Healthcare students attending the event.
The Colleges of Pharmacy (CPH) and Health Sciences at Qatar University (QU) in collaboration with the University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) recently held an interprofessional education activity on diabetes for healthcare students.
Hosted in UCQ, the event engaged over 100 students and around 20 healthcare faculty. It aimed to provide care for a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis in a collaborative and integrative manner.
IPE activities are interprofessional developed by healthcare faculty from the different healthcare schools and coordinated by QU health Interprofessional Education Committee (IPEC), which convenes at Qatar University and includes representatives from all the healthcare colleges in Qatar including QU, University of Calgary Qatar, Weill Cornell Medicine- Qatar and the College of North Atlantic.
This particular activity was initiated in 2013 by faculty at UCQ and by the College of Pharmacy at QU and has been sustained since then with the inclusion of a third profession ‘biomedical science’ this year.
The event’s program included an icebreaking game where students in their interprofessional groups were asked to come up with a group name, which is reflective of everyone in their group, and case study discussions regarding a 36-year-old man was admitted to the Emergency Department after his wife found him confused and agitated in their apartment.
UCQ instructor Zohra Hasnani-Samnani said: “Incorporating Interprofessional education activities in our courses is a great way to introduce other professionals to our students.”
“Nursing, pharmacy and biomedical students had a great time learning about diabetes ketoacidosis as well about each other’s roles and expertise.”
CPH Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy Dr Hazem Elewa said: “Diabetes mellitus is a one of the most prevalent disease worldwide. In Qatar and the gulf region, this prevalence is almost double (17-20%) which means that one every five subjects is diabetic. To control this situation, we have to focus on reducing the incidence of the disease as well as reducing its complications.”
“The IPE activity provided ideal opportunity for students from the biomedical sciences, pharmacy and nursing to learn from each other and about their different professions. The students had to analyze together a case with diabetes ketoacidosis and they had very active and productive discussions,” said CHS Biomedical Department Assistant Professor Dr Mashael Al Shafai.
