Avicenna - Volume 2011, Issue 1

Breast cancer is a public health threat in the State of Qatar. It is the most common cancer and the incidence rate is increasing. It has been found that women often present with breast cancer at advanced stages in Qatar. Early detection of breast cancer is an important prognostic factor and breast cancer screening has been found successful in decreasing mortality rates. The percentage of women in Qatar engaging in screening activities is alarmingly low. A study has been designed to examine barriers and facilitators that are potentially influencing women in participating in breast cancer screening activities. Understanding these barriers and facilitators is essential in order to create a culturally appropriate and effective intervention that can encourage women in Qatar to participate in screening activities. In this paper the background to the study is presented which highlights the magnitude of the breast cancer problem in Qatar and offers the rationale and information for this potentially groundbreaking study.

Qatar has grown rapidly over the past 10 years particularly in the areas of healthcare needs and provisioning. The population has grown from 617,000 in 2000 to over 1.7 million in 2010. The number of hospitals both private and public has nearly doubled with the number of healthcare workers surpassing 11,000 in 2011. To help meet the demand for trained healthcare professionals there are now 4 educational institutions in Qatar addressing medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and allied healthcare (School of Health Sciences at the College of the North Atlantic – Qatar, College of Pharmacy at Qatar University, University of Calgary – Qatar, and Weill-Cornell Medical College in Qatar).

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a need to integrate all areas of healthcare and to foster team-based collaborative models to help improve healthcare service delivery. Interprofessional Education (IPE) provides a framework to facilitate such a model. A truly comprehensive and inclusive IPE program would include agreement on IPE competencies (shared competencies) amongst and between all healthcare educational providers (pre- and post-licensure) accompanied by collaborative models that promote and facilitate working together as teams. Measures of success include meeting the shared IPE competencies.

This paper describes the formation of the Qatar Interprofessional Health Council (QIHC) to help address healthcare needs in Qatar and their efforts to move IPE forward in the state and in the region. The QIHC consists of members from the 4 healthcare educational institutions in Qatar as well as members from Sidra Medical and Research Center and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). A discussion of barriers and solutions is included as well as the efforts of the member institutions to provide IPE support and integration into their programs. The QIHC has recently been awarded a National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) research grant to help provide a solid and contextually appropriate framework for IPE in Qatar.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Similar to other Western and Gulf countries, the incidence of cardiovascular disease and coronary artery diseases such as acute myocardial infarction is rising rapidly in Qatar. Diabetes mellitus, smoking, and hypertension are the most common risk factors causing acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and stroke. Additionally, obesity resulting from physical inactivity and unhealthy diet can lead to metabolic changes and raise the risk of heart diseases. Studies show that these health problems can be prevented and/or controlled by modifying lifestyle risk behaviours related to physical activity, diet, and smoking habits. The ultimate goal of this study was to find ways to effectively promote cardiovascular/coronary artery disease prevention and management activities among Qatari women by exploring factors affecting the ways in which Qatari women (citizen and resident Arabic women) participate in physical activities, healthy diet and smoking. An exploratory qualitative research approach using a semi-structured questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions was used in this study. Study participants included 50 Qatari women, 30 years of age and over, having a confirmed diagnosis of coronary vascular disease /coronary artery diseases. Results showed that socio-cultural factors play a key role in Qatari women’s decisions to participate in healthy lifestyles. Counselling and guidance for patients by health care providers, especially physicians, regarding smoking cessation, weight loss, and exercise should be key interventions to modify lifestyle behaviors among cardiac patients.