In early 2014, a decision was made by the Senior Leadership Team at HMC to review the impact of changing the age definition of pediatrics from an upper limit of 14 years of age to a young person’s 18th birthday. This was in response to a decision to align its pediatric age limits with international best practice. Globally, the age limits for pediatrics range from 14 within the GCC to 18 in the UK and Australia and 21 in the United States.
Mr. David Astley, Chief of Tertiary Hospitals Group and Chair of the HMC/SickKids Partnership Steering Committee appointed Dr. Ahmed Al Hammadi, Head of General Pediatrics to lead a working group that would look at the implications of increasing the age range at HMC and develop a plan that will enable uniformity across pediatric healthcare in Qatar.
During the week of 26 October a delegation from SickKids facilitated several workshops and focus groups with key stakeholders from across the organization to:
- Review the current pediatric age policy and compare it to international best practice
- Share their perspectives regarding the benefits, risks and implications associated with changing the age policy
- Provide HMC with recommendations to address the impact of changing the age policy with respect to human resources, education, facility planning, and service delivery
The workshops were attended by 84 staff representing Hamad General Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, Al Wakra, Al Khor, the Cuban Hospital and Sidra and were very well received.
The next step is that the SickKids team’s report will be presented to the HMC/SickKids Partnership Steering Committee for review and endorsement before detailed implementation plans are drawn up to provide services designed for the young adult population within HMC hospitals.
Al Maha Center for Children and Young People
Growing interest in evidence based design of the hospital setting has driven research emphasizing the importance of the relationship between the environments in which healthcare is provided, and the health and wellbeing of patients and their families who seek care within them. Children with special medical needs tend to be isolated due to their reliance on medical technology, nursing support or specialized clinical programs often in sterile and homogenous surroundings associated with the clinical environment.
In December 2013, an assessment by Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, recognized that the existing facilities provided at HMC for children with complex and long-term healthcare needs were inadequate to provide best practices in clinical care or patient safety. Following this, a decision was made by David Highton as Chair of the Clinical Services Reconfiguration Program, to support the establishment of a dedicated facility to provide services for these patients.
Over the course of two weeks, a design charrette was organized by the Office of Corporate Child Health Planning involving representatives from the Clinical Interprofessional Long Term Complex Care Working Group, Hyder Consulting, HDR Incorporated and Holland Bloorview. Guided by the vision “to create internationally recognized services for Children with Complex and Long-Term Health Care Needs, which demonstrate evidence-based practice, an integrated service model and a family-centered approach”, the team produced an initial design for a purpose-built child development and rehabilitation center. This center would be the first of its kind in the region, a one-stop facility providing a range of services for a highly vulnerable group of children (i.e. Inpatient, Outpatient, Day Care, Respite Care, Palliative Care and Outreach Pediatric Home Care Services).
The new Al Maha Center for Children and Young People will be located in a brand new facility within the grounds of Al Wakra Hospital. The center will provide co-location of services incorporating some of the stimulating qualities of home, school and the neighborhood in a family centered environment where children can learn from the world around them.
To conclude the workshop, the architectural team from HDR Inc presented the initial design of the facility through a visual three-dimensional model ‘fly-through’. The Working Group will now evaluate the proposed design, feeding back any changes before the second workshop to be held in December.
