A rheumatology curriculum in Pakistan for empowering family physicians and fighting disability

Khan, Sana; Saeed, Muhammad Ahmed; Batool, Shabnam; Farman, Sumaira; Ahmad, Nighat

doi:10.1007/s10067-019-04797-7

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…There were no studies that evaluated the effect of training the facilitators or co‐located HCPs in telerheumatology. One study evaluated the role of telemedicine in training family physicians and general practitioners in rheumatology care, with the aim to empower them to help fill unmet needs in access to musculoskeletal health care 50 . The investigators designed a standardized training module, based on the Rheum2Learn Modules developed by the ACR, spreading the training sessions over 9 months.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

APLAR recommendations on the practice of telemedicine in rheumatology

et al. 2022

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Introduction The COVID‐19 pandemic led to rapid and widespread adoption of telemedicine in rheumatology care. The Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR) working group was tasked with developing evidence‐based recommendations for rheumatology practice to guide maintenance of the highest possible standards of clinical care and to enable broad patient reach. Materials and methods A systematic review of English‐language articles related to telehealth in rheumatology was conducted on MEDLINE/PubMed, Web Of Science and Scopus. The strength of the evidence was graded using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach as well as the Oxford Levels of Evidence. The recommendations were developed using a modified Delphi technique to establish consensus. Results Three overarching principles and 13 recommendations were developed based on identified literature and consensus agreement. The overarching principles address telemedicine frameworks, decision‐making, and modality. Recommendations 1‐4 address patient suitability, triage, and when telemedicine should be offered to patients. Recommendations 5‐10 cover the procedure, including the means, data safety, fail‐safe mechanisms, and treat‐to‐target approach. Recommendations 11‐13 focus on training and education related to telerheumatology. Conclusion These recommendations provide guidance for the approach and use of telemedicine in rheumatology care to guide highest possible standards of clinical care and to enable equitable patient reach. However, since evidence in telemedicine care in rheumatology is limited and emerging, most recommendations will need further consideration when more data are available.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

APLAR recommendations on the practice of telemedicine in rheumatology

et al. 2022

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“…Even in a country like the USA with the greatest density of PRs globally [3], internist rheumatologists are still more geographically diffuse than PRs and act as substitutes for them in regions that lack such providers [20]. This current gap is likely to worsen, with the projected demand to increase to almost twice the supply by 2030 [21].…”

Section: Short One-day Hybrid Coursementioning

confidence: 99%

Teleteaching in paediatric rheumatology: an Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology experience

Farman,

Raja,

Ang

et al. 2024

Explor Musculoskeletal Dis

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Aim: To evaluate the reach and potential effectiveness of teleteaching of health providers in paediatric rheumatology by observing the pattern of sessions, attendance, and attendees’ feedback in paediatric rheumatology teleteaching sessions across the Asia Pacific region. These were conducted by the Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR) Paediatric Rheumatology Special Interest Group (Paeds Rheum SIG) as an APLAR academy activity. Methods: A retrospective, descriptive analysis of electronic records of synchronous telehealth sessions held between July 2021 to July 2023. These followed three formats: case-based webinars, single topic modular online course, and a hybrid one-day short course. The topics of sessions, attendees’ registration details, specifically primary area of practice/specialty, geographic location, and their satisfaction as per feedback forms were noted. Results: Case-based webinars had an average attendance of 200 per webinar: majority adult rheumatologists, paediatric rheumatologists (PRs), or paediatricians. The modular course consisted of nine sessions with an average of 63 participants per session. Specialties comprised PRs, adult rheumatologists with immunologists, and general paediatricians. The one-day hybrid course had over 600 attendees. Attendees were adult rheumatologists, general physicians, paediatricians, and PRs. Although the majority (79.3%) of attendees from these sessions were from APLAR member nation organisations (MNOs), a significant percentage (20.7%) were from non-APLAR MNOs and even non-Asia Pacific regions. The attendees’ feedback for all three formats showed a high level of satisfaction with case-based webinars being most favoured. Conclusions: Teleteaching in paediatric rheumatology has the potential to fulfill the dire need for improved expertise of health professionals managing children with rheumatic diseases. Case-based, interactive sessions of shorter duration and a blended hybrid format may garner the most attendance and best learning outcomes.

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“…For example, in Pakistan, a tertiary‐care rheumatology center developed a 9‐month course for family physicians using a blended learning technique, which was partly funded by a grant from ILAR. The curriculum was developed using American College of Rheumatology Rheum 2 modules and international guidelines 21 . This model can be replicated to address the extreme shortage of experts in the field of rheumatology in other LMICs.…”

Section: Challenges In the Management Of Ra In Asia Pacificmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rheumatoid arthritis management in the APLAR region: Perspectives from an expert panel of rheumatologists, patients and community oriented program for control of rheumatic diseases

Chopra¹,

Lin

Navarra

et al. 2021

Int J of Rheum Dis

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a major health burden in Asia Pacific affecting the quality of life of patients and consuming healthcare resources. According to recent estimates from the World Health Organization‐International League Against Rheumatism‐Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases, prevalence is around 0.3%‐0.5%. Management guidelines have helped to improve treatment across this diverse region. To gain better insight into current real‐world management applications in view of these guidelines, virtual meetings were conducted in mid‐2020 to explore perspectives of rheumatologists and patients, as well as discuss the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on RA management. Patients and rheumatologists from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Pakistan, and Taiwan were included, representing a diverse mix of healthcare systems, wealth, ethnicity and culture. Despite many countries having prospered in recent years, similar challenges in RA diagnosis and treatment were identified. The daily impact and patient experience of RA were also similar across countries, marked by “silent” pain and disability, and universal misunderstanding of the disease. Late diagnosis and treatment, and barriers to access to appropriate treatment, remain problematic. The experience shared by Taiwan offers a glimmer of hope, however, wherein patient advocacy groups have succeeded in being included in policy‐making decisions and securing access to advanced treatment. Real‐world solutions that pay heed to the unique local needs and diversity of Asia Pacific are required to improve RA management, which will take time. In the interim, help can be sought from the trained, non‐rheumatologist community to reduce some of the disease burden.

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A rheumatology curriculum in Pakistan for empowering family physicians and fighting disability

Cited by 10 publications

References 11 publications

APLAR recommendations on the practice of telemedicine in rheumatology

APLAR recommendations on the practice of telemedicine in rheumatology

Teleteaching in paediatric rheumatology: an Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology experience

Rheumatoid arthritis management in the APLAR region: Perspectives from an expert panel of rheumatologists, patients and community oriented program for control of rheumatic diseases

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