Impact of ACGME-I Accreditation on Patient Outcomes at Hamad Medical Corporation: A Call for Evidence

It is globally acknowledged that becoming a physician today brings complexities not faced in the past. There is growing evidence for new techniques in patient care as well as advancing technology that brings forth procedures never possible before. Moreover, patients today possess access to more medical information and thus expect the highest of quality

Utilization of the internet for physical activity and diet information and its influence on pregnant women’s lifestyle habits in Qatar

BackgroundMaintaining a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy is essential. With the increasing availability of the internet, pregnant women have access to a wealth of information related to physical activity (PA) and healthy diets.ObjectivesThe study aims to investigate the extent of internet usage by pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Qatar to obtain information about PA and healthy diets, identify associated factors, and evaluate the impact of this information on their lifestyle habits.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in six randomly selected public antenatal clinics in Qatar. Pregnant women aged ≥18 years in any trimester were recruited using a probability sampling technique. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive and analytic statistics were employed for data analysis.ResultsA total of 327 pregnant women (mean age of 29.5 years ± 4.0) completed and returned the questionnaire (response rate: 87.5%). Among the participants, 54.5% used the internet to obtain information about PA, while 72% sought online diet-related information. Factors such as age (26–35 years), tertiary education, employment status, and being primigravidae were associated with a higher likelihood of using the internet for healthy lifestyles information. Participants who reported using the internet for PA information a great deal were more likely to increase their PA during pregnancy compared to those who used it somewhat or very little (57.6, 26.8, and 5.0%, p < 0.001; respectively). Similarly, those who used the internet for diet information a great deal were more likely to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption compared to those who used it somewhat, or very little (84.2, 68.5, and 63.6%, p = 0.038; respectively). Also, participants who used the internet for diet information a great deal were more likely to decrease the amount of sugary and fatty foods they ate compared to women who used the internet somewhat or very little (61.4, 45.2, and 18.2%, p < 0.001; respectively) and (50.9, 30.4, and 18.2%, p = 0.001; respectively).ConclusionMany pregnant women use the internet to access information about PA and diet, and greater use is associated with more positive lifestyle changes. This study provides useful information to consider when designing intervention programs for pregnant women about adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyles

Post-COVID-19 syndrome, who at risk and why: an insight from Qatar 2022

BackgroundDespite the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, many people experience post-COVID-19 syndrome, which negatively impacts their health and function. This condition has become a significant public health problem that requires immediate attention.ObjectiveTo study the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and predictors of post-COVID-19 Syndrome in Qatar during 2022.MethodsAn analytic cross-sectional study was conducted among COVID-19 confirmed cases from January 2022 to July 2022 in Qatar. A simple random sample was employed to include (n = 588) participants from the list of cases and invited to participate in a telephone survey. The World Health Organization’s standard case definition for PCS was adopted.ResultsOut of 368, the prevalence of post-COVID-19 syndrome was 43.2% (n = 159). Most PCS cases were females (67.9%; n = 108), married (73.6%; n = 117), and university and higher educational level (83.6%; n = 133). However, 78.7% (n = 125) reported poor to moderate levels of social support. Only 30.2% (n = 48) of PCS patients had a history of chronic diseases, and 5.7% (n = 9) required hospital admission during acute illness. Among PCS cases, the most commonly reported symptoms were fatigue (75.5%), followed by anxiety (49.1%), forgetfulness (46.5%), mood alteration (45.3%), and general weakness (39.6%). The logistic regression revealed that female gender (AOR: 2.58 95%CI: 1.58–4.225, p < 0.0001), university and high educational level (AOR: 2.2, 95%CI: 1.256–3.98, p < 0.006), poor level of social support (AOR: 2.45; 95%CI: 1.55–4.13; p < 0.002), were significant predictors for PCS.ConclusionPost-COVID-19 syndrome may go under-recognized. More efforts are needed to raise awareness and mobilize the resources to respond to this ongoing public health problem

