Professorial Medical Unit
The Professorial Medical Unit (PMU) is allied to the Medical Institute at Al-Ain Hospital (AAH) and is a joint venture between the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) and AAH. The PMU contains a 12-bed in-patient care facility as well as clinical research and teaching rooms and, situated adjacent to the Infectious Diseases Unit, has access to a sizeable patient database.
The primary goal of the PMU is to provide a role model for clinical care in an academic environment, with components of expertise in clinical service, education and teaching of resident doctors, interns and students. This is based on the philosophy that excellence in patient care is best achieved when delivered in an atmosphere of enquiry, debate and teaching.
Mechanisms of Care Delivery
The PMU cooperates closely with the other Medical Units in the Medical Institute in the acute on-call and in-patient care of severely ill patients, working under the clinical leadership of a Consultant Physician certified by the FMHS Internal Medicine Board. This consultant is supported by an experienced AAH Specialist in Internal Medicine with an adjunct academic appointment at FMHS, a Resident from the Al Ain Medical District Residency Training Programme (Arab Board-accredited), as well as an intern and medical students.
The PMU staff takes part in the department-wide morning report and contributes to the hospital’s CME and other educational activities. Teaching rounds led by the FMHS consultant are conducted daily on PMU patients.
A dedicated PMU out-patient clinic provides continuity of care for patients discharged from the in-patient PMU facility.
In addition to on-call admissions, the FMHS Internal Consultant Physicians also admit patients directly to PMU for work up, diagnosis and management.
Teaching
In addition to clinical care, the weekly PMU teaching activities include ‘the case of the week’, the discussion of journal articles, and a clinical-radiological conference. The PMU has a dedicated teaching room with a-v facilities and internet access. The Faculty-led morning report for medical students is held daily and residents also attend a dedicated academic half-day at the FMHS under the direction of the Programme Directors.
Research
The PMU has a dedicated Research Office for conducting clinical trials and other research, both of which are actively ongoing.
Assessment, Audits, Guidelines
Audits are undertaken to ascertain patient satisfaction and quality of care in various areas such as antimicrobial prescribing, and clinical pathways for selected medical emergencies are also being prepared.
Clinical Director and Staff
- Director: Professor Salah Gariballa, MD, FRCP, Professor of Medicine and Consultant Internist and Nutritionist.
Email: s.gariballa@uaeu.ac.ae
Staff: Dr Suleiman Kamal MRCP, clinical assistant, Professor of Medicine, Specialist Physician.
- Professor Michael Ellis FRCP, FACP, Professor of Medicine, Consultant Infectious Diseases, Chairman of the Department of Medicine, FMHS.
Email: michael.ellis@uaeu.ac.ae Members of Department of Medicine, FMHS.
