Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Acute Care - 1 - Qatar Health 2022 Conference abstracts, January 2022

Background: The majority of patients living in a Long-Term Care Unit (LTCU) have limited mobility.1 Prolonged immobilization results in functional decline and increases the risk of other complications.2 It was observed that there is a lack of a structured, evidence-based mobility program using mobility protocols and guidelines. As per a 6-weeks baseline data collection, out of the 36 patients in Rumailah Hospital's LTCU-2, 40% were bedbound Read More

Background: Early assisted patient discharge has been implemented in Qatar since 2014 through the introduction of a Mobile Healthcare Service (MHS) with family physicians, nurses, and paramedics doing home visits1. Studies have explored the effect of Ramadan on Muslims, but findings have been variable2,3. This research aims to study and quantify any effects of the Holy month of Ramadan, and other important Muslim Religious event Read More

Background: A significant number of offshore operations are carried out by Qatargas (QG) employees and contractors in multiple offshore locations, hence, people acutely ill require costly and risky Medical Evacuation (Medevac) undertaken by helicopter or boat.1 This study aims to evaluate the impact of offshore fitness to work on reducing the number of preventable medevacs in QG compared to other oil and gas offshore organizati Read More

Background: Quality improvement has been well documented in various industries to improve safety and processes.1 However, limited research has taken place within the pre-hospital sector in this regard. Various factors can be attributed to the delivery of effective services. Studies often investigate customer/patient perception and often sideline the importance of employee perception.2 This study evaluates Qatar's Hamad Medical Corpor Read More

Background: The lack of healthcare quality management poses significant legal and financial implications1,2. A proactive approach to systems improvement seems warranted and reasonable. It is not clear if current quality control measures are perceived by patients. The study aims to understand if any correlation exists in this respect in the context of patients using the Hamad Medical Corporation Ambulance Service in Qata Read More

Background: Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic is causing unprecedented human and economic losses. The availability of safe and effective vaccines against the virus is instrumental in saving lives. Supply chain readiness is key to efficiently deliver vaccines to the target populations.1 To control temperature excursions and equipment breakdowns with an upgraded cold chain system with the latest technology suitable in a hot country Read More

Background: Paramedics need a range of medications that are stored in bags for easy transportation to the patient's side and are exposed to temperature variations, especially in a hot country like Qatar1. The thermal stability of some medications was examined in previous studies2,3. Methods: A safe and practical solution had to be found and should be approved by the Production committee to investigate the thermal stability of a ra Read More

Background: 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl) fluid bags are commonly stored in ambulances. Despite that the ambulances normally use air-conditioning during operational shifts, NaCl bags are exposed to deviations from the controlled environmental conditions that could affect their integrity1,2, as all ambulances are not constantly in use. Although stress tests performed in a laboratory Binder Convection Oven3 showed that NaCl maintaine Read More

Background: In the pre-hospital context, paramedics carry medications in multi-compartment medication bags. However, these medications are occasionally subjected to temperature and humidity variations as they are being carried around by paramedics during their operational duties.1,2 To develop a protocol to investigate medications’ stability inside these bags, a pilot study was needed to build a basic understanding of the temp Read More

Background: Normal saline 0.9 % (NS) is the most widespread crystalloid used as a life-saving intravenous (IV) fluid.1 NS contains sodium and chloride in equal concentrations and is subject to thermal stress conditions while stored and transported by clinicians in the pre-hospital environment.2 This study aimed to investigate the effect of high-temperature exposure on NS bags used by the Hamad Medical Corporation Ambulance Service in Qat Read More

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is one of the most common life-threatening diseases worldwide.1 Early diagnosis, advanced cardiac life support, and rapid transportation to a cardiac center are essential to reduce mortality and morbidity. ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI) are life-threatening and are diagnosed with a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). However, non-STEMI (NSTEMI) is not prioritized as a Read More

Background: Dapagliflozin has been shown to reduce the risk of heart failure hospitalization and cardiovascular mortality in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).1,2 This work aims to determine the cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin added to standard therapy versus standard therapy alone in patients with HFrEF, regardless of the presence or absence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A lifetime Markov Read More