Perception of consanguineous marriage among the qatari population

BackgroundHereditary blood diseases are widespread among the Arab population due to the high rates of consanguineous marriages; research regarding the perception of consanguineous marriage in some countries, such as Qatar, is extremely scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of consanguineous marriage and assess the perception of consanguineous marriage among the Qatari population.MethodsA cross-sectional study used a self-administered questionnaire among 395 Qatari adults aged 18–35 who attended primary healthcare institutions in Qatar. A convenience sampling technique was used to select the study participants. An independent t-test was used to compare the significance of the mean between the two groups with positive and negative perceptions of consanguineous marriage. Categorical data were analyzed for association using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test. Finally, a multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the significant predictors of the positive perception of consanguineous marriage. A significant level was set at p < 0.05.ResultsApproximately 45% of the participants had a positive perception toward consanguineous marriage, and the most common reason stated by those participants was “habit and traditions.” The prevalence of consanguineous marriage among married couples was 62.6%, and among those with consanguineous marriage, most were married to first cousins (81.7%). Moreover, compared to the participants with negative perceptions of consanguineous marriage, those with positive ones were significantly older, married, with lower educational levels and higher monthly income levels, did not hear about glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, did not know what kinds of diseases are being screened in the premarital test, and were married to a relative.ConclusionThe prevalence of consanguineous marriage is high among the Qatari population, and this requires an immediate need for community-based campaigns to raise public awareness about the problem and its potential impact

Prevalence and trends of transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors in the State of Qatar, 2013-2017.

Millions of lives around the world are being saved annually through blood transfusion. However, blood transfusion is among the essential vehicles for transmitting infections. The overall prevalence of Transfusion Transmissible Infections among blood donors differs around the world, reflecting the variation in the prevalence of these infections. This study aims to assess the prevalence and trends of Transfusion Transmissible Infections among blood donors in Qatar. This is a cross-sectional study utilizing donation records of 5 years from January 2013 to December 2017. We included in the study results for all screening and confirmatory tests for Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, Human T-lymphotropic Virus-I/II, Syphilis and Malaria. Among the 190,509 donations received at the donation centre during the study period, about 91% of donations were received from males and 9% from females. The overall positivity rate for all tests was 1.87, 2.23, 1.78, 2.31, 2.67% for the years 2013 through 2017, with an increasing yearly trend by 6% each year. The overall positivity rates for Hepatitis C Virus, Human T-lymphotropic Virus-I/II, Hepatitis B Virus, Syphilis and Malaria (2013-2017) were 0.60, 0.18, 0.30, 0.43 and 0.20%, respectively. The overall positivity rate of all tests combined for the Transfusion Transmissible Infections demonstrated a gradually increasing trend from 2013 to 2017. However, the trend for each infection (Hepatitis C Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, Syphilis and Malaria) was fluctuating except for Human T-lymphotropic Virus-I/II, which was increasing. Supporting the development of effective prevention and control strategies requires further comprehensive investigations for better estimation of the burden of these infections.The authors gratefully acknowledge the Blood Donation Center at HMC for their support

Qatar steps up to Global Health security: a reflection on the joint external evaluation, 2016

Abstract Since the commencement of the International Health Regulations in 2007, global public health security has been faced with numerous emerging and ongoing events. Moreover, the Joint External Evaluation is a voluntary tool developed in compliance with the Global Health Security Agenda that represents the high responsibility of international health community towards the increased incidence of emerging and re-emerging diseases. Against this background, between 29th May and 2nd June 2016, a team of World Health Organization consultants arrived to the State of Qatar to assess, in collaboration with national experts, the country’s capacity to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to threats of public health aspect. They identified areas of strength, weakness, and recommendations for improving national health security of Qatar in anticipation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup event. Qatar has demonstrated a leading role in the region through its commitment to International Health Regulations (2005) and population health. Similarly, the Qatar was the first Arab state and seventh volunteering country globally to undergo the Joint External evaluation process. In this review, we highlighted Qatar’s achievements and shortcomings of International Health Regulations’ core capacities to inform healthcare professionals and the scientific community about the country’s contribution toward global health security

Physical Activity among Primary Health Care Physicians and Its Impact on Counseling Practices

Introduction: Physical inactivity has been linked to various noncommunicable diseases and their related health problems. As primary health care physicians (PHCPs) play a crucial role in promoting health and preventing disease, this study aims to determine the extent of physical inactivity among PHCPs and its impact on their counseling practices. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted across all primary health care centers in Qatar, targeting 511 physicians. A modified self-administered WHO stepwise tool was used to measure physical activity (PA) with another questionnaire to assess the counseling practices among PHCPs. Results: Out of 511 physicians, 306 (59.9%) responded to the survey. The majority of the participants were male (58.1%) with an average age of 45.8 ± 7.9 years. The majority of PHCPs were from the UK (44.3%), while only 4.1% were Qatari. Family physician consultants made up 51% of the respondents, while 30.2% were general practitioners, and the average years of experience were 14 ± 8.3 years. Only 39.5% of the respondents met the WHO PA recommendations. 50.5% of the physicians were overweight, and 23.1% were obese. The median percentage of patients counseled about PA was only 60 [IQR: 40–80]%, and there was no link found between a physician’s PA level and the percentage of patients they counseled on the subject. Conclusion: Physicians reported a high prevalence of physical inactivity. Furthermore, the practice of counseling the public on PA was low. Interventions are needed inside and outside the workplace to improve the PA among PHCPs and their counseling practices

