ABSTRACT
As part of its national development strategy, and in order to meet the Qatar National Vision 2030 goals, the Qatari health system has, in recent years, undertaken a large number of reforms to improve the healthcare system. The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has introduced a number of initiatives, including the registering and licensing of all healthcare professionals, and ensuring that they undertake an annual program of professional development. In order to reduce unnecessary deaths, the Qatar Early Warning System (QEWS) was designed. This system was developed by drawing on best practice internationally, and features two key elements: a vital signs chart and a response trigger. The vital signs chart consists of two color-coded zones, a yellow and a red zone. The QEWS provides an example of successful healthcare development and implementation, and one that will likely result in substantial clinical benefits. The approach taken has lessons for other large-scale improvement initiatives across Qatar and within other systems.
