Health Care Accreditation Council holds 6th Quality Healthcare Conference

AMMAN — Under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah, the Health Care Accreditation Council (HCAC) on Monday launched its sixth Quality Healthcare Conference and Exhibition titled “Quality and Safety in the Wake of the Pandemic - Ready for the New Norm”.

The two-day online conference was free to medical and health sciences students in Jordan, with the participation of a diverse healthcare workforce form Jordan and the region, said a HCAC statement.

The conference discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health institutions’ adherence to quality and safety standards, and the impact of the institutions’ overall application of those standards on their ability to deal with the crisis.

Moeen Habashneh, former director general of Royal Medical Services and honorary member of HCAC board of directors, chaired the conference. The conference hosted keynote speaker Tejal Gandhi, chief safety and transformation officer at Press Ganey.

“There is a constant need to apply quality standards and patient safety methods in healthcare,” Habashneh said.

“The conference will provide an opportunity for participants from Jordan, the Arab region and the world to share practical experiences and document lessons learned to deal with the pandemic and beyond,” he said in the statement.

“With the pandemic response leaving healthcare workers burnt out and exacerbating gaps in health equity, the HCAC is at the forefront of uniting world-renowned healthcare executives to address the underlying implications of workforce well-being and diversity on patient safety,” said Gandhi.

“As leaders, we have an unwavering commitment to make care safer for patients and clinicians as we set out to reduce preventable harm,” she continued.

The conference included workshops and panel discussions on different subjects, such as; the best practices for dealing with crises, creating innovative solutions to deal with challenges in the health sector and the importance of emotional intelligence among medical providers.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion on ways to improve quality in the health sector in Jordan and the Arab region, with participation of Health Minister Feras Al Hawari and former Regional Director for the World Health Organisation’s Eastern Mediterranean Region Ala’adin Alwan.

At the closing session of the conference, names of winners in the HCAC Quality Competition were announced. The competition was organised to showcase and celebrate accredited organisations’ success stories, innovative initiatives and ideas that seek to adapt to the permanent change caused by the COVID-19 crisis, according to the statement.