Dr. Hisam Alahdab, MD, FCCP, MSHQS, is the Chief Operating, Quality and Safety Officer at Anadolu Medical Center, Turkey. As well as this job role, Dr. Alahdab also holds a position on the Patient Safety Committee and Quality Council here. His role involves overseeing the whole process of clinical quality whilst also initiating strategies to implement patient safety and satisfaction. Dr. Alahdab will be speaking at this year’s 2nd Annual International Patient Experience Symposium in Abu Dhabi, 18-19 Nov 2019.
What are your key areas of interest and research?
Being a leader of the Quality and Safety enterprise in the organisation, my area of interest is improving patient safety through evidence-based tools and safety culture. In the last few years, there has been mounting evidence on the effect of patient engagement on improving safety and quality of care. Lately, I have been working with my team on enhancing patient engagement in care and, moreover, partnering with patients and families to improve the quality of care, enhance safety and bring their experience to the highest level. I try my best to share our experience on national and international bases to contribute to patient experience globally.
What are the major challenges in your field?
There is no doubt that cultural transformation is the major challenge. Moving from a paternalistic, closed and one-directional communication to an open, frank and transparent culture – making partnerships with patients and their families at the centre of care – is the challenge.
What is the key to success when communicating with the public?
An open approach which frankly shares the challenges with the public is essential to start a bidirectional communication in understanding needs and meeting them so that patient experience is improved. The public should really trust that healthcare workers are doing their best to improve the quality of care and should understand their challenges. A closed communication that keeps challenges and difficulties under secrecy will not help.
Do you think many health leaders are still reluctant to move from traditional healthcare to more technology-driven care systems?
The reluctancy is there but it is not due to some leaders alone but the challenges confronting those leaders in terms of the culture and the rigid approach by some healthcare workers and organisations. My belief is that this will change a lot in the near future due to the upcoming generation of caregivers and patients who are also more technology-driven.
Do you feel the core subjects of International Patient Experience Symposium (IPX) reflects your aspirations for healthcare development? If so, what most interests you?
I believe it will be a great chance to listen to different and innovative approaches from different places and cultures on how to improve patient experience in our era.
What do you hope delegates will take away from the IPX Symposium?
I trust that participants will return back to their organisations with a new set of tools to improve patient experience and to deal with the many challenges they are facing on a daily basis.
What are the three changes hospital managers should make in order to provide excellent consumer experiences?
Establish a transparent open culture, partner with patients and improve staff experience.
If you had not chosen this career path, what do you think you would have become?
Maybe a cook since I love to see the satisfaction of people tasting a dish made with passion.
Do you have a favourite saying/quote?
“You will never really understand what a patient experiences until you are one!”
