Practi-med Dubai programme for practical medicine starts

The joint programme is being held at the newly built Dubai International Convention Centre, which was the host of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings.

Saeed Al Muntafiq, Chairman of the Board of Dubai Healthcare City, said: "Practi-Med Dubai is one of the first education programmes resulting from the partnership between HMI and Dubai Healthcare City. It is also the first of a series of lifelong learning programmes designed for healthcare professionals of the United Arab Emirates.

"We are collaborating on the design of an academic medical complex that will serve as a globally recognised location of choice for healthcare and a centre of excellence for specialist medical services, medical education, life science research, and technology implementation in the Middle East," Al Muntafiq said.

"Practi-Med has been designed to provide physicians in the UAE with a wide range of information for their daily practice immediately," said Dr. Harvey Makadon, Harvard Medical School (HMS) Associate Professor of Medicine and HMI Director, who built the concept behind Practi-Med.

"Primary care physicians in the UAE have the opportunity to prevent medical problems before they occur, or to diagnose and treat conditions as they arise. We hope that by communicating the latest advances and tools used to deliver quality healthcare, we can help elevate the standards of their daily practice and enhance the prestige of primary care in the region," he added.

1,200 Delegates
The first day of Practi-Med Dubai was attended by almost 1,200 specialists from healthcare providers and doctors in the United Arab Emirates. The inaugural session discussed the important issue of "Healthy Mothers, Healthy Children: Insuring the Health of the Region." Its plenary sessions covered best practices in providing clinical care to pregnant women and managing common medical problems found in children.

Advances in Cardiovascular Disease, identifying and modifying cardiac risk factors, as well as advances in the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease, were also discussed.

Leading Speakers
Dr. Raymond O. Powrie from Brown University presented the session, which discussed his presentation 'Caring for Medical Conditions in Pregnant Women'. The session went over the important issues and directions for doctors to follow while treating pregnant women with health risks. Dr. Powrie clarified many points and cleared the misperception that treatment for a pregnant woman during pregnancy is wrong. It should be done earlier.

Dr. Benjamin Sachs, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School presented the following session. His presentation was about 'Improving Patient Safety in Obstetrics: Developing Regional Priorities'. He highlighted the importance of working hard to avoid medical mistakes and pointed out the most important elements that lead to mistakes. These eventually affect the safety of patients and include being in a hurry, fear, anger and working for long hours. He also stressed the importance of existing systems to detect those mistakes and determine the main reasons along with continuous follow up.

Child Health
Dr. Anita Fiens, Assistant Clinical Professor of Ambulatory Care and Prevention at Harvard Medical School discussed 'Managing Common Medical Problems of Children' and its effects such as asthma and infections. She pointed out that prevention of diseases for children should start at the pregnancy level and continue with the growth of the child. Also, infants should regularly be checked especially against faulty nurturing and blood diseases.

"We all have to provide a great effort to maintain the health of our children, this comes by protecting them from common diseases along with medical education for the family," she said.

Following these sessions, a Workshop was held later under the title of: Advancing Nursing Professional Development. It was presented by Elizabeth J. Brown, Director of Clinical Services, Harvard Medical International. It discussed about the ways to improve the work of the nurses in different hospitals and health establishments. Dr. Powrie and Dr. Feins also took part in the Workshop.

Two Track Event
The first day's afternoon programme was divided into two tracks. Track One was devoted to 'Update on Common Medical Conditions'.

The first lecture was on 'New Therapeutics for Viral Hepatitis'. Dr. Adnan Abu Hammour, Chairman of the Department of Medicine at American Hospital Dubai, chaired this session, while Dr. Nezam Afdhal, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, presented the session.

The two also led the second lecture in the same track. It was on 'Hepatocellular Carcinoma'. The third lecture in Track One was on 'Osteoporosis Screening and Treatment'. Dr. Abdulrazzak Almadani, Director of Dubai Hospital, chaired it, while Dr. Soheyla Gharib Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, led the presentation and Dr. Mazin Fakeeh, Consultant at Dr. S Fakeeh Hospital in Saudi Arabia led the Case Discussions.

The fourth lecture on 'Advances In Minimally Invasive Surgery: What Every Doctor Should Know' was chaired by Dr. Suhail Kazim, Consultant & Head, General Surgery Department and Director, Al Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah. The presenter was Dr. David C. Brooks, Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Track Two was devoted to 'Advances in cardiovascular Disease'.

The first lecture was on 'Identification and Modification of Cardiac Risk Factors'. Dr. Abdullah Al Naemi, Consultant Cardiologist and Head of the Cardiology Department at Zayed Military Hospital, Abu Dhabi, chaired it. The presenter was Dr. Pedro Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He also led the Case Discussion.

The second lecture on 'Lecture: Diagnosing Coronary Artery Disease: The New And The Tried And True, was chaired again by Dr. Abdullah Al Naemi. The presenter and Case Discussion leader was Dr. George Gura, Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Medical School and Consultant, Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic.

The third lecture on 'Pathophysiology and Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes: Contemporary Management of Unstable Angina' was chaired by Dh Abdullah Al Naemi, while the presenter was Dr. James Kirshenbaum, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He also led the Case Discussion.

The last lecture in Track Two was on 'Pathophysiology and Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes: Contemporary Management of Acute Myocardial Infarction'. Dr. Abdullah Al Naemi chaired this session too. Dr. James Kirshenbaum presented it and led the Case Discussion.

The day ended with a reception for the delegates and speakers. It was hosted by DHCC.