Doha – January 12, 2025: Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) recently concluded its latest webinar series, which aimed to enhance understanding of medication safety and equip healthcare professionals with essential knowledge and skills to improve patient care.

Titled 'Optimizing Medication Safety in Primary Care & Outpatient Settings: An Interactive Series,' the six-session webinar series attracted a diverse audience of almost 700 participants, predominantly healthcare practitioners, including pharmacists, physicians, nurses, dentists, paramedics, allied health practitioners, and students from over 250 organizations.

Coordinated by the Division of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) at WCM-Q, the series covered a range of topics, including the conceptual foundations of medication safety, the root causes of medication errors, preventive measures, strategies for managing polypharmacy, and the risk factors associated with adverse drug events and medication errors. Additionally, the series explored strategies to reduce medication safety incidents during interfaces of care (admission, transfer, and discharge), precision and personalized medication, and the integration of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence in medication safety optimization.

The series was co-directed by Dr. Phyllis Muffuh Navti, assistant director of CPD at WCM-Q, and Dr. Anas Hamad, the director of pharmacy at ​the National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR) and head of medication safety/quality at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

Dr. Navti said: 'The importance of safe medication management in primary care cannot be overstated. Globally, one in 20 patients experiences preventable medication-related harm, nearly 50% of which is linked to medicines and therapeutic interventions. Errors span various stages of the medication process – from prescribing through dispensing and administration to monitoring – underscoring the urgent need to address these preventable risks and improve patient safety.'

Dr. Hamad added: 'Our aim for this series was to support and empower healthcare providers across all professional groups individually, or as part of multidisciplinary teams, with the knowledge, skills, and resources to improve patient safety. By focusing on medication optimization strategies, we strive to reduce the severe consequences of medication errors, which account for a quarter of severe or life-threatening harm. Our efforts contribute to tackling a critical global challenge as emphasized by the World Health Organization.

The interprofessional group of course faculty included Dr. Navti; Dr. Hamad; Dr. Mai Mahmoud, assistant dean for faculty affairs at WCM-Q; Dr. Reham Negmeldin, assistant executive director of quality improvement at Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute; Ms. Ayat Kadhi, lecturer at the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST); Dr. Manal Al-Zaidan, pharmacy & therapeutics supply consultant at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC); Dr. Alla El-Awaisi, director of clinical operations and engagement at QU; Dr. Vyas S. Kattezhathu, education specialist at the Qatar Anti-Doping Commission; Dr. Ahmed Awaisu, professor and head of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice at QU Health; Mr. Andrew MacDonald, assistant dean of academic programs at the College of Health Sciences at UDST; Dr. Vaqas Rashid, senior consultant for Home Healthcare Service at HMC; Mr. Kelby Bottoman, lecturer in paramedicine at the College of Health Sciences at UDST; Dr. Palli Valapila Abdulrouf, director of operations for the Clinical Trial Unit at HMC; Ms. Ebtessam Abdulla, director of nursing at PHCC; Mr. Thabit Melhem, executive director of nursing for Corporate Nursing and Midwifery at HMC; Mr. Ahmad Makhlouf, head of pharmacy informatics for the Ambulance Service at HMC; and Dr. Yasir Tarabichi, chief medical informatics officer at Ovatient, director of clinical research informatics at MetroHealth, and associate professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in the US.

The course was accredited in Qatar by the Department of Healthcare Professions-Accreditation Section (DHP-AS) of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).