DOHA HAMAD Medical Corporation (HMC), in partnership with SickKids International, has established a Paediatric Complex Care Clinic that offers a new model of care for technology-dependent children or those with medically complex conditions.
“Imagine the situation of a child who has eight different medical problems, is treated by eight separate sub-specialties, requires home care, has difficulty reintegrating back into school and falls ill constantly,” said Dr Ahmed al Hammadi, chairman of the Paediatric Complex Care Task Force established to lead the project.
He added, “For parents and caregivers of children with medically complex conditions, caring for such kids is a Herculean task.
These children are a diverse group with diagnostic conditions that are individually rare but, collectively, relatively common.
“Coordinating treatment 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 outcomes.” 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.
Aimed at providing consistent, constant, child-focused and family- centred care, the clinic had its soft opening in October 2012 and is now fully operational.
The clinic is located at the Hamad General Hospital’s Outpatient Department to allow for availability of medical sub-specialties for consultations.
“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,” Dr Hammadi said.
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 his/her care needs and the healthcare sub-specialty teams involved in the treatment.
The care plan is an electronic and written document that functions as a ‘medical passport’ allowing information to be shared among all the healthcare practitioners involved in the child’s care.
Commenting on the initiative, 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.” The task force is working to ensure that patient care remains consistent and comprehensive.
Future plans include the establishment of a ‘virtual clinic’ service that will enable outpatients to access more easily complex care team members outside a hospital setting.
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