The Breast Cancer unit at Mediclinic City Hospital is part of the Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Dubai’s most advanced facility for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The specialist staff work together using a multidisciplinary team approach to maintain a smooth, compassionate and effective patient journey. In February, the Breast Cancer unit underwent a rigorous virtual certification survey, during which an expert surveyor evaluated compliance with related certification standards including patient and family supporting self-management, expertise of all the involved physicians, nursing team and breast radiology team, among others. The surveyor also conducted observations and interviews with staff and patients.
Breast cancer is the number one cancer in the world. In the UAE, 38.8 per cent of female cancer diagnoses is related to the breast, translating into more than 1,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer every year. However, breast cancer is treatable when diagnosed early and treated by a team of highly skilled physicians and allied health professionals.
With this certification from Joint Commission International, Mediclinic City Hospital’s Breast Cancer unit commits to continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care. It offers many opportunities to build and grow an outstanding breast cancer programme to further improve patient care and clinical outcomes. The standards provide a framework for delivering patient-centred care, reducing variation and risk, and ensuring a consistent approach for every patient.
Certification of this programme requires Mediclinic City Hospital:
• To provide consistent care involving breast radiology, breast surgery, medical oncology and radiation oncology services.
• To have a multidisciplinary team approach, which offers a full range of advanced pathology and breast radiology support for early detection and the treatment of breast cancer patients.
• To meet standardised performance measures such as turnaround time of histopathology results, surgical site infections, chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments in line with international guidelines.
• To collect performance measurement data four months prior to the initial certification review visit.
“Quality of care for our patients is our top priority and it is for this reason that Mediclinic City Hospital created a comprehensive breast cancer programme covering the early detection of breast cancer to dedicated follow-up of our patients following treatment,” says Matthew Dronsfield, Hospital Director at Mediclinic City Hospital. “Our team follows the very latest international treatment protocols and guidelines and within the setting of our Comprehensive Cancer Centre and this certified programme enables us to provide timely and high-quality care to our breast cancer patients.”
Dr Annett Al Hamadi, Consultant Breast Surgeon at Mediclinic City Hospital, says, “The breast cancer unit treats more than 100 women with breast cancer a year. We are a team of specialised physicians and trained staff who treats their patients according to international guidelines with a multidisciplinary team approach. With the JCI accreditation we have received positive feedback on our treatment approach, support for our cancer patients and valuable feedback for further improvement.”
