Aspetar, the world's leading center of excellence in sports medicine, organised an online symposium on medication safety on February 20th, 2023. The event, aimed at Physicians, Dentists, Pharmacists, Nurses, and Allied Health Professionals, featured Aspetar experts and speakers from the Ministry of Public Health.

The symposium addressed the critical issue of unsafe medication practices and medication errors, which are among the leading causes of preventable harm and injury in healthcare systems worldwide. The cost of medication errors globally is estimated at $42 billion annually, making safe medication practice essential to patient safety in health care delivery.

The event highlighted the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach, applying evidence-based best practices and standards to cover all aspects of the medication management process.

Aspetar, a center of excellence in sports medicine, considers patient and medication safety a top priority, and constantly reviews its practices and processes to ensure safe services and the best outcomes.

Said Dr. Zainab Al Sarraf, Chair of the scientific committee of the event.

Several topics were discussed, including an overview of the national medication safety program, the role of effective leadership in medication safety, medication reconciliation, and implementing a comprehensive medication safety process in a hospital.

One of the most interesting presentations was about doping prevention and athlete safety, led by Dr. Yorck Olaf Schumacher, “Doping prevention and athlete safety: do healthcare professionals have a role?” Explaining what doping is in athletes, what is intentional and inadvertent doping, and Outlining the vital role the healthcare professionals from all of Qatar’s health sectors can play in doping prevention. Summarizing the professional and health consequences doping can have on the athlete. another interactive topic was emergency sports dentistry and incorporating medication management in the provision of emergency dental care, led by Dr. Dana Al Masri.

The symposium organized by the Pharmacy department is a comprehensive learning activity that brought together subject matter experts and other stakeholders to share knowledge and best practices in medication safety.

Aspetar is committed to improving patient care and promoting safe medication practices. The symposium was a testament to this commitment, and we look forward to future events that further promote the importance of patient safety and medication management.

The Pharmacy at Aspetar provides the highest standard of pharmaceutical and clinical care to ensure best practice is always maintained. With a focus on orthopaedic and sports medicine care

About Aspetar:

Aspetar is a world-leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital and the first of its kind in the Middle East. Since 2007, with a world expert team, the hospital has provided top-level comprehensive medical treatment to all athletes in a state-of-the-art facility that sets new standards internationally.

In 2009, Aspetar was accredited as a “FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence” by F-MARC. In 2013, Aspetar was adopted as a reference collaborator centre by the Gulf Countries Council (GCC) Health Ministers Council and “The IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health” in 2014.

In 2015, Aspetar has been recognised as the “IHF Reference Centre for Athlete and Referee Health”. In the same year, the hospital also achieved obtained-on December 15 the Accreditation Canada International (ACI) “Platinum Level”.

Aspetar is a member–organisation of Aspire Zone Foundation, Qatar’s innovative sports and healthy lifestyle destination.