Think Education™ proctors discuss the purpose continuing education serves in an evolving medical industry and how the Think Education program is paving the way for better learning opportunities now and into the future.

The medical field is a continual evolution of new procedures and innovations. To bring these tools and techniques to practice, physicians take on the role of lifelong learners, making continuing education an integral part of their profession.

According to the American Association of Continuing Medical Education, continuing education is “crucial to the prosperity of healthcare providers, as it allows them to learn and discover viable ways to improve on the patient care they deliver and effectively manage a career in the ever-changing landscape of the medical industry.” ¹

“Physician education allows us to remain at the forefront of knowledge,” says Darren Klass, MD, PhD, MRCS, FRCR, FRCPC, Think Radial® Proctor. “It has a dramatic impact on patient care in that it allows physicians to provide the latest treatment. In many instances, the procedure itself may not fundamentally change; however, new techniques and equipment that make the procedure safer and more effective can improve patient outcomes.”

Not only does continuing education keep physicians informed, it also helps to ensure patients are, too. Being aware of all treatment options can mean the difference between undergoing a minimally invasive procedure or conventional surgery. Utilizing less invasive techniques can minimize risk to the patient, reduce pain as well as recovery time in comparison to open surgery. ²

“Even if physicians are not bringing new skills and developments directly into their own working environment, the awareness of new alternatives is valuable,” explains Ferdinand Kiemeneij, MD, PhD, Think Radial Proctor. “Patients will benefit by either receiving state-of-the-art treatment, or they are at least aware of alternatives if the physician involved informs them properly.”

Merit Medical’s Think Education program provides physicians with quality instruction that focuses on cutting-edge interventional technology and techniques, facilitating advanced therapies designed to provide a less invasive approach to treatment that results in better patient outcomes.

Program topics include interventional techniques for airway stenting, the implantation of LV leads, and minimally invasive treatment of pathologic vertebral fractures and metastatic spinal tumors. Other course topics include embolization for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia, peritoneal dialysis implantation, radial and distal access, and wire-free tumor localization. Explore Merit’s courses here.

Designed and taught by physicians, each course immerses attendees in a number of ways, including didactic presentations, taped or live cases, and state-of-the-art, hands-on training. Encompassing all aspects of a procedure or disease state, Think Education courses provide physicians with the up-to-date knowledge they need to immediately put what they learn into practice. Both virtual and on-demand courses are available.

“The courses evolve each time they are presented in order to provide physicians with the latest data and experience, presented in an unbiased way that is first and foremost about improving patient care,” Dr. Klass says. “Probably the biggest impact the Think courses have is their clear message of intercollegiate collaboration. Physicians are able to listen to experts speak on their respective fields—which is unique to the Think Education program.”

“Think Education is an invaluable asset to the medical community,” explains Brett Parkinson, MD, Think Wire-Free™ Proctor. “It provides opportunities for physicians to learn in a friendly, relaxed environment, and because course topics involve cutting-edge technology, attendees come away knowing they have added the latest treatment options to their armamentarium of care.”

“As a proctor for Think Education programs, I believe physician-to-physician interaction gives attendees confidence that they are getting experienced thought leaders in their field,” says Michael Hallisey, MD, Think Spine™ Proctor. “This gives them the chance to expand their knowledge and improve their medical practice.”

A challenge physicians have faced in continuing their education and improving their practice was doing so in the face of a pandemic. It required rethinking traditional methods of instruction to minimize in-person interaction and spread of the disease. To make this undertaking easier, retaining real-time personal interaction helped online learning feel less isolating, fostering effective and sustainable experiences.³

“The medical education of today will be of historical interest tomorrow. This has been evident, as the old educational paradigm shifted abruptly from large gatherings to individual learning in the comfort of one’s home,” Dr. Parkinson adds. “Think Education was able to effectively pivot from in-person seminars to virtual learning.” 

As continuing education adapts to the changing needs of physicians, it brings with it the opportunity to influence and improve future opportunities to learn, serving as a catalyst for better programs that have a broader reach.

“Physician education will continue to expand in the online format in the future. This can allow top physicians to share their expertise with a larger part of the world,” Dr. Hallisey says. “We all want more confidence and skill in treating patients. A well-educated physician can have that.”

Learn more about Merit’s Think Education program and sign up for an upcoming course today.

REFERENCES
1. American Association of Continuing Medical Education. 2020. “Importance of CME.” https://aacmet.org/cme/importance-of-cme/
2. Johns Hopkins Medicine. 2021. “What Is Vascular and Interventional Radiology?” https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/interventional-radiology/what_is_IR.html
3. Chirag V et al. 2020. “Socially Distant Medical Education in the Face of COVID-19.” Med Sci Educ Oct 21: 1–3. PMID: 33106763

SCOUT Localization can help alleviate future workflow challenges

As a result of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, screening, diagnostic exams, and surgical procedures are being severely restricted or postponed at hospitals and breast centers across the country. This is causing a disruption never experienced before in the diagnosis and treatment of the 325,000 projected cases of breast cancer in 2020 in the US.1

These delays and closures will impact care delivery well into the foreseeable future. While this health crisis clearly needs immediate management, we also need to think long term on how to effectively manage the backlog of breast cancer patients once restrictions have been lifted.

