Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) managed by Cleveland Clinic hosted the Music and Medicine Concert Lecture today March 29, at 1:30 pm in cooperation with Cleveland Clinic Arts and Medicine Institute and Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF). More than 60 patients, visitors and doctors attended the event which took place in SKMC is owned and operated by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The goal of hosting the Music and Medicine Concert at SKMC is to bring the arts and music to the bedside which assists in the healing process. Dr. Tej Maini, CEO of SKMC’s patients and visitors. Studies have shown that music has positively impacted health and wellness throughout time and across cultures.”

“Our patient population at SKMC is multicultural; we receive patients from more than 60 different nationalities”, Dr. Maini added. “Last year’s concert was successful; our patients have enjoyed it and benefited from it, and we intend to present this annually in corporation with the Arts and Medicine Institute of Cleveland Clinic and ADMAF.”

Kamal Chémali, M.D., Cleveland Clinic physician and a course director of the Concert-Symposium said, “Cleveland Clinic believes that healing should begin the moment a patient walks through our doors. New research shows that the arts are good medicine – providing comfort, elevating the spirit, and affirming life and hope. When used as a therapy, music can provide pain relief and reduce anxiety. The arts, when combined with outstanding patient care, create an environment that encourages healing”.

“The healing, nurturing effects of music and art cannot be overestimated. Through events such as the Music and Medicine Concert Lecture at the Abu Dhabi Festival, we can see for ourselves the happiness, comfort and reassurance music brings to those who are in pain or distress,” said H.E. Hoda Al-Khamis Kanoo, Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation Founder and Director.

The Arts & Medicine Institute of Cleveland Clinic is the catalyst for integrating the arts in to the practice of medicine at Cleveland Clinic — from art and music therapies to performing arts medicine.

The Institute’s Executive Director, Iva Fattorini, M.D., explains her vision for the Institute as how her new programs are influencing Cleveland Clinic physicians and patients. She said “Our mission is to enhance the Cleveland Clinic experience of patients, visitors and employees through the arts, to practice and investigate the use of the arts in healing, and to build community around the arts, health and medicine.” The Arts & Medicine Institute creates and manages programs that: infuse the medical environment with the energy and vitality of the arts; contribute aesthetic beauty to Cleveland Clinic; expand and establish new programs that pair the arts with medical treatment and discovery; pursue research studies that support the relationship of art with medicine; and encourage arts and cultural activities at Cleveland Clinic.

Prisca Benoit, professor at the Superior Conservatoire of Paris and concert pianist, who performed for the patients at SKMC said, “I am always particularly moved from within when I play piano with doctors for patients. It is a completely different experience than in the concert hall that gives a new meaning and a broader dimension to our mission as musicians. Performing for patients is a truly rewarding experience.”

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Kidney disease is a serious health issue worldwide .Two of the highest risk factors associated with kidney disease is diabetes and hypertension, both of which are very common in the UAE and across the region. This strongly suggests that the region is likely to see a greater incidence of kidney disease and therefore greater demand for dialysis, in future.

Dialysis is a mechanical process that performs the work that healthy kidneys would do. When chronic kidney disease becomes so severe that your kidneys are no longer working properly, you may need dialysis. You may use dialysis to replace the work of the kidneys for many years, or it may be a short-term measure while you are waiting for a kidney transplant.

Before starting dialysis, the Nephrologists place a dialysis access in your body so that blood or body fluids can be transferred between your body and the machine.

Three different types of vascular access are available to perform dialysis.

Temporary access – These are stiff PVC catheter which can be used to start dialysis. Disadvantage of these catheters is that it can be kept only for a short period (3-4 weeks max). Risk of infection becomes unacceptably high after that period.

Perm catheters -These are soft non-thrombogenic cutted silicon catheter which put through a tunnel created on chest wall. Being cuffed give them advantage to be used for a long period of time (Many months) without any risk of infections.

AV Fistula and grafts – In these case artery and vein are joined together in arm or leg direct by (AV Fistula) or using a plastic conduit (AV graft) to create a vascular access for hemodialysis purpose.

Since most of the patients present in later stages of chronic kidney disease, perm catheter remains a good choice especially if patient will require hemodialytic support only for few months before either he recovers enough native kidney functions to discontinue dialysis or finds a suitable donor for kidney transplant.

The department of Nephrology is under the guidance of Dr. Kareem Mohammed. The perm catheter procedure has carried out by Dr. Alind Kumar, Specialist Nephrologist

Nephrology and Dialysis unit at Zulekha Hospital, Dubai was established in 2006. The Unit has the latest B. Braun Dialog + Dialysis Machine program of Hemodialysis for acute and chronic renal failure.

Performance of vascular access in form of insertion of double lumen catheters, creation of A.V. Fistula peritoneal dialysis and renal biopsy is being practiced here with one to one nursing care.

