Communication between physicians key to advancing health care excellence

Practi-Med Dubai, the first in a series of Harvard Medical International-Dubai Healthcare City lifelong learning programs, will feature a lecture on lessons learned from the SARS outbreak by Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, editor of the New England Journal of Medicine and professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Drazen has also spoken at Practi-Med courses in Japan.

Dr. Drazen's lecture will focus on the importance of communication in health care delivery and medical advancement. China's delay during the SARS epidemic provides a convincing case study. "When there is a breaking medical issue, getting the word out fast is important," said Drazen. "The biggest mistake the Chinese Ministry of Health made in responding to SARS was trying to hide it. It's crucial, in a situation like that, to invite the world community in to get their help." Drazen notes that once Chinese health officials admitted the scope of the problem, the NEJM was flooded with papers authored by physicians working in China.

Considered the preeminent medical publication in the world, the NEJM presents the latest information from research in biomedical science and clinical practice. As Drazen points out, one of the chief functions of the NEJM is communicating with doctors in practice—serving as a career companion to physicians—the same goal as Practi-Med Dubai. "Ten or twenty times a year, we publish a paper that impacts on the delivery of basic medical care," said Drazen. "The expertise we bring at the New England Journal of Medicine is a broad view of the medical literature based on our survey of what is being studied and written."

As part of Practi-Med Dubai, Dr. Drazen will also deliver a lecture on getting published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Tuesday, December 9, 2003.

Practi-Med Dubai will bring together leading clinicians from Harvard Medical School and health care providers in the Middle East to discuss the latest research on healthcare challenges common to the Middle Eastern countries. In addition to SARS and the importance of communication and collaboration, topics include the rise of cardiovascular and infectious disease, as well as cancer, diabetes, obesity, and the care of children and expectant mothers.

Practi-Med Dubai will take place December 8 through December 10, 2003 at the Dubai International Convention Center.