Understanding and Addressing the Global Spread of the COVID-19 Infection: A Clinicians Guide

If the virus that causes COVID-19 becomes widespread, according to some models, it could infect up to 30%-40% of the US population,13% of whom could be hospitalized and 2% of whom could wind up in intensive care.  Other models including the logarithmic global track of the virus shows that fortunately for us, the virus infections have seemed to level off worldwide.

These projections were relayed by an infectious-disease specialist as part of the live CME-accredited webinar,  “Understanding and Addressing the Global Spread of the COVID-19 Infection: A Clinician’s Guide.”  The webcourse is also available on the new Policy and Medicine Alexa Skill.

Responding to a World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Emergency declaration, Rockpointe and the Potomac Center for Medical Education (PCME), in collaboration with MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, developed this online course to help physicians identify, diagnose, and act on potential cases of COVID-19. This free, hour-long webcourse has now been archived and is available to all clinicians.

Since Dec. 31, 2019, when China first reported a cluster of pneumonia-like illnesses in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in central China, health authorities have struggled to contain a virus that has claimed more than 2,000 lives in China and infected thousands of people around the world, including clusters in Italy, Iran, and South Korea. As the number of confirmed cases spiked tenfold in a week, WHO declared a global public-health emergency on Thursday, Jan. 30. The virus has infected nearly 100,000 people in more than 40 countries, including confirmed cases in the United States.

The educational webcourse is designed to help clinicians make sense of quickly changing – and, often, conflicting – reports, and is led by Allison McGeer, MD, FRCPC, a microbiologist and infectious-disease consultant at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. McGeer has been on the frontline of infectious-disease control since surviving the SARS virus in 2003. Additional faculty include Paul D. Biddinger, MD, Director of the Center for Disaster Medicine and Vice Chairman for Emergency Preparedness in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Terry Ann Glauser, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the Potomac Center for Medical Education. The online coronavirus course, intended for North American-based clinicians, will offer a practical guide on the prevention, symptoms, diagnosis, and management of the Wuhan coronavirus.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Describe the current global status of the COVID-19 infection;
• Form evidence-based strategies for prevention of coronavirus transmission;
• Recognize the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 infection and perform appropriate diagnostic studies; and
• Develop plans to manage patients with COVID-19 infection.

Some of the questions posed by clinicians and answered by the experts during the initial live webinar included how to handle a biothreat in your hospital or office, how to access local public-health officials, and how long the infection lasts in non-hospitalized patents.

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of PCME and Rockpointe. PCME is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. PCME is also accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

PCME designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ or 1.00 hours (0.10 CEUs) of continuing education credit (this is a knowledge-based activity). Clinicians may take the course for CME/CE credit, or for their own information. To receive credit, participants must complete the webinar in its entirety, including pre- and post-tests and evaluation.

MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, is working in collaboration with Rockpointe and PCME on this activity. According to Thomas Sullivan, President of Rockpointe, “our goal in partnering with MedChi for this webcourse is to help dispel some of the myths and misinformation associated with this deadly emerging disease and provide practical guidance to clinicians who may encounter infected patients or patient concerns.”

For more information or to view the coronavirus webcourse, visit: https://www.rockpointe.com/courses/understanding-and-addressing-the-global-spread-of-the-covid-19-infection-a-clinicians-guide.

To access the program on the Policy and Medicine Alexa skill, simply say to Alexa “Alexa , Enable Policy and Medicine”.

About Rockpointe

Through effective continuing medical education, PCME’s parent company Rockpointe strives to improve and advance patient care. Rockpointe’s mission is to be at the forefront of emerging global health issues, such as the Coronavirus, Teenage Vaping, and the Opioid Crisis, to name a few. As part of its commitment to quality, Rockpointe works to educate the continuing-education community on significant quality-improvement issues through news and analysis on Policy and Medicine. In addition, its popular Medical Education Exchange (MEDX) and Kidney Summit regional meetings include sessions on the basics of quality improvement and alternative payment models, as well as relevant and scientifically accurate sessions on numerous disease states. https://www.Rockpointe.com.

About MedChi

The Maryland State Medical Society, MedChi, is a statewide professional association for licensed physicians, whose mission is to serve as Maryland’s foremost advocate and resource for physicians, their patients, and the public health. MedChi strives to accomplish their mission by promoting medical and science knowledge, enhancing the physician-patient relationship, achieving the highest standards for medical education and medical ethics, promoting physician collegiality, and securing universal access to healthcare. MedChi’s House of Delegates includes member representation from each of MedChi’s component medical societies and Maryland’s medical specialty societies. https://www.medchi.org.