Dr. Goran Petroski
professor of medicine at Weil Medical Colleger
Physician, Endocrinologist, in Sidra Medicine
@ Doha, Qatar
Empathetic care is at the heart of the healing
“The way we deliver healthcare services to our patients is changing dramatically but what has not changed is the patient`s desire to feel understood and cared for. That need for empathetic care is at the heart of being human, especially when the patient feels pain and is vulnerable.” – Goran Petroski
What has been your proudest achievement throughout your international career as an endocrinologist? What do you think influenced patient experiences the most?
It’s very difficult to choose one, as each of them has had unique importance in a specific period of my career. Maybe, it was the National insulin pump therapy project, as one of the novelties in healthcare system in Macedonia. The insulin pump is a small computerized device, which delivers insulin through a thin tube that goes under the skin. By using the insulin pump in therapies, patients experienced greater satisfaction and higher adherence to insulin administration. Consequently, it improved their glycaemic control and quality of life in many aspects. We have definitely improved medical outcomes in treating diabetes in Macedonia and created positive patient experiences.
I was also very proud of my team at that time. I had a whole team of devoted colleagues and experts in their fields that contributed to success of the project. By working together as a team, healthcare professionals can build protocols with procedures, that can be conductedin a smoothly and timely manner. We all invested our knowledge, put in enormous amounts of sleepless hours and most importantly, our positive energy, to make this project happen: Pump therapy is now available in Macedonia.
How have the leadership skills you acquired at HBS helped you in developing your career, and your communication skills with colleagues and patients?
Harvard Business School was a unique experience combining science, technology, economics, business and management in one. I have learnt different approaches in project development, team work, leading and managing a team and getting the most out of it, implementing new ideas in clinical research. In one word, HBS made a huge impact on my ability be more confident in developing new projects. At the end of the day, it has given me higher satisfaction from my work and opened new opportunities for my career.
The topic of “Making sense of turbulent times” that was a part of HBS. I had the opportunity to practice in the real-world during the COVID-19 period. Together with my team, we developed a comprehensive virtual insulin pump program for people with diabetes, without the need to visit the clinic, which was very successful, and improved their experiences. This program is still active and we offer it to our patients.
Sidra Medicine is a hospital for compassionate and excellent care of women, children and young people. As an endocrinologist you work with patients with endocrine disorders. What do you find most important in your approach and communication with these kinds of patients?
The first point in the consultation is to make the patient feel safe in the new environment. It takes some time for new patients to open during the consultation, as some of them are afraid and nervous. I start the interview in a friendly manner with simple and every day questions to open the discussion. Building the bridge and trust between is the most important thing. I have to be sure that the patient and caregiver understand what I am explaining, as well as the procedures that should be performed. At the end of the consultation, we agree on the plan and I have to also be sure that the patient knows the next steps. Most of the patients are with chronic conditions and once you build the trust, communication is easier during the follow up visits.
You are a professor on Weil Medical College in Doha. Tell us about the cutting-edge research and innovations which affects Patient Experience?
I am mostly involved in Clinical Research with diabetes technologies, which I believe can help patients in changing diabetes. The idea of this is to translate the research into clinical practice in a short period that the patients and their caregivers will see and benefit from these results in their lives. The burden of diabetes with daily commitments (glucose checks, carbohydrate counting and adjusting insulin dose) is high and deteriorates the diabetes control.
In the last two years, we have been working to minimize the burden of diabetes using closed loop systems in a way that no one (till now) has researched this topic. As you might now, one of the most important tasks for diabetes patients is to calculate the amount of carbohydrates and according to that, to prescribe the insulin dose. This is a golden standard in the diabetes management for the last 40 years inorder to have satisfied glucose control. We have come to the idea that this task can be eliminated with using closed loop systems. I have developed a formula with a preset of three different carbohydrate amounts (snack, normal and large meal) and programmed them into the pump. So instead of doing calculations for each meal, patients will announce the meal based on the size of the meal. We have proved that this method is safe and provides satisfied glucose control, similar to the current practice with calculations, but with a lesser burden and impacton quality of life. This research is already published in Diabetes Care (peer-reviewed medical journal by the American Diabetes Association).
Do you think that the quality of life, or mental and physical well-being affects job satisfaction and the results achieved in your career as a doctor. What do you do in your free time, how do you improve your physical and mental well-being?
Professional and private time should be balanced and both are important. If we overachieve on the professional side, we can be easily burnout and if we overachieveduring private time, we cannot achieve what we wanted to. Achievements in career are important in particular if they serve to a certain cohort of patients, such as improvements in glucose control and quality of life in my case for example.
On the order side, we need to recharge the batteries in order to achieve our goals. Physical and mental well-being are side by side, and they area part of my lifestyle. Running and reading books are daily activities along with social gatherings with friends during the weekend, as well as traveling around the world, experiencing new cultures and meeting new people.