Abu Dhabi Health Services Company- (SEHA), the UAE’s largest healthcare network,with a robust primary care network spanning across the emirate of Abu Dhabi, embarked on a training program for its Primary care providers in commonmental health illnesses. This virtual training was delivered by regional and international experts.
This Integrated mental health training program for primary care aims to integrate psychiatry into primary care. The primary objective is to fill the gaps within the healthcare landscape and expand screening and intervention for psychiatry challenges, while simultaneously reducing the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
Topics discussed include management of psychotropic substances in primary care, positive psychology, psychiatry of aging and dementia, psychiatry for children and adolescents, psychosis and perinatal psychiatry, mood disorders, and major depressive disorders. The virtual seminars were coupled with workshops with simulated case discussions for the participating Primary care providers.
Dr. WejdanAbdul Razzq Ahmed, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Ambulatory Healthcare Services, “Our mission here at SEHA is to empower our healthcare professionals and provide opportunities to learn develop and ultimately drive change across the healthcare community. This training initiative is yet another approach to support our employees and provide them the right set of tools to be able to evaluate and manage minor mental health disorders and understand when to refer the patient to the psychiatry department.”
Dr. Nahida Ahmed, Consultant Psychiatrist at AHS and Chair of Behavioral Health in SEHA said, “As a pilot phase, the online training was attended by 23 primary care physicians from across Ambulatory Healthcare Services and Al Dhafra Hospitals.The virtual seminars equipped healthcare practitioners and primary care providers with the necessary knowledge, tools, and resources to identify common mental illnesses as early as possible. SEHA will continue the training program and make it an accredited track for primary care providers with interest in mental health.”
