Amplify expertise – Saudi German Hospital, Cairo

Research training inspires staff, achieves early outcomes at Saudi German Hospital, Cairo

Member: Saudi German Hospital, Cairo, Egypt

In Egypt, innovative research typically emerges from academic hospitals, not private hospitals. For Saudi German Hospital, Cairo (SGH-Cairo), a Mayo Clinic Care Network member, this reality presented an opportunity — not a barrier.

"We have a great team of clinicians and other experts who also want to be pioneers in research," says Mona Gohary, D.B.A. She is the academic affairs head for the Saudi German Academy and Mayo Clinic Care Network relationship liaison for SGH-Cairo. "We have a lot of data and correlations for papers and research. We sought to learn the tips and tricks to setting up a research program from Mayo Clinic."

Through Health Care Consulting (HCC), SGH-Cairo requested a training curriculum outlining how Mayo Clinic manages research — from receiving and vetting proposals to publishing and implementing new research-based practices.

Inspiring the team

According to Gohary, over the course of 12 virtual sessions with Mayo Clinic subject matter experts, SGH-Cairo's 32-person multidisciplinary team formulated a research program for their hospital.

"Members of our Internal Review Board joined in the training sessions with most of the current researchers and professors from our medical schools," she says. "We had many disciplines involved from physical therapists, quality staff, nurses, physicians, administrators and pharmacists to name a few."

The sessions, led by Rahul Kashyap, M.B.B.S., M.B.A., research scientist and assistant professor of anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, were an effective way to share information on basics of clinical research and inspire the SGH-Cairo team.

"Out of these instructional sessions, our staff submitted seven new research proposals, which are being pursued in development and publication with the support of Dr. Kashyap," Gohary says. "The 32 training participants are now champions for new research ideas at SGH-Cairo. They are motivating other medical and nonmedical staff to propose patient-outcome research. Clinical research is being conducted in a wide range of disciplines now."

'Unique in Egypt'

The SGH-Cairo team continues to collect data, perform analysis, submit new proposals and drive positive outcomes, including a celebration of research in mid-2022 to present the research papers and recognize the top three SGH-Cairo researchers. Additionally, they are the first institution from Egypt to partake in VIRUS COVID-19 Registry's study of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. The registry is led by Mayo Clinic and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

"As an academic leader, I can state that this program is successful because at the end of the educational sessions, the participants could write a complete research proposal," Gohary says. "Having the research of a private hospital like ours published and recognized is unique in Egypt. We believe it will enhance our reputation not only in areas of patient care but also in our educational centers.

"For us, the benefit of this training coming from a well-recognized research institution like Mayo Clinic is priceless. Dr. Kashyap's leadership and expertise in research methodology and publishing were an added value to the participants. We have all studied research methodologies and have master's- or doctorate-level degrees. But to have the methodology from an organization like Mayo is something extra and unique."