DOHA: Children with complex medical conditions can now avail of a new model of care at the Paediatric Complex Care Clinic at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
The clinic located at the Hamad General Hospital’s outpatient department was set up in partnership with SickKids International.
The facility will provide coordinated, multi-disciplinary care to technology-dependent children and those with medically complex conditions.
“Imagine caring for a child who has eight different medical problems, is treated by eight separate sub-specialities, requires home care, has difficulty reintegrating back into school and falls ill constantly,” said Dr Ahmed Al Hammadi (pictured), Chairman of the Paediatric Complex Care Task Force that was leading the project.
“For parents and caregivers of children with medically complex conditions, this is life. These children are a diverse group with diagnostic conditions that are individually rare but, collectively, relatively common. Coordinating care for these high-risk patients and ensuring that care is centred on the needs of the child and family is a challenging endeavour. If care is not optimised, it can lead to poor patient outcomes,” he added.
The Complex Care Clinic was established with a multidisciplinary care team to manage the consequences of multiple diseases instead of focusing only on a particular disease. The clinic had its soft opening in October last year and is now fully operational.
“The clinic is staffed by a dedicated, hardworking team determined to make a positive difference in the lives of these young patients and their families,” said Al Hammadi.
The complex care team provides continuity of care for children at the inpatient ward, and oversees their smooth transition into community care, providing counselling to empower families with the knowledge and capability to care for their child.
Every child has a care plan highlighting the child’s care needs and the healthcare sub-speciality teams involved in his care. This care plan is an electronic and written document that functions as a ‘medical passport’ so information is shared among all the healthcare practitioners involved in the child’s care.
Dr Reem Babiker, co-Chairperson of the Task Force said: “The programme fosters collaboration and cooperation among healthcare providers in the hospital and within the community to ensure families are able to access quality healthcare at every turn. All of these ensure continuity of care and consistent dissemination of information, which help prevent crises for high-risk children, and reduce the need for hospitalisation and emergency room visits.”
Future plans include the establishment of a ‘virtual clinic’ service that will enable outpatients to more easily access complex care team members outside a hospital setting.
The Peninsula
