MoPH sets standards for home nurses in Qatar

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has announced a new policy to regulate home nursing services.The Ministry has introduced the job title of home nurse and launched its registration and licensing standards within the nursing categories organised by the Healthcare Professions Department at MoPH.This is in line with MoPH's efforts to regulate and legalise the work of all health practitioners in Qatar, and in accordance with the policies and regulations applicable in many countries of the world, and nursing regulatory institutions, including the American Nurses Association.The policy of regulating the practice of home nursing allows nursing staff who are sponsored by the patient or his family and those who do not work for any of the licensed health facilities, to apply for registration and licensing through MoPH. They have to meet all conditions and requirements that ensure the nurse’s competence and integrity which include verifying the validity of all certificates and documents, work experience, academic qualifications, and passing the Ministry’s licensing examination for nursing staff.Dr Saad al-Kaabi, director of the Department of Healthcare Professions at the Ministry of Public Health, said: "Regulating the practice of home nursing contributes to enhancing integrated health care in Qatar by providing an effective and safe health service”.He added: "The policy of regulating the practice of home nursing services also allows the option of staying at home while continuing to receive the health care that the patient needs. This alternative is especially important for the elderly to support them psychologically to recover and maintain a healthy lifestyle”.He explained that one of the conditions for granting a licence to practise the profession under the job title of home nurse is that the applicant must have an intermediate certificate in nursing, such as associate degree in nursing or diploma from technical secondary nursing schools or any other nationally recognised study programme dedicated to this purpose. The same licence can also be granted to nursing cadres who have a bachelor's degree in nursing if they wish to do so, while demonstrating commitment to the scope of practice and the field of work.He pointed out that a licence to practise the profession will be issued to cadres of this category who are not associated with a health facility, as the work is limited to the patient and his family. The nurse will also be allowed to complete Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits, as 80 credits are required for licence renewal by attending professional development activities that will allow him/her to reach the required points.CPD credits are included within the mechanism for regulating and approving medical education activities by MoPH to ensure the efficiency and quality of these activities according to international accreditation standards. This ensures access to the necessary knowledge for practitioners who are licensed to work in Qatar, each in the field of specialisation, leading to the development of evidence-based scientific medical practice.Qatar has recently witnessed an increase in the demand for home nursing services, as a result of the increase in the average age of the country's population, in addition to focus on wellness indicators in the Qatari society and introduction of new concepts such as long-term care and home care.