Doha, October 26 (QNA) - Hamad Medical Corporations (HMC) Enaya Specialized Care Center has become the first facility in Qatar to achieve certification for excellence in person-centered care by Planetree International.

While Enaya is the first facility at HMC to achieve this award, the Communicable Disease Center, the Ambulatory Care Center, Home Health Care Service, and the Private Nursing Service are currently undergoing certification.

The Enaya Specialized Care Center is a support facility that works with Hamad General Hospital and Rumailah Hospital and provides 24-hour care to long-term patients who are in a stable condition. The Center features 156 patient beds and is the only specialized facility of its kind in Qatar. The Enaya team underwent a rigorous evaluation by the Planetree team earlier this year to achieve the certification.

Planetree is a not-for-profit organization that partners with healthcare organizations around the world to transform how patient care is delivered.

Deputy Chief of Quality, Center for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement and Director for the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute Nasser Al Naimi said person-centered healthcare prioritizes the active participation of patients, residents, and their families throughout the healthcare process with an emphasis on partnership, compassion, transparency, inclusion, and quality.

"Planetrees independent certification committee evaluated the Enaya Specialized Care Center against 26 specific criteria and determined it has met the standards to be deemed silver certified for excellence in person-centered care. The Planetree certification represents the highest level of achievement in person-centered care based on evidence and standards," said Al Naimi.

"One of the key components in this accreditation is involving patients and their families in the care we give, and they receive and we are proud to have taken this step and have implemented Patient and Family Advisory Councils to guide our person-centered care journey," He added.

Qatars National Health Strategy lead for Healthy Ageing and Medical Director of Rumailah Hospital and Qatar Rehabilitation Institute Dr. Hanadi Al Hamad said the criteria used by Planetree to assess Enaya addressed components of a person-centered healthcare experience, including the quality of patient-provider interactions, access to information, family involvement and the physical environment of care.

An integral part of the move towards person-centered care and the certification process was the establishment of a Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) at Enaya. This Council met monthly for more than 18 months and advised on a variety of issues.

"The PFAC at Enaya was trailblazing in many ways. Working collaboratively with the care team, they designed and implemented projects with the Enaya team including patient room whiteboards and a care partner program and worked to jointly set goals in the strategic plan for Enaya," said Dr. Al Hamad.

"This certification is the only program of its kind and formally recognizes the ability of the team at Enaya to deliver excellence in person-centered care. The accreditation includes empathy and compassion training for staff and the development of a framework for delivering an exceptional experience for both the care receiver and the giver."

President of Planetree International Dr. Susan Frampton congratulated the Enaya team on their accreditation and said it demonstrated a true commitment to improvement and always putting the patient first.

"The Planetree Certification is the only award that recognizes excellence in person-centeredness across the continuum of care and Enayas Silver Certification demonstrates the teams commitment to nurturing an environment that ensures the most compassionate care is delivered to their patients who are also engaged in the delivery of their care," added Dr. Frampton. (QNA)