Doha: Qatar Rehabilitation Institute (QRI) has entered into a partnership with Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation aimed at improving quality of care and outcomes for patients receiving rehabilitation services worldwide.
The multiyear collaboration will include the sharing of expertise and information between Carolinas Rehabilitation and QRI.
Commenting on the partnership, Minister of Public Health H E Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari stated that this collaboration will yield results that align with Qatar’s National Health Strategy 2018-2022 goals concerning the provision of high quality rehabilitation services:
“The opening of Qatar Rehabilitation Institute in 2016 was propelled by Qatar’s aim to offer integrated holistic healthcare services and our ambition to establish a leading regional rehabilitation facility. This collaboration with Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation will see Hamad Medical Corporation further enhance its rehabilitation expertise and continue to advance the quality of care provided to its patients.”
The collaboration will proceed in three phases, the first of which will focus on enhancing QRI’s clinical rehabilitation programmes. During the second and third phases, Carolinas Rehabilitation clinicians and staff members will provide virtual and on-site consultation and assessments aimed at preparing QRI to apply for accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). The highly sought-after CARF accreditation helps rehabilitation service providers meet international standards for quality, assuring patients and their families that they are receiving the best available care.
The QRI includes rehabilitation medicine services, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy for all ages, including children, adults and older adults. The highly skilled team of clinicians and therapists deliver a personalised package of exceptional rehabilitative treatment and care in a healing environment that incorporates both mental and physical healing.
Dr. Hanadi Al Hamad, medical director for Qatar Rehabilitation Institute and Rumailah Hospital and Qatar’s national lead for Healthy Aging said: “We continually work to improve and expand our services to meet the needs of patients in Qatar; this includes engaging with all our stakeholders to further develop our care programmes and serve our community better. Our partnership with Carolinas Rehabilitation will help us strengthen every aspect of our rehabilitation services and provide the highest quality of care to our patients, including paediatrics, adults and older adults.
As part of the collaboration, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Carolinas Rehabilitation will work closely with QRI on clinical pathway development and quality improvement. Doha, Qatar-based QRI will join Carolinas Rehabilitation’s Patient Safety Organisation and contribute to the Exchanged Quality Data for Rehabilitation (EQUADRSM) network, which was founded by Carolinas Rehabilitation and is on a mission to improve the quality of services provided to rehabilitation patients before, during and after their time in the hospital. During the initial phases of the partnership, QRI will consult with Carolinas Rehabilitation on some of its most complex cases as it works towards its own certification.
“There is no equivalent to EQUADR in the Middle East, so it will be extremely valuable for QRI to participate and contribute data to this effort,” said Diane Lynn, assistant vice president of Global Health Operations and Administration at Atrium Health. “It will allow us to collect data and use it to share best practices. That will not only help QRI achieve the highest standard of care, but it will also help us learn from QRI’s experiences in patient care.”
