The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has organised a national workshop focused on healthcare-associated infection surveillance at the Itqan Clinical Simulation and Innovation Center, located within Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City.

The two-day event brought together more than 100 healthcare professionals from across Qatar’s governmental, semi-governmental, and private sectors. Participants included specialists in infection prevention and control, as well as leaders in quality and patient safety. Frontline professionals such as nurses, physicians, microbiologists, and pharmacists from hospitals, primary healthcare centres, and diagnostic and treatment facilities also took part.

The workshop aimed to enhance national capabilities in monitoring healthcare-associated infections and to support the rollout of a unified national surveillance programme grounded in standardized criteria and scientific evidence.

Effective surveillance systems are a key component of infection prevention and control strategies, enabling healthcare providers to detect risks early, track trends and performance indicators, and implement targeted measures to improve patient safety and outcomes.

During the sessions, attendees reviewed the core elements of the national surveillance programme and its implementation plan. Discussions covered surveillance objectives and methodologies, standardized data collection tools, and ways to strengthen participants’ ability to analyse and apply infection prevention indicators. These included metrics related to surgical site infections, device-associated infections, hand hygiene compliance, and exposure to blood and body fluids.

The workshop also highlighted evidence-based best practices in infection prevention, reinforcing the connection between robust surveillance systems and the effective execution of preventive measures within healthcare settings.