Tribune News Network
Doha
Approximately 300 healthcare professionals including nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, neonatal physiotherapists, occupational therapists, besides parents took part in a week-long International Neonatal Therapy Week at Women’s Wellness and Research Centre (WWRC). The aim was to enhance public awareness of the roles of neonatal occupational therapy and physiotherapists in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as well as in the neurodevelopmental follow-up clinics.
Part of the activities marking the awareness campaign held last week, and ongoing until the end of October, it included setting up a booth at the WWRC’s Outpatient Department lobby to create awareness among hospital visitors and staff giving them the opportunities to learn more about physiotherapy and neonatal occupational therapy in addition to a poster presentation, education sessions, and engaging activities for NICU multidisciplinary team such as quizzes and exercises.
Neonatal therapists interacted with parents to inform them about the role of neonatal therapists in the care of their preterm babies currently in the NICU and attending the neurodevelopmental follow-up clinics. To enhance the knowledge of healthcare professionals, CPD-approved educational sessions were conducted on topics such as developmentally appropriate positioning for preterm neonates, oral feeding techniques for high-risk infants, and enriching early sensory experiences.
Dr. Hilal Amin Al Rifai, chief executive officer and medical director of WWRC said, "In the NICU, physiotherapists and occupational therapists play crucial roles in supporting the development of preterm neonates through integrated, individualized, and neuroprotective therapeutic interventions. Our neonatal therapists use their specialized education and training to promote these babies’ optimal short- and long-term development.”
Dr. Al Rifai stressed that the goal of WWRC’s NICU was to prevent or minimize adverse developmental outcomes of premature/high-risk babies while fostering a strong infant-family bond. "Additionally, the team follows these infants in the Neurodevelopmental and Baby Therapy Clinic to ensure early intervention and better neurodevelopmental outcomes. We aim to bridge the developmental gap between the protective environment of the womb and the often-unpredictable setting of the NICU,” he adds.
Dr. Mai Abdulla Al-Qubaisi, director of Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine at WWRC, emphasized the role of physiotherapy and occupational therapy in integrating a neonate’s developmental care in the NICU via family involvement. "Increased parental visits to provide therapeutic care by moving, handling and feeding their infant are linked to reduced stress for both mother and baby, stronger mother-child bonding, less separation anxiety, improved milk supply leading to better weight gain, and greater parental confidence in caring for their preterm infant,” Dr. Al-Qubaisi explained.
She also highlighted that the Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physiotherapy (PT) team emphasizes parental engagement in their infant’s care in the NICU and post-discharge, which helps improve the neurodevelopmental outcome and quality of life.
Noora Rashid Essa Al Mudahka, AED of Clinical Services (Physiotherapy), explained that physiotherapists assess infants’ movements and recommend strategies to promote optimal neuromotor development. They support the development of the infant’s immature musculoskeletal system through individualized therapeutic and neuroprotective interventions. "In addition, physiotherapists educate parents and nurses on recognizing their baby’s strengths and identifying areas where they can help enhance neuromotor development,” she noted.
Sultan Salim Hammam Al Abdulla, AED of Clinical Services (Occupational Therapy) at HMC, emphasized the key role of occupational therapists in the NICU of providing appropriate sensory and motor experiences to promote appropriate neuromotor development, assess and promote the infant’s ability to regulate states of alertness, soothe themselves, and interact with their environment, implementing age-appropriate feeding techniques to ensure preterm babies are fed efficiently ensuring safe discharge and parenting co-occupation.
"Occupational therapists guide parents and nurses in interpreting their babies’ cues, ensuring safe feeding both in the NICU and at home as well parenting co-occupation. These methods support the babies’ neurobehavioral development, nurture their immature sensory systems, and strengthen family bonding,” he stated.
Under Dr. Nuha Abdelghafar M.A. Nimeri, NICU Consultant and OT-PT Team Lead, alongside Alaa Al Sheikh Hussein, director of Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy, and Irfana Shah, PT supervisor at WWRC, the roles of physiotherapists and occupational therapists in the NICU and neurodevelopmental follow-up clinics were highlighted.
Key contributors included NICU Physiotherapists Shihab, Omayma, and Pranay, along with NICU occupational therapists Jisha (OT team lead), Parvathy, Ma. Lorena Igna, Raneem Jafar Yasin Hassouneh, and Raneen Mamoun Yousef Alsughair, who led the sessions and developed awareness materials.