Background: Obesity is a chronic illness that affects a lot of health aspects1. The general preparation for the bariatric surgery and the lengthy weight-loss time, particularly in individuals with many comorbidities, are challenging and a complex process2. Successful control of such a process requires the integration of several domains of the healthcare system that includes surgical care, nutritional management3, social support, and medical m Read More

Background: The upper permanent canine tooth germ develops close to maxillary sinus (MS)1 therefore, upper canine displacement and MS pneumatization may have a link.2 This study aims to evaluate the MS dimensions, volume, and range of anterior and vertical MS pneumatization in bilaterally palatally (PDCs) and buccally displaced maxillary canine (BDCs) compared to normally erupted canine (NDCs) subjects. Methods: C Read More

Background: Following the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations to seek efficiency in the learning process1, the Primary Care Department of Paris-Est University (UPEC) has adopted a competency-based learning model. At the UPEC, clinical writing notes (CWN) are required from challenging clinical training situations faced by residents. This study aims to describe the relationship difficulties with the patients encountered by UPEC's Read More

Background: Clinical reasoning is described as a reflective process that enables health care practitioners to collect data, solve problems, and make decisions and judgments to enhance patient outcomes and patient safety 1. To avoid practice mistakes, healthcare professionals should possess or develop effective clinical reasoning skills. To develop effective clinical reasoning skills, enough exposure to various experiences is required. Pr Read More

Background: A high level of emergency medical care is now expected from paramedics dealing with the sick and injured, including pediatric patients.1,2 Very little is known of the paramedics’ perception of competency and of pediatric prehospital education and training, which is so critical to improve a paramedics’ knowledge and performance of important skills.2,3 The purpose of this study was to determine if pediatric training resulted in a Read More

Background: Qatar's National Health Strategy focuses on delivering care outside institutional settings in homes and communities. To successfully accomplish this, it is crucial to shift patient populations from being passive recipients of healthcare advice to active individuals taking control of their health.1 This work describes Qatar's initial steps to measure and enhance patient activation. Methods: A two-phased approach was adopted Read More

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered a global emergency in all social realms, including but not restricted to the economy, health, and education. The health sector requires all healthcare professionals to be well-equipped with the latest advances in knowledge and research through Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and postgraduate training programs such as residencies and fellowships.1 Read More

Background: Failed intubation is the single most important cause of patient morbidity and mortality during anesthesia for surgery. The incidence of difficult intubation could be as high as 12% while failed intubation is around 0.5%.1 Disaster and mass casualty management may increase this risk multi-fold due to the paucity of airway-trained medical personnel.2 Automation of the entire procedure could potentially save lives particularl Read More

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide.1 Unfortunately, CVD risk assessment and management (RAM) services face many challenges and barriers in the community. Mobile technology offers the opportunity to empower patients and improve access to health prevention strategies to overcome these barriers.2 The purpose of this study was to pilot test the Arabic and English versions of the EP Read More

Background: Internet of Medical Things (IOMT) has the potential to monitor health continuously and in real-time. One of the main issues that arise in IOMT is how securely the data can be transmitted to the clinical team. In this project, biometric Identity-based encryption was utilized using the Fuzzy-IBE (Identity-based encryption) scheme that uses face features of the clinicians to create the public key. Figure 1 shows the testbed setup des Read More

Background: Effective communication among physicians and nurses in in-patient settings is associated with better patient care1, increased teamwork, and job satisfaction2, however, no literature has addressed the concern of the gap in perception of communication between physicians and nurses.3 this study aims to explore the perceptions of physicians and nurses toward proper communication and collaboration before and after an interven Read More

Background: Methanol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and isopropanol are common alcohols, whose consumption can lead to toxicity and significant morbidity and mortality1,2. Clinicians must often rely on clinical features and laboratory values to determine the possible causative agent. Annually, almost 95,000 people die due to alcohol and it is the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States Read More