AKU’s Flagship Conference "National Health Sciences Research Symposium" Held

The 25th National Health Sciences Research Symposium (NHSRS), Agha Khan University (AKU)’s flagship conference, brought together national and international experts to further the dialogue on evidence-based medical guidelines

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Feb, 2024) The 25th National Health Sciences Research Symposium (NHSRS), Agha Khan University (AKU)’s flagship conference, brought together national and international experts to further the dialogue on evidence-based medical guidelines.

Given the pressing need for contextually relevant treatment for diseases, this conference was both timely and relevant, building upon existing work done by AKU’s Center for Clinical Best Practices (CCBP).

Former special assistant to the prime minister on health Dr Faisal Sultan said, “it is a pleasure to be a part of this guideline development process that is being done in a structured and international validated manner with contextual appropriateness at its core. This is a great effort by AKU.”

The keynote speaker, Professor Mahmood Ayyaz, Vice Chancellor, King Edward Medical University, Lahore emphasized the importance of evidence-based guidelines in clinical practice.

“The move from disease-oriented guidelines to community-oriented contextual guidelines is key but comes with its own set of challenges that need to be addressed. The system also needs to have maintenance and improvement mechanisms embedded within in,” said Professor Maj General Sohail Sabir during his talk on challenges and their solutions in the development of contextual guidelines.

Professor Sabir commended AKU’s leadership and training with military hospitals to ensure maximum impact and dissemination.

Professor Dr Javed Akram, President, Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine and Health Minister Punjab was also in attendance, providing insights from his work as a medical professional as well as a government health official.

Prof Dr Khalid Masood Gondal, President, College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan; Professor Dr Rizwan Taj, President, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council; Dr Bushra Mirza, Member, Research, Development and Innovation, Higher education Commission; Professor Dr Shabeen Naz Masood, Executive Member, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Pakistan; and Major General Irfan Ali Mirza, Hilal e Imtiaz (Military), Dean AFPGMI; and Professor Dr Shehla Naseem, Member, National Advisory board were some of the distinguished speakers at the symposium.

The symposium consisted of presentations on guideline development for common ailments such as diabetes and hypertension, along with robust panel discussions on the impact of guidelines on healthcare, oral presentations of shortlisted abstracts, poster presentations, awards, and recognition of all the specialists who contributed to the development of the manual of therapeutics.