(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) Stroke Program has become the first of its kind in the Middle East to be recertified by the Joint Commission International (JCI). This latest achievement was confirmed following an extensive review under JCI's Clinical Care Program Certification (CCPS) Third Edition. The HMC Stroke Program operates under Hamad General Hospital (HGH).
'JCI certification is based on quality and safety across all clinical and management functions and is considered the gold standard in global healthcare, said Professor Ashfaq Shuaib, Director of HMC's Neurosciences Institute.
Recertification of the Stroke Program is a significant achievement for HMC. It independently endorses the quality of care the service has consistently delivered since first gaining JCI certification in 2014.
To receive the recertification, HMC's Stroke Program team successfully met the JCI inspection's strict criteria, which assessed the quality and safety of the full spectrum of services involved in caring for stroke patients, including HMC's ambulance, emergency, radiology and rehabilitation teams.
HMC's Stroke Program team has continued to improve care outcomes for patients, despite increasing volumes. Recent improvements in care outcomes include increased public knowledge of stroke. A campaign by HMC has contributed to an increase in the number of stroke patients calling for an ambulance, rather than driving themselves to hospital - rising from 50 percent in 2014 to 66 percent at present.
The average length of stay in hospital for stroke patients has reduced. Time of stay has steadily decreased from 8.9 days in 2013 to 5.9 days in 2017. Also in addition to thrombolysis —internationally recognised as a very effective treatment in acute ischemic stroke, which must be given within 4.5 hours of the onset of symptoms — the HMC stroke team now regularly utilises interventional thrombectomies, the retrieval of blocked vessel clots through a catheter.
'The number of IV thrombolysis and interventional thrombectomy treatments we carry out at HMC has increased threefold since 2014. Both these treatments must be given quickly following a stroke. This requires effective and timely assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke patients by everyone involved in the care process, Dr Naveed Akhtar, Director of HMC's Stroke Ward.
He also said, 'Due to the high prevalence in Qatar's population of many risk factors for stroke — including diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, and inactivity the incidence of stroke is high. In 2014, we treated around 900 stroke patients, a number that has risen to 1,390 in 2017 and ongoing.
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