Building Improvement Capabilities among Healthcare Professionals at Al Wakra Hospital, Qatar

Abstract

Healthcare facilities strive to offer patients with high-quality treatment that meets their expectations/desired outcomes, improves their experiences, and reduces the risk of mistakes. As a result, constant gap analysis is essential for directing quality improvement (QI) activities toward closing gaps and maintaining gains. Since March 2014, Al Wakra Hospital (AWH) has been recognized by Joint Commission International (JCI) as one of the HMC hospitals that provide high-quality general secondary care services. The triple objective framework, which directs all improvement efforts toward better health, better care, and better value, is based on AWH strategic priorities drawn from QNHS II and the HMC strategic plan. AWH conducted a comprehensive quality and patient safety (QPS) training program aimed at enhancing staff capabilities by providing them with QPS-related knowledge, improving their skills in Quality Improvement (QI), risk management fields, JCI hospital standards, and applying what they learned to improve their processes. The QPS training program is a year-long study with a target population of all HCPs who have worked in AWH for at least 6 months. A sample of 50 participants was agreed upon, with one HCP per department. QPS training consists of three in-person modules: Quality Improvement, Risk Management (RM), and JCI. Each module includes PowerPoint presentations, questions during the session, practice and criticism activities, and a closing reflection. The participants had to be able to attend all of the training days, pass the multiple-choice questions (MCQ) post-test with a score of at least 80%, and participate in and present a QI project poster where they put what they learned in the training into practice. The scientific substance of the AWH QPS training was accredited by QCHP and The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and members of the organizing committee and presenters signed a conflict of interest waiver. Three full days of QI module were performed on April 28th-30th, 2019, two full days of RM module were conducted on September 18th-19th, 2019, and JCI module and QI souq was conducted on December 10th, 2019. Because most of the potential participants are nurses (80% = 36 out of 45), and nurses constitute the biggest number of HCPs at AWH, the Qatar Council for Healthcare Professions (QCHP) and (ANCC) accredited the AWH QPS program in consultation with nurse planners. Nurse planners appreciate cooperatives that allow them to engage non-nurse participants in the planning process and award CPD points accordingly. As QPS-related educational and training initiatives, target all HCPs at the facility, it necessitates the use of specialized accreditor/planner agencies. AWH’s comprehensive QPS training program has emphatically affected our facility's quality and quiet security measurements and has great notoriety among the official, senior pioneers, and center administration pioneers.