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Dubai Under the patronage of Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, UN Messenger of Peace, Chairperson of International Humanitarian City and wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), will present the third annual Cinema Against Aids Dubai gala to raise funds for amfAR, the Foundation for Aids Research, on December 10, 2009.

The Cinema Against Aids gala, one of amfAR’s international film festival circuit events, has raised $4.8 million (Dh17.6 million) over the past two events in Dubai. This is more than one-tenth of the total of approximately $48 million raised by Cinema Against Aids galas globally, since 1993. The funds support amfAR’s activities focused on Aids research, HIV prevention, treatment education and the advocacy of sound Aids-related public policy.

Shivani Pandya, Managing Director, DIFF, said the overwhelming success of the Cinema Against Aids Dubai galas highlights the power of cinema in bringing together people for worthy causes. “It also puts the spotlight on Dubai, home to powerful charitable initiatives like Dubai Cares, a non-profit organization that is integrating the prioritization of water, sanitation into all of its education programmes around the world,” she added.

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Modern hospitals depend heavily on medical technology to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases. A typical mid-sized hospital has hundreds of items of medical equipment, from simple stethoscopes and blood pressure monitors to highly sophisticated MRI machines and linear accelerators. Hospitals are complex enterprises with entire departments dedicated to technology planning, assessment, acquisition, maintenance, upgrade and replacement at the end of the product life cycle. They have elaborate systems, programs, policies, procedures and protocols in place for purchasing new medical equipment.

To sell successfully to healthcare providers, marketing and sales professionals have to be well versed in the buying processes that healthcare providers use. Medical device marketing is quite different from any other marketing. Typically, hospitals have a review process to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate their medical technology needs. The review’s scope depends on the cost of the technology, and may involve many departments. For expensive equipment, the review most likely will be elaborate. For less expensive and disposable items, the review may simply assess the department’s current needs, and the proposed purchase’s operational and financial impacts. In case, a market survey and literature search take place to some extent, and this is supplemented with extensive data collection and analysis when needed. This is why white papers and case studies published by medical device manufacturers are very useful during the review process – the decision-makers look for every bit of information they can find. Hence, white papers and case studies can significantly influence the decision-making process.

A typical review process includes the following phases:

1. Strategic planning
2. Assessment
3. Acquisition
4. Utilization
5. Repair and maintenance
6. Replacement and disposal

The process starts with strategic planning. In this top-level phase, the relevant stakeholders (e.g., Directors, Professors, Managers, Doctors, Engineers, Purchasing, etc.) review key issues, success factors and resource allocation, and assign responsibilities for sustained improvement in technological performance. They identify the services their facility provides, and the technologies that would complement their existing services. The typical questions to answer are: Where are we? Where do we want to be? How are we going to get there?

Because medical technology greatly impacts the cost and structure of healthcare delivery, hospitals include technology assessment in their planning process, which typically includes cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses.

Cost-benefit analysis calculates the costs of applying the technology and compares them to the benefits resulting from its application. It provides criteria upon which to base decisions of whether to adopt or reject a proposed device. The device is adopted if its benefits exceed its costs. However, one limitation of this analysis is that it expresses all benefits, including therapeutic effects, in monetary terms. Hence, hospitals also conduct cost-effectiveness analyses to quantify therapeutic effects in terms of reduced patient hospital stays, and compare these to the costs of the technology’s implementation. Although at first glance the chosen technology may seem to have limited impact on other facility operations, stakeholders also examine the likely effect of the new equipment on existing services.

Other aspects of cost-effectiveness analysis include assessment of long-term replacement strategies and identification of emerging technologies. Since medical devices have finite longevity, hospitals have replacement plans to minimize the effects of unforeseen capital replacement. By identifying emerging technologies that fit into the projected plans of the hospital’s service area, the hospital tries to avoid investing in nearly obsolete technologies.
Purchase of a new technology is justified only when an increase in equipment’s cost-effectiveness is clearly demonstrated. The typical questions asked during the analysis are:

• Will the new medical device increase the volume of the service? * Will it raise the costs of the service?
• Will the device generate additional revenues and, if so, how much?
• What is the new device’s expected lifespan?
• What is the device’s reliability and the costs associated with its repair and maintenance?
• How reliable and reputable is the manufacturer?
• What impact will the new device have on routine operating costs?
• What will the disposal cost be?
• How easy is the device to operate?

Once the technology has been assessed and the decision to purchase has been made, the next phase in the process is technology acquisition, which typically includes the following steps:

• Preparation of general and functional specifications
• Clinical, technical and cost evaluations
• Review of proposals and evaluations, and making a final decision on a device manufacturer
• Contract negotiation for the device’s acquisition
• Preparation and issuance of a purchase order
• Contract award

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