All articles by julian turner
julian turner
The war on bugs – antibiotic-resistant diseases
The GCC is a facing a worrying growth in superbugs, one of which is resistant to all known antibiotics. Elly Earls meets award-winning PhD student Hosam Zowawi to find out why multifaceted collaborative action is the only way to effectively face the threat.
Speaking in private – healthcare funding
Across the Middle East, healthcare is in a period of transition. With communicable diseases on the rise, governments are ramping up their healthcare investments but, as budgets tighten, it is clear there is not much money to spare. Maher Abouzeid, president and CEO of Middle East and Turkey at GE Healthcare, tells Abi Millar why private sector involvement is becoming so critical.
Change the record – digitising data
Practical Patient Care Middle East explores the advantages and challenges of clinical documentation improvement with ICD-10 implementation, and how digitising such data can ultimately enhance patient care. Kerry Taylor-Smith speaks to Dr Vijay Magon, managing director of CCube Solutions, and Intisar Abdullah, director of the Health Information Management Department at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Saudi Arabia, about the future of patient records.
Test in time – prostate cancer mortality
The prostate cancer mortality to incidence rate is five times greater in the MENA region than in the US, but despite the number of deaths, and the significant prostate cancer rate in general, awareness of the disease in the region is low, with many opting out of seeking regular check-ups. James Quentin examines how hospitals and governments can reach out to men effectively in order to encourage regular examination and try to catch the disease early.
A problem shared – diabetes-related tuberculosis
A shortage of research on diabetes-related tuberculosis in the Middle East could hamper treatment. Diabetes triples the risk of co-morbid tuberculosis, complicates its treatment and increases the likelihood of poor outcomes for both diseases. As diabetes rates are increasing across the region, Practical Patient Care Middle East speaks to Dr Scott Heysell, who spearheaded a report on the problem of the diseases’ correlation, about where the research to beat them needs to focus, and the issues it could lead to in terms of treatment and prevention.
Room together – hybrid operating theatres
Demand for technologically advanced operating room equipment means healthcare providers around the world are increasingly moving to hybrid operating rooms. Practical Patient Care Middle East speaks to Arjen Radder, Philips Healthcare’s CEO for Turkey and the Middle East, about demand in the region, and how hospitals, surgeons and patients stand to benefit from the concept.
Luxury appointment – medical resources in the Middle East
As luxury hospitals become increasingly popular internationally, Sophie Peacock asks whether their growth in the Middle East will benefit medical tourism and ease the burden on public resources in the region, or if they merely represent a novel means of pandering to the elite.
The weight of the world – childhood obesity
The Middle East has witnessed a rise in obesity in recent years due, in part, to the availability of food courts in shopping malls and other fast-food venues, coupled with the population’s often sedentary lifestyle but, although a large number of adults are becoming obese, it’s the children who are really in danger. Professor Abdulrahman Musaiger, head of the Arab Center for Nutrition in Bahrain, explains how childhood obesity has become such an urgent problem, and discusses the causes and the programmes in the region needed to battle it.
Inconclusive results – point-of-care testing technology
Technological developments are constantly affecting the global pharmaceuticals market and manipulating trends in point-of-care testing. Practical Patient Care investigates what this means for treating patients and how such progress can bring about positive change.
Global dealings in disease – the importance of diagnostic technology
Although viruses like Zika and Ebola have demonstrated the importance of good diagnostic technology, the field remains undervalued and underfunded. Practical Patient Care asks Rosanna Peeling, professor and chair of diagnostics research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, what the implications are for developing-world countries where the disease burden is highest, and whether technology transfer could be the solution.