Merit Oncology is connecting physicians across the county to share their experiences, challenges, and solutions with managing breast patients during COVID-19. Merit Café is a forum for healthcare providers to come together to share best practices and experiences in an online, interactive forum moderated by a radiologist and a surgeon. Discussion focuses on relevant topics including triaging breast patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic, procedure efficiency, minimizing patient/provider exposure, and planning for downstream challenges anticipated post-pandemic.

Joining Merit for this Q&A is Vincent Reid, MD, Surgical Oncologist at Mercy’s Hall-Perrine Cancer Center, Cedar Rapids, Iowa and one of the first moderators of Merit Café

Does your institution have guidelines established for the surgical management of breast cancer patients?

There has been guidance published from different organizations and societies on the management of elective surgeries. It is important to note that they all share the common goal of minimizing patient and physician exposure and preserving personal protective equipment (PPE). The guidelines are mostly based on the assumption of a low to moderate COVID-19 census at your facility. Once a surge of COVID-19 occurs, the guidelines become more restrictive. The guidelines are also constantly being updated, so it is important to stay on top of the latest revisions.

At the current time, in our community, we are at that low to moderate stage. However, as I talk to colleagues on Merit Café from other parts of the country, particularly on the East coast, their situation is very different. Having the opportunity to learn what they are doing has been helpful to me in planning for different scenarios.

Access the most recent guidelines from the COVID-19 Pandemic Breast Cancer Consortium, comprised of representatives from the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS), the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), the National Comprehensive Care Network (NCCN), the Commission on Cancer (CoC), and American College of Radiology (ACR) here.

Based on your hospital’s and your region’s exposure, what are some of the plans you are putting into place now to help patients and staff when restrictions are lifted at your hospital?

Our number one priority is to help ease the stress and anxiety of our patients during this difficult time, not only about their cancer but now COVID-19. All our breast cancer patients are being evaluated by a multidisciplinary group to develop a recommended care plan. Some patients are having surgery delayed and for those patients where it is appropriate, they are going to either neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) or endocrine therapy prior to surgery. We are localizing these patients with SCOUT®, which can safely and effectively be placed, even though they will not go surgery for several months. This will streamline the process once they are ready to go to surgery. If immediate surgery is indicated those patients proceed to surgery.

Where appropriate, we are also localizing with SCOUT at time of biopsy. At Mercy, a number of our patients drive long distances for treatment. When we can eliminate an entire procedure, we eliminate a travel day, decrease patient and physician interaction, and preserve PPE. That is significant all around.

How do you anticipate the strategies you are implementing now will help with overrun schedules in all hospital departments?

I see two things, first the placement of SCOUT in our surgical patients. Our radiology department is going to be slammed just catching up with routine mammography screening. Patients who have been waiting for cancer surgery for 2-4 months are not going to want to wait any longer than needed if they have to go and be localized prior to surgery. They will get very impatient if radiology scheduling resulted in an additional delay.

The second is telemedicine. Our cancer program was about two years out on the horizon for implementing a meaningful telemedicine program. Now fast forward to a pandemic and we have progressed leaps and bounds in this implementation. We are conducting video telemedicine consultations with patients now, so they do not have to be delayed waiting for a consult. It is an excellent tool and allows me quality time with my patients discussing options.

Have you seen any unexpected outcomes of the COVID-19 restrictions?

I am seeing more patients opting for a lumpectomy over mastectomy. Clearly there are clinical cases where a mastectomy is the only option, but with the current surgical restrictions we are not able to do reconstruction – that part of the procedure is being delayed. Women who are candidates for lumpectomy, who were leaning toward a mastectomy of their own choice are now opting for a lumpectomy.

The outcome that I find most enlightening is that we are all united in a powerful way. I am virtually connecting with colleagues, that I might have never had the opportunity to meet, and we are sharing and learning from each other. I look forward to the day our medical societies come together again, and we can all meet in person.

What are you telling your breast cancer patients during this difficult time?

I think the most important message for patients is the reassurance that no matter what the recommended course of treatment is they are not being put at risk. We are thoughtfully evaluating all the options, and even in the COVID-19 environment as we are working to keep everyone safe, we are not compromising their cancer care. I also reassure them that once restrictions are lifted everything possible has been done to assure, they can move on to the next step of treatment as quickly as possible.