The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) announced a new policy to regulate the practice of home nursing services by introducing the job title of ‘home nurse’ and launching its registration and licensing standards within the nursing categories organised by the Healthcare Professions Department at MoPH.
This is part of the ministry’s efforts to regulate and legalise the work of all health practitioners in the State of Qatar, in accordance with the policies and regulations applicable in many countries of the world and nursing regulatory institutions, including the American Nurses Association (ANA).
The new policy allows nursing staff who are sponsored by the patient or his family and are not working for any of the licensed health facilities, to apply for registration and licensing through the MoPH, provided that all conditions and requirements that ensure their competence and integrity are met. These include verifying the validity of all the certificates and documents submitted, work experience, and academic qualifications. They should also pass the ministry’s licensing examination for nursing staff.
Regulated home nursing
According to Dr Saad Al Kaabi, Director of the Department of Healthcare Professions at MoPH, regulating the practice of home nursing contributes to enhancing integrated health care in Qatar by providing an effective and safe health service.
He said that the policy of regulating the practice also allows patients the option of staying at home while continuing to receive the healthcare they need. This alternative is especially important for the elderly.
He explained that one of the conditions for granting a license to practice the profession under the job title of home nurse is that the applicant must have an intermediate certificate in nursing, such as an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), or diploma of technical secondary nursing schools or any other nationally recognised study programme dedicated to this purpose. The same license can also be granted to nursing cadres who have a bachelor’s degree in nursing if they wish to do so.
Dr Al Kaabi said that a ‘license to practice’ will be issued to nurses who are not associated with any health facility, with the name of the patient. Please note that the work of the nursing staff under this category is limited to the patient and his family.
The nurse will be allowed to complete the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits. Eighty credits are required for license renewal, which they can earn by attending professional development activities.
The policy clarifies that the scope of the home nurse’s practice should follow the instructions of the treating physicians of the patient and the treatment plan set by them. The service should also comply with all laws, policies and directives issued by the competent authority at the MoPH.
Increased demand
The health sector in the State of Qatar has recently witnessed an increase in the demand for home nursing services, as a result of the increase in the average age of the country’s population. This is in addition to the focus on wellness indicators in Qatari society and the introduction of concepts such as long-term care and home care.
Qatar’s health sector provides many important homecare services for the elderly, including those that are carried out by teams from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
About 2,000 elderly patients benefit from home visits within the State of Qatar, with the primary aim of enhancing and improving the quality of life for elderly patients, helping them to improve mobility and live independently.
Follow this link for more information about the new policy.
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