Qatar Health 2022: Preparing for the 2022 World Cup and the response to pandemics in Qatar – a multidisciplinary team approach

Abstract

Welcome to this special issue of JEMTAC dedicated to the selection of 74 abstracts submitted to the Qatar Health 2022 online conference. The years are passing and the COVID-19 pandemic situation has not changed much globally. Although new vaccines have been developed and several restrictive measures have been rolled out in most countries to protect people, thousands are still succumbing to the effects of COVID-191,2. Similar to the Qatar Health 2021 conference3, among the abstract submissions, there is still much emphasis on how healthcare systems and services are dealing with the situation to mitigate the spread of the disease among patients and healthcare professionals, while still trying to deliver physical or mental care to those in need4–6. It is also important to point out that the same needs and concerns apply to both the general public as well as the healthcare workforce7,8. From a preparedness point of view, continuing professional development and testing of new processes and facilities are key to ensuring clinicians are ready to take on new roles in new environments, and that technology can play a significant role in a pandemic context9–11. This is not only true in relation to clinical facilities, but as Qatar prepares to host the 2022 World Cup, it is also highly relevant to sporting events, during which multiple agencies need to work together collaboratively and as a multidisciplinary team as per the theme of Qatar Health 2022 and the 2nd Qatar Public Health Conference12–13. The online conference has again been organized into four parallel tracks. It is dedicated to showcasing the work and opinions of leaders in their respective domains as well as the 112 abstracts that have been accepted for oral or poster presentation. The abstract themes are summarized in Table 1, and most of the corresponding abstracts are published in this special issue of JEMTAC. Submissions related to mass gatherings and sporting events were shy again this year, but it is expected to be a highly prominent topic for the next edition of the conference, after the 2022 World Cup. We hope you enjoy this early content preview of the conference and that it will make it even more engaging for everyone at the time of the question and answer sessions and on the poster boards. See you all online on the 10th-12th of February 2022!