Emirates Health Services honours winning projects in the third edition of the ‘Nursing Race for Excellence’
Emirates Health Services (EHS), represented by its Nursing Department, organized the third edition of the ‘Nursing Race for Excellence’ to mark International Nurses Day, bringing together nurses and midwives from various healthcare facilities across EHS.
Participants presented 12 innovative projects focused on improving the quality of healthcare delivery, enhancing patient outcomes, and strengthening the efficiency and sustainability of health services. The projects reflected the pivotal role nursing professionals play in driving improvement and innovation across the healthcare sector.
His Excellency Dr. Essam Al Zarooni, Executive Director of the Medical Services Sector at EHS, said that the ‘Nursing Race for Excellence’ embodies EHS’s commitment to fostering a culture of institutional innovation and empowering nursing professionals to develop practical and sustainable solutions rooted in patient needs and quality of care.
The participating projects demonstrated an advanced level of integration between professional practice, modern technologies, and evidence-based approaches, Dr. Al Zarooni added, noting that EHS views nursing professionals as key partners in advancing the healthcare system, who notably contribute to ensuring improved patient experience and overall quality of life in society.
For her part, Dr. Sumaya Al Blooshi, Director of the Nursing Department at EHS, emphasized that the third edition of the race featured high-quality projects reflecting the evolution of nursing practice within EHS facilities, as well as the ability of nursing staff to develop solutions with a direct impact on patient safety, employee wellbeing, and clinical outcomes.
The participating initiatives demonstrated a progressive shift towards leveraging digital transformation, patient-centred care, and clinical innovation in healthcare service development, Dr. Al Blooshi explained, noting that this reaffirms EHS’s commitment to providing a supportive environment for professional creativity and knowledge exchange, thereby strengthening nursing excellence across its healthcare facilities.
The participating projects were evaluated by a judging panel of healthcare experts and specialists, based on professional criteria such as impact, sustainability, innovation, efficiency, implementation effectiveness, and quality of outcomes. The evaluation process included audience participation, which enhanced professional engagement and the exchange of expertise among participants.
The nursing team at Saqr Hospital won first place for their project ‘Empowering the Nurse Floater’, a smart support system designed to enhance the experience of nurses assigned to different departments. The project introduced a digital platform enabling confidential and real-time feedback via QR code scanning, along with an interactive dashboard and electronic alerts for managing nursing responsibilities. The initiative achieved a 98% employee satisfaction rate and addressed 95% of feedback within seven working days, thereby creating a supportive working environment and enhancing the quality of healthcare delivery.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Bin Hamad Obaidullah Hospital secured second place for its project ‘Thalassemia Heroes Towards Sustainable Quality of Life’, which adopted an innovative model for delivering comprehensive patient-cantered care combining multidisciplinary services, psychosocial support, and digital technologies. The project delivered outstanding results, including an improvement in the quality-of-life index to 96%, patient satisfaction rate of 95%, and financial support for all eligible patients. Additionally, the project included developing a digital monitoring dashboard to enable proactive clinical intervention.
The third place went to Al Dhaid Hospital for its project ‘Preventing Complications of Mechanical Ventilation Devices’, which focused on enhancing patient safety in intensive care units through the application of subglottic suction drainage techniques in line with evidence-based practice. The initiative contributed to reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia, shortening ICU length of stay, and improving patient outcomes and overall quality of care.
Emirates Health Services also honored nursing staff who received the international DAISY Award, which recognizes nurses who demonstrate exceptional compassion and excellence in patient care. The recipients are nominated by patients, families, or colleagues, with nine nurses from various EHS healthcare facilities recognized during the ceremony.
The ‘Nursing Race for Excellence’ event forms part of EHS’s ongoing efforts to empower nursing professionals and strengthen their role as key partners in advancing the healthcare system, by fostering a culture of innovation and encouraging knowledge sharing and professional exchange, which contributes to improved healthcare quality and enhanced patient experience.
