DOHA: Telemedicine system for real time evaluation of stroke patients has been introduced at Al Khor Hospital and it has significantly helped patients’ chances of making a full recovery, said a senior official.
Telemedicine is an advanced system that enables the diagnosis and treatment of patients by clinical teams situated in a different location to the patient. A collaborative initiative by teams across Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has led to the implementation of the system that is improving care for stroke patients at Al Khor Hospital, said Professor Ashfaq Shuaib, Director, Neurosciences Institute HMC.
“The telemedicine technology enables direct evaluation of stroke patients admitted at Al Khor’s Emergency Department and allows real time examination of the CT scan imagery by HMC’s expert stroke team based at HGH’s Stroke Ward in Doha, facilitating immediate treatment with live saving therapies,” Professor Shuaib told The Peninsula.
“Prior to the introduction of the telemedicine system, patients would often need to be transferred to HGH’s Emergency Department for a full assessment before treatment was given. By significantly reducing the time period between the onset of stroke symptoms and the start of treatment, patients’ chances of making a full recovery are greatly improved,” he added.
The stroke telemedicine system has been developed by teams at HGH’s Stroke Ward; Al Khor’s Emergency Department; and the Health Information and Communication Technology Department.
Qatar, like other GCC countries, is no different from many developed countries with stroke being one of the leading causes of mortality and the No.1 cause of chronic disability.
The main difference in Qatar and many countries is the younger average age of stroke victims — average age is 54 years here and 77 in the US and the UK. Every day, four or five new patients are admitted to the Stroke Ward, according to Prof. Shuaib. “Following discharge from the Stroke Ward, all patients receive extensive support throughout their recovery from our rehabilitation teams,” he added.
Patients needing long-term rehabilitative care will soon benefit from Qatar Rehabilitation Institute (QRI) due to open in Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City soon. “QRI will provide world-class integrated rehabilitation services, including specialist care for patients recovering from stroke. At QRI, we will offer ground-breaking therapies to help patients recover lost skills. These will be provided by our teams trained extensively in assisted therapy to enhance the re-learning of movement, speech, hearing and reading,” he added.
