Medscape Education Publishes the Results of Multinational, Multispecialty Survey of Physicians on Rare Disease Educational Needs
June 29, 2023 |
Medscape Education has published the results of a global survey of its kind, assessing the educational needs of physicians on rare diseases. This survey of 978 clinicians worldwide across 16 specialties assessed awareness of the prevalence of rare diseases, rare disease experience, and educational needs that would help clinicians diagnose, manage, and achieve more positive outcomes for their patients.
The publication, Educational Needs in Diagnosing Rare Diseases: A Multinational, Multispecialty Clinician Survey, has been published in Genetics in Medicine Open and identifieslearning and knowledge gaps, including that a majority of physicians believe that rare diseases are far more uncommon than they actually are, and that physicians prefer a comprehensive learning platform to address their learning needs.
“While individually rare, collectively, rare diseases are common. But most physicians say they see very few patients with rare diseases, suggesting they are missing quite a substantial number. This results in the long, frustrating journeys that patients continue to face on their path to finding a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Education plays a key role in helping physicians learn to recognize rare diseases in their practice and understand the best treatment options available,” said author Christy Rohani-Montez, PhD, Director, Clinical Strategy at Medscape Education Global. “Meeting education needs on this topic is a priority for Medscape Education, and we’re excited to be able to share the results of this landmark survey.”
Educational Needs in Diagnosing Rare Diseases: A Multinational, Multispecialty Clinician Survey isavailable free of charge, in hopes that more physicians and patients will benefit from the data presented in the publication. It can be accessed here.
Added Dr. Lucy McKay, paper author and CEO of Medics4RareDiseases in the UK, “The rare patient community has repeatedly raised concern that their healthcare professionals do not have the core competency required to manage people with rare diseases, both undiagnosed and diagnosed. This study backs up the lived experiences of patients with peer reviewed evidence. From here we need to reframe rare disease in education and training as relevant and important.”
“This study gives valuable insight of clinicians’ awareness of rare disease, their learning needs and preferred methods to address these gaps in knowledge,” said Dr. Willian R. H. Evans, paper author and Primary Care Stratified Medicine (PRISM) Group, Centre for Academic Primary Care, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham. “It is impressive for both its breadth, not only of clinical specialties but also countries surveyed, and highlights that rare disease education and awareness is both widely and very much needed.”
Medscape Education provides a comprehensive, multispecialty education resource on rare diseases for healthcare professionals through their Pathways in Rare Disease Learning Center. The Learning Center provides education, resources, and patient stories to Medscape members at no cost, and offers CME, CE and CPD credits. Medscape membership is free for all clinicians.
The Pathways in Rare Disease Learning Center can be accessed at: https://www.medscape.org/sites/advances/rare-diseases
For more information on this publication and rare disease education at Medscape, please contact Christy Rohani-Montez at 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 professionals.
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