Aspetar, the world's leading centre of excellence in sports medicine, organised an online symposium on medication safety on February 20.
The event, aimed at physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and allied health professionals, featured Aspetar experts and speakers from the Ministry of Public Health.
The symposium addressed the critical issue of unsafe medication practices and medication errors, which are among the leading causes of preventable harm and injury in healthcare systems worldwide. The cost of medication errors globally is estimated at $42bn annually, making safe medication practice essential to patient safety in health care delivery, a press statement noted.
The event highlighted the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach, applying evidence-based best practices and standards to cover all aspects of the medication management process. “Aspetar, a centre of excellence in sports medicine, considers patient and medication safety a top priority, and constantly reviews its practices and processes to ensure safe services and the best outcomes,” said Dr Zainab al-Sarraf, chair of the scientific committee of the event.
Several topics were discussed, including an overview of the national medication safety programme, the role of effective leadership in medication safety, medication reconciliation, and implementing a comprehensive medication safety process in a hospital.
One of the most interesting presentations was about doping prevention and athlete safety, led by Dr Yorck Olaf Schumacher and titled 'Doping prevention and athlete safety: do healthcare professionals have a role?'.
Explained on the occasion was what doping is among athletes, as well as what is intentional and inadvertent doping, while outlining the vital role healthcare professionals from all of Qatar’s health sectors can play in doping prevention.
Summarising the professional and health consequences doping can have on the athlete, another interactive topic was emergency sports dentistry and incorporating medication management in the provision of emergency dental care, led by Dr Dana al-Masri.
The symposium organised by the Pharmacy Department was a comprehensive learning activity that brought together subject matter experts and other stakeholders to share knowledge and best practices in medication safety.
"Aspetar is committed to improving patient care and promoting safe medication practices. The symposium was a testament to this commitment, and we look forward to future events that further promote the importance of patient safety and medication management," the statement added.
The Pharmacy Department at Aspetar provides the highest standard of pharmaceutical and clinical care to ensure that best practice is always maintained, with a focus on orthopaedic and sports medicine care.
