Nurses to spend more time with patients

Abu Dhabi: A new system will see nurses at the emirate of Abu Dhabi’s public health-care facilities spending more time at the bedside of patients, senior officials said in the capital.

The system was launched on Sunday by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), which manages the emirate’s 13 public hospitals and 69 public clinics.

“The health-care sector is very dynamic, and patient care methods that applied a decade ago are now outdated. The new model of care we have launched is therefore designed to meet the needs and expectations of today’s patients, who often have specific medical queries and do their own online research about their medical conditions,” Dr Mohammad Al Seiari, group chief of staff at Seha’s corporate medical division, told Gulf News.

The system will see Seha’s 7,200 nurses attending to patients more often in order to answer their queries, reassure them about treatment plans and make their hospitalisation or visit more comfortable. An independent team of Seha inspectors will also reach out to patients to obtain feedback on their experiences.

“The system is expected to be fully implemented over the next six months. Thereafter, the inspectors will approach patients and collect electronic data about their experiences with various members of the nursing staff. This information will then feed into each nurse’s annual evaluations,” Dr Al Seiairi explained.

The official was speaking on the sidelines of the Seha International Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Conference, which runs in Abu Dhabi until tomorrow (September 5). Hundreds of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals have gathered at the three-day forum to discuss trends and challenges within the sector.

Shedding more light on the new nursing model of care, Professor Ged Williams, nursing and allied health consultant at Seha, said the aim is to have nurses checking on patients every hour during the day, and at least once every two hours at night.

“Our standards call for one nurse to be available for every four patients in the daytime, and one nurse per five patients at night. To ensure this level of access, Seha added 200 new nurses this year,” Williams said.

He added that patients are expected to feel safer under the new care model.

“Patients will feel that nurses are present and more attentive to their clinical and psychological needs. This should, in turn, reduce falls and other patient treatment complications,” Williams said.

Health-care facilities will also post more informative brochures, including those that create awareness among patients about their rights and responsibilities.

About 17,000 medical and technical staff, including more than 3,000 physicians and 120 Emirati nurses, currently serve Seha’s hospitals and clinics in Abu Dhabi.