Dr Mohamed al-Akkad, deputy chair of the Surgery Department at HMC, said the Advanced Wound Care Section, which is supervised by the department, had been established in accordance with the directives of HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, to cope with the sharp increase in population and meet the rising demand for wound care services prompted by traumas and injuries connected with road traffic accidents, and the rise in prevalence of podiatric wounds amongst the diabetic population in Qatar.
The need for advanced wound service is also consistent with the diversity and complexity of orthopaedic and urgent surgery wounds that require specialised care.
“The new section is deemed as a key milestone development in the field of advanced care of complex wounds, where patients treatment plans are initiated and administered by a multidisciplinary team from various specialties such as general, vascular, dermatologic, endocrine, surgeries and diabetic foot under one roof. Advanced wound care patients require ongoing medical attention throughout their hospitalisation and, even after their discharge. Highest standards of care are strictly followed to avoid adverse and serious complications to patients’ health and quality of life," Dr al-Akkad added.
Dr Rashad al-Fiqi, head of Advanced Wound Care, highlighted the latest modern surgical developments and techniques in the field of wound care at the section: "One of the most advanced methodologies we are keen at adopting is the use of water pressure - 'jet water' - for the deep and safe cleaning of complex wounds. We also use the high-frequency sound waves modality to remove devitalised (dead) tissue from wounds as an alternative to wound covering with grafted skin in order to promote wound healing, bearing in mind that the health conditions of most patients would make it extremely difficult to resort to skin-grafting.
"We also use Negative Pressure Wound Therapy where a vacuum machine is used to draw out excess fluid from wounds and provide a compressive force protecting the injured area from getting contaminated to ultimately help promote healing of acute and chronic wounds."
“The section is manned by a highly qualified 22-member nursing team with extensive experience in the field of wound care, who provides services to all age in-patients and outpatients with complex wounds. This includes post-surgical patients, diabetic foot patients, bed sore patients, as well as patients who have experienced traumatic injuries resulting from accidents and requiring special care, and rapid medical intervention to prevent deterioration,” he added.
Dr al-Fiqi further said the sections serve all patients referred by various HMC and Primary Health Care Corporation centres. The section is in constant and close collaboration HMC’s Customer Service Call Centre to book expedient appointments for urgent cases that require immediate care such as diabetic foot cases, which would otherwise lead to amputation.
Apart from wound care and treatment, the section educates patients and their family members on the causes of diabetic foot wounds and how to follow up on treatment at the Podiatric Care Units. The new service helped reduce the pressure of surgical operating theatres, as wound care procedures are performed at clinics, saving time, cost and wait times, Dr al-Fiqi said.