Geriatric department measures lead to faster access to care for older people

Geriatric department measures lead to faster access to care for older people

Rumailah Hospital (RH), which provides specialised medical care for older adults, has initiated a comprehensive improvement management programme that enables faster access to geriatric outpatient (OPD) clinics for patients.

Dr Hanadi al-Hamad, medical director at Rumailah Hospital and Qatar Rehabilitation Institute, and chairperson for the Department of Geriatrics and Long-Term Care, explained that the impetus for the improvements was the desire to deliver enhanced age-appropriate care to older adults.

"Older patients often have multiple health issues, including chronic conditions that make them less resilient when dealing with illnesses,” she said.

“Potential delays in receiving a diagnosis and treatment can exacerbate the problem and may lead to more serious complications,” Dr al-Hamad said. “It is therefore imperative that our older patients receive professional healthcare in a timely manner."

Various teams responsible for delivering geriatric OPD services in Rumailah Hospital analysed the care delivery to identify opportunities for improvements.

The work has led to a sustained reduction in the average appointment wait times in the geriatric OPD clinics.

Hospital data from 2019-2020 showed a significant reduction of 34% in average appointment wait times for older patients seen in a geriatric outpatient clinic in Rumailah Hospital; this was in spite of a substantial increase in the number