By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: In a new initiative to promote and improve health services, the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC)’s first scientific research day was held yesterday in the presence of H E Abdulla bin Khalid Al Qahtani, Minister of Public Health.
Held under the theme ‘Primary Care Research in Qatar: A Foundation for Evidence-based Primary Care Practice, Policy and Interventions,’ the day was aimed at building a strong foundation for primary care research. Local and international experts at the forum discussed how to translate research findings into tangible improvements in Qatar’s health services.
“We are embarking upon a new journey to build a robust research infrastructure to support the evaluation of clinical research findings as a fundamental role of health care professionals. We will work in collaboration with experienced stakeholders to assess the current clinical practice and the adoption of the best scientific evidence, which translates into evidence-based practice,” said Dr Mariam Abdulmalik, Managing Director of PHCC.
A research department was established at the PHCC in 2013, all research proposals received by the department are analyzed and special funds are allocated for selected projects. A total of 150 staff of PHCC has been trained on the research techniques.
“We have found the strengths and weakness of our staff and have begun to train staff in how to conduct research, in collaboration with partners such as the Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medical and Research Centre and Weill Cornell Medical College – Qatar,” said Dr Abdulmalik.
The event will highlighted the contribution of PHCC to the Qatar National Health Strategy (2011-2016) and is commitment in being the first point of contact in the health care system. Also the National Primary Healthcare Strategy (2013-2018) aims to empower research, enabling the work to be set in the context of both existing evidence (and theory) and its practical applications, to lead eventually to promoting health and improving the well-being of people in Qatar.
“We will provide opportunities for multidisciplinary research at all levels, especially encouraging our clinicians and other health professionals to work collaboratively and across the academic health system in Qatar to promote and generate high quality research outputs and maintaining a dedication to innovation,” said Dr Abdulmalik.
A highly renowned international expert, Professor Alan Jackson, Professor at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom in his key note speech discussed on ‘How can use health research to improve the health of the population.’
Research presentations by local experts included projects including, ‘Effective monitoring form pre- pregnancy to pre-school: a strategy for preventive interventions in primary care for optimum health,’ ‘From evidence based research to evidence based practice: implications for primary care in Qatar and the GCC region,’ and ‘primary health care corporation-led update on health statistics and likely impacts in the future.’
The Peninsula
