December 23, 2025 |
For a child with a rare disease, a doctor’s continuing education can end a years-long diagnostic odyssey and unlock access to vital care.
In medical school, doctors are taught, ‘When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras,’ guiding them to focus on diagnosing common conditions and discard the possibility of a rare condition. Yet, approximately 5% of the global population does have a rare condition, which, collectively, isn’t rare.1 These patients experience an average diagnostic delay of four to five years, and depending on the condition, sometimes over 10 years.
Most rare diseases are genetic and ~70% present in paediatrics, but paediatricians are regularly missing these cases.2 Unfortunately, very little time, if any, is dedicated to learning about rare diseases in medical school. Thus, for doctors to unlearn that potentially harmful adage about horses and zebras, they must learn about rare diseases by participating in continuing medical education throughout their careers.
‘When should I re-investigate a possible misdiagnosis?’ ‘What signs should make me think it might be a rare condition?’ These are the questions continuing medical education strives to answer.
Medscape Education features the largest collection of online continuing medical education programmes in rare disease, teaching about over 100 different rare conditions as well as rare disease foundations, patient voices and case challenges.
To evaluate the impact of education on real-world practice, we asked whether paediatricians who participated in rare disease education versus those who didn’t were more likely to order genetic tests (assessed via 30 relevant procedural codes). Analysing recent Medscape internal data from 24 paediatrics-geared programmes, we found that among paediatricians who ordered genetic tests, those who participated in rare disease education (n = 100) ordered them significantly more commonly than those who didn’t participate (n = 341).
Those who participated ordered genetic tests for an average of 9.63 patients versus an average of 5.70 patients among those who didn’t participate, representing 69% more patients per educated paediatrician who received a genetic test.
This has major implications for shortening the rare disease diagnostic delay in paediatric practice. If patients can get a diagnosis as early as possible, preferably as a child, as a result of better-informed doctors, we can end the frustrating diagnostic odyssey and enable earlier access to appropriate care.

Sources:
2. Nguengang Wakap S, Lambert DM, Olry A, et al. Estimating cumulative point prevalence of rare diseases: analysis of the Orphanet database. Eur J Hum Genet. 2020;28(2):165-173. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41431-019-0508-0
1. Rohani-Montez SC, Bomberger J, Zhang C, et al. Educational needs in diagnosing rare diseases: A multinational, multispecialty clinician survey. Genet Med Open. 2023 Apr 17;1(1):100808. doi: 10.1016/j.gimo.2023.100808
For more information, please contact Christy Rohani Montez PHD –
srohani@medscape.net
About Medscape Education
Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free CME and CE courses for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professional
This content was provided by Medscape Education
Company Details
Latest Content from Medscape Education
ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 25,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 160 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and...
ESC 2022 is now a wrap! The Medscape team was on site with a booth on the exhibit floor, educational symposia, and a Tapas and Trends event where faculty shared...
Leading Neurology Faculty to Present Clinical Updates and Management Strategies for Key Neurological Conditions
Medscape Education Global to Present Symposia and Posters at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology 2022 (EADV)
The latest results of the GP and Hospital Doctor Media Surveys reveal that the Medscape Professional Network* (MPN) is amongst the leading destinations for doctors in the UK. Of those surveyed,...
Medscape Education Global to Deliver Educational Opportunities at European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2022
Medscape Education Global will attend ESC from September 26-29 to host live symposia and an in-person event on key topics in cardiology.
Medscape Education, the leading destination for continuous professional development for healthcare professionals, has launched Building Bridges Between Mental Health and Wellness, a learning center focusing on mental health and wellness for both patients...
Medscape Education has been awarded Accreditation with Commendation, the highest designation possible by the Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™, ensuring quality accredited continuing education for members of the healthcare...
Spotlight on CLLAhead of EHA 2022, Medscape Education Chief Medical Officer, Hansa Bhargava, MD, caught up with Prof John Gribben, UK, on the most important abstracts to look out for in...
