Two experts speak at WCM-Q Grand Rounds
Medical experts Dr. Khalid Alyafei (left) and Dr. Marcus Lancé spoke at WCM-Q Grand Rounds about telemedicine and venous thromboembolism respectively.
Experts in telemedicine and venous thromboembolism spoke at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar’s (WCM-Q) Grand Rounds to share their insights with the wider healthcare community.
Dr. Khalid Alyafei, Division Chief Medical Informatics Officer and Pediatric Emergency Attending Physician at Sidra Medicine, spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine, the infrastructure required for its delivery, and the experiences of physicians at Sidra in their use of telemedicine to support patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Alyafei, who is also Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at WCM-Q, said: “One of the lessons we have learned is that video consultations not only provide a safe and efficient way to see patients during a pandemic, but they can also allow us to actually improve patient care. For example, I can easily and quickly invite an interpreter into the call, and I can also work together with fellow healthcare professionals in my hospital, other hospitals in the region, or even outside the region. This is extremely useful, especially for complex cases, and can lead to better outcomes for patients when deployed correctly.”
At a subsequent Grand Rounds event, Dr. Marcus Lancé, Head of Research and Vice-Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Hamad Medical Cooperation, explained the pathophysiology of venous thromboembolism (VTE), a serious condition in which a blood clot forms (usually in the deep veins of the legs, groins or arms), becomes dislodged and then travels via the circulatory system to become lodged in one of the pulmonary arteries of the lungs (pulmonary embolism).
Dr. Lancé, who is also Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at WCM-Q, explained the impact of VTE on critically ill patients and outlined preventive measures to avoid VTE. These include drinking plenty of water, moving and walking as much as possible to avoid long periods of inactivity (particularly when hospitalized or traveling), wearing compression stockings, taking blood-thinning medications and wearing special inflatable sleeves around the legs and feet.
All WCM-Q Grand Rounds events have been delivered online since the beginning of the pandemic, a move which has led to a large increase in the number of participants.
Grand Rounds Committee Chairperson Dr. Aicha Hind Rifai, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, said: “We are extremely grateful to Dr. Alyafei and Dr. Lancé for sharing their expertise with our healthcare community in Qatar and beyond at Grand Rounds. The pandemic has demonstrated the important role online platforms play in the distribution of the latest healthcare information and we are very pleased that Grand Rounds has proved to be both useful and popular during this period.”
Both lectures were accredited locally by the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Healthcare Professions – Accreditation Section and internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).