The Power of the Patient Voice

Every few years, just like every other industry, there is a new “hot trend” in the CME/CE world. You see this in conference abstracts, peer-reviewed publications, and the like. For instance, “microlearning” seems to be something that people are talking a lot about right now, although I admittedly am more confused now than I was 3 months ago about what constitutes “microlearning” (hint: it’s apparently not just a short, 15-minute activity on any random combination of topics).

Another big recent industry buzzword (or buzzwords) is the “patient voice” in CME/CE. This is not necessarily new, but it’s something gaining more and more traction in our education. Many of us, and perhaps even the majority of us by now, have experience with the recruitment and incorporation of patients into our education. These can be powerful additions to accredited education, but only if planned and implemented in the right manner.

How do you choose the patients to include in your education? Do you rely on faculty to send you possible names? Do you troll the Internet? Rely on partners? This is an area where I think there is a lot for us to reflect upon so that we can improve our practices.

To get some insight into this and related topics, I order you to join us (OK, “order” is a strong word – how about “strongly encourage”) at 11 am ET on Wednesday for a special CMEpalooza Spotlight sponsored by PlatformQ Health on the topic of Equity in Clinical Trials Is Within Reach: Patient Voices in Medical Education Matter.

I’ll be joined by an accomplished panel, including a MECC representative (Sapana Panday from PlatformQ Health), an advocacy partner (Jeanne Regnante from LUNGevity Foundation), and a recent patient participant in educational programs (Shawn Feliciano), to talk about the power of diversity in the patient voice. As with all CMEpalooza activities, it’s free to attend and there is no registration required. Just go to our LIVE page at 11 am ET — I order you! — to check it out.

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