Scope and Predictors of Travel Medicine Practice among Primary Care Physicians in Qatar

In an era of globalization, travel-related illnesses have become a focus of public health concern. Pretravel consultation is an effective measure to promote healthy travel. This study aimed to assess the scope of primary care physicians’ (PCPs) practice of travel medicine (TM) in Qatar and its associated predictors. This was a cross-sectional study design. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from all PCPs working in the 27 primary healthcare centers in Qatar. Descriptive and analytic statistics were used as appropriate, and a multivariable logistic regression model was constructed. Three hundred sixty-four PCPs participated in the study (response rate of 89.2%). Most PCPs (91.1%) provided pretravel consultations of which 72.7% provided less than 10 consultations per month. Overall, pretravel advice content and frequency including vaccine and malaria chemoprophylaxis recommendations were inadequate. Significant predictors of high frequency of pretravel consultations (≥10/month) included male PCPs (AOR 1.78, 95% CI: 1.01, 3.18), PCPs who had postgraduate training or experience in TM (AOR 2.74, 95% CI: 1.59, 4.72), and multilingual (speaking ≥3 languages) physicians (AOR 1.96, 95% CI: 1.12, 3.45). Frequently encountered post-travel illnesses included travelers’ diarrhea, respiratory diseases, and fever. While, most PCPs provided pretravel consultations, the frequency and content of consultations were inadequate. Male PCPs, past training or experience in TM, and multilingual physicians were important predictors of providing a high frequency of pretravel consultation. The findings of this study identified several gaps in PCPs’ TM practice. Specific measures should be designed and implemented to reduce the burden of travel-related illnesses and promote healthy travel

The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative and Qatar, 2016

Breastfeeding instills countless benefits that extend beyond the infant and child to the entire nation. One of the global targets set by the WHO to improve maternal, infant, and young child nutrition is to increase the rate of exclusive breast-feeding “in the first 6 months” up to at least 50% by 2025.3 Thus, as a global endeavor to promote and sustain breastfeeding, the WHO and UNICEF launched the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) 1 year after the Innocenti Declaration of 1990. Regarding the State of Qatar, there was a 34% rate of early initiation of breastfeeding “within the first hour of birth” and a 29% rate of exclusive breastfeeding between 2010 and 2015. In Qatar during 2016, many obstacles in achieving the aforementioned global target remained. In addition, there are still no hospitals with a BFHI accreditation. Keywords: Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, Breastfeeding, Maternal health, Qata

Data_Sheet_1_Utilization of the internet for physical activity and diet information and its influence on pregnant women’s lifestyle habits in Qatar.PDF

BackgroundMaintaining a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy is essential. With the increasing availability of the internet, pregnant women have access to a wealth of information related to physical activity (PA) and healthy diets.ObjectivesThe study aims to investigate the extent of internet usage by pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Qatar to obtain information about PA and healthy diets, identify associated factors, and evaluate the impact of this information on their lifestyle habits.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in six randomly selected public antenatal clinics in Qatar. Pregnant women aged ≥18 years in any trimester were recruited using a probability sampling technique. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive and analytic statistics were employed for data analysis.ResultsA total of 327 pregnant women (mean age of 29.5 years ± 4.0) completed and returned the questionnaire (response rate: 87.5%). Among the participants, 54.5% used the internet to obtain information about PA, while 72% sought online diet-related information. Factors such as age (26–35 years), tertiary education, employment status, and being primigravidae were associated with a higher likelihood of using the internet for healthy lifestyles information. Participants who reported using the internet for PA information a great deal were more likely to increase their PA during pregnancy compared to those who used it somewhat or very little (57.6, 26.8, and 5.0%, p ConclusionMany pregnant women use the internet to access information about PA and diet, and greater use is associated with more positive lifestyle changes. This study provides useful information to consider when designing intervention programs for pregnant women about adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyles.</p