carbohydrates, the pump pumps the insulin that is proportional to the amount of carbohydrates and this is called nutritional pumping.

Despite its ease of use, this does not negate the importance of educating the patient and his family in the use of the device. Educating the patient and teaching him how to calculate the amount of consumed carbohydrates in order to get the amount of insulin needed into the pump is very important for the successful treatment by the pump. Also, the presence of the pump does not negate the necessity of performing home blood sugar test and entering the readings into the device in order for the pump to correct the high readings.

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ARTICLE FEATURES . Therapeutic Nutrition Clinics

Therapeutic nutrition clinics and centers to improve the nutritional health level

T

oday, hospitals and medical centers allocate an important space for therapeutic nutrition and diet clinics, as they developed specialized centers after research showed a strong relationship between public health and the consumed foods to improve health.

Nutrition has become an essential element in preventing disease, limiting their exacerbation and its active role in promoting the healing process in case of illness, in addition to the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and getting rid of obesity.

Hospitals and medical centers have set a goal for therapeutic nutrition clinics, which is to enhance community awareness about the importance of food and its relationship to the development of medical conditions by developing nutritional plans based on the individual’s general condition, taking into account his disease, lifestyle and nutritional needs.

Under the supervision of a clinical nutritionist, the necessary analyzes and examinations are carried out to evaluate the patient's condition

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THERAPEUTIC NUTRITION CLINICS AIM TO ENHANCE SOCIAL AWARENESS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL CONDITIONS

BY SETTING NUTRITIONAL PLANS BASED ON THE INDIVIDUAL’S GENERAL CONDITION, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT HIS DISEASE, LIFESTYLE AND NUTRITIONAL NEEDS.

and identify foods that show an improper interaction affecting weight or his medical condition.

Accordingly, a well-thought-out diet is developed according to the patient’s disease, in order to provide proper eating habits.

A healthy and balanced diet is part of preventive and curative health services. Dietitians are part of a multidisciplinary approach to treating patients, both inside and outside the hospital, so that the patient who suffers from diabetes, hypertension or heart disease can eat the appropriate foods for his condition.

The relationship between the doctor and the dietitian Both the doctor and the dietitian have a role in the patient's treatment journey. It definitely starts with the specialized consultant to diagnose the condition and guide the patient towards the optimal treatment after undergoing a clinical examination in the first place and listening to the patient’s complaint and knowing his medical history, then undergoing a series of laboratory tests to know what is happening inside the patient’s body.

After that, the nutritionist completes the treatment journey, and cooperation emerges between the two parties as well as the integration of visions and strategies, so that the nutritionist tailors the diet to suit the patient's condition in coordination with the treating physician.

A healthy diet for each condition is the cornerstone of treating chronic non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, metabolic disorders such as lactose intolerance and diseases that require a feeding tube.

The more the patient adheres to his own diet, the more advanced the therapeutic results of the drug will be, as it has been proven that the effectiveness of the drug increases with a healthy lifestyle.

ARTICLE FEATURES . Therapeutic Nutrition Clinics

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ARTICLE FEATURES . Therapeutic Nutrition Clinics

Clinics and nutrition centers’ fields of work Some believe that the work of a nutritionist is only limited to treating obesity and losing excess weight, but it actually goes beyond that, as this section includes many areas of work, including: • Treating obesity and overweight • Nutrition after weight loss surgeries • Nutrition disorder • Nutrition for diabetes and blood pressure • Appropriate nutrition for diseases of the digestive system • Nutrition during autoimmune diseases • Gluten and lactose intolerance • Food intolerance • Nutrition for children, adolescents and adults • Sports nutrition • Nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding • Nutrition for eating disorders After conducting a comprehensive evaluation, the clinical dietitian provides the appropriate nutritional evaluation, and accordingly, specialized diets are prescribed according to the

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HEALTHY FOOD IS ESSENTIAL IN PREVENTING DISEASE, REDUCING ITS EXACERBATION AND PROMOTING HEALING.

patient’s medical condition. Proper food resists disease, strengthens the immune system and reduces the risks of modern diseases such as heart and kidney diseases, cancer, diabetes and obesity.

Medication and Food Therapy Recent studies confirm the benefits of an effective diet in reducing the exacerbation of a medical condition and possibly avoiding its occurrence, as the effectiveness of nutritional treatment for some diseases has been proven by avoiding eating unhealthy junk foods.

Also, a healthy diet and a loss of 5-10% of weight help in regulating diabetes and high blood pressure, reducing the chance of developing heart disease and lowering cholesterol. It also helps relieve joint pain and protects against breathing problems during sleep and many other medical conditions.

The dietician introduces dietary modifications in specific amounts to the patient's food menu. Some cases require adding nutrients if the tests show a deficiency in the body so that it benefits and improves his health condition, noting that following a specific diet varies from one patient to another.