CME30.eu: Recent Episodes
cme30.eu
Continuing Medical Education for busy medical professionals. Visit www.cme30.eu for videos and to earn your cme credits
The prevalence of gestational diabetes is increasing worldwide. This is partly fuelled global obesity pandemic. Gestational diabetes is important because of its effect on mother and baby.
In this ‘on demand’ eLearning session, Dr Johann Crauss, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist will discuss in detail the diagnosis and management of gestational diabetes.
You will learn about the interplay between insulin deficiency and insulin resistance. You will also learn about risk factors, screening and identification of gestational diabetes. You will also learn about the different criteria used to diagnose gestational diabetes. General management is discussed in detail as will be the role home blood glucose monitoring with particular emphasis on the 1 hour post prandial glucose. Ultrasound scanning, dietary advice, pharmacological treatment and management of labour are also described.
On completion of the session you will be able to download a certificate of participation which you can use for accreditation purposes
Benefit from expert knowledge in the International Masterclass in Diabetes management by logging on to cme30.eu now
The planning of pregnancy is important in all patients, but especially so in persons living with diabetes, since this helps minimise risks to mother and baby.
In this ‘on-demand’ session, Dr Katya Vella, obstetrician and gynaecologist, explains the possible medical complications of diabetes on the mother as well as the effects of diabetes in the developing fetus.
You will learn the importance of this subject considering the increasing prevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in women of reproductive age. You will learn about preconception counselling based on the recommendations by the American Diabetes Association and NICE Guidelines. You will learn about recommended glycaemic targets and pharmacological interventions to achieve these targets, taking into consideration the possible risks to the developing fetus.
You will also be recommended a list of selected online resources which can be handed out to diabetic patients planning a pregnancy.
On completion of the session you will be able to download a certificate of participation which you can use for accreditation purposes
Benefit from expert knowledge in the International Masterclass in Diabetes management by logging on to cme30.eu now
One of the most important microvascular complications of diabetes is Diabetic Eye Disease as this is associated with high morbidity.
In this ‘on-demand’ eLearning session, Dr Maria Agius, consultant ophthalmologist, leads us through the anatomy of the retina and the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy.
You will also learn about the symptoms of retinopathy and the importance of picking up diabetic retinopathy before the patient starts experiencing symptoms.
You will learn about the diagnosis of different stages of diabetic retinopathy and learn about the various medical and surgical options for treatment. You will also learn about the screening programme for diabetic retinopathy which is run in the Maltese islands.
On completion of the session you will be able to download a certificate of participation which you can use for accreditation purposes
Benefit from expert knowledge in the International Masterclass in Diabetes management by logging on to cme30.eu now
Diabetes is a leading cause of end stage kidney disease and the prevalence of end stage renal disease is up to ten times higher in people with diabetes.
In this ‘on-demand’ eLearning session, Professor Stephen Fava, Consultant Diabetologist and head of the Diabetes and Endocrine Unit at Mater Dei Hospital discusses nephroprotection in diabetes.
You will learn more about the pathophysiological mechanisms involved leading to the development of diabetic nephropathy. You will also learn about the role of hypertension, genetics and familiar clustering.
You will learn about markers which are predictive to the development of the diabetic nephropathy and how one can calculate the risk of developing diabetic nephropathy using validated tools.
You will also learn about the role of modifiable risk factors, the importance of good glycemic control and how control of hypertension, as well as the pivotal role of ACE inhibitors and the role of novel drugs such as SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP1 receptor agonists in protecting the kidney.
The importance of timely referral is emphasised.
On completion of the session you will be able to download a certificate of participation which you can use for accreditation purposes
Benefit from expert knowledge in the International Masterclass in Diabetes management by logging on to cme30.eu now
One of the most important microvascular complications of diabetes is Diabetic Neuropathy as this is associated with high morbidity.
In this ‘on-demand’ eLearning session, Dr David Coppini, consultant diabetologist describes the signs and symptoms of diabetic neuropathy. You will appreciate the fact that diabetic neuropathy is frequently under reported and under treated. You will learn about possible risk factors for both painful and painless diabetic neuropathy. You will also learn about management challenges and the importance of making an accurate diagnosis, explaining the condition to the patient and addressing patients concerns and expectations. You will learn about the available management options with particular reference to NICE guidelines
On completion of the session you will be able to download a certificate of participation which you can use for accreditation purposes
Benefit from expert knowledge in the International Masterclass in Diabetes management by logging on to cme30.eu now
Ischaemic Foot problems are amongst the most feared complications in diabetic patients and good control of diabetes is a key factor in prevention of macrovascular complications.
Dr Mario Cachia, Consultant Diabetologist and Endocrinologist with special interest in diabetic foot problems discusses this important topic.
The concept of the ‘Diabetic Foot’ is to raise the awareness of the increased risk of amputations and what can be done about it.
In this ‘on demand’ session you will learn more about the clinical features of peripheral vascular disease, signs, symptoms and timely investigations of ischaemic foot and you will also learn about classification systems utilised to grade peripheral vascular disease. You will also learn about foot ulcers caused by neuropathy and how more than 80% of foot ulcers are potentially preventable with patient education and regular foot reviews. Factors involved in wound healing are considered you will learn about management strategies, wound care and how early recognition and management can lead to successful outcomes
On completion of the session you will be able to download a certificate of participation which you can use for accreditation purposes
Benefit from expert knowledge in the International Masterclass in Diabetes management by logging on to cme30.eu now.
International Masterclass in Diabetes Management - session 4
Adult Type 1 Diabetes in Primary Care
In this 'on demand' session' Dr Alexia Abela, Consultant Diabetologist & Endocrinologist in Primary Care, will be going through many aspects of management related to type 1 diabetes in the primary care setting.
The aim is that, after viewing this session you will have improved your knowledge and gain confidence in managing type 1 diabetics.
You will learn about the pathophysiology and diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, Pharmacological characteristics of available insulins, insulin Carbohydrate ratios, insulin Sensitivity factors and how these interplay with maintenance of blood glucose, Insulin pumps and Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, blood glucose monitoring as well as complications such as hypoglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis.
You will learn about exercise-induced nocturnal hypoglycaemia, type 1 diabetes Distress Scale and much more.
All in all this will prove to be very comprehensive overview of management of Type 1 diabetes in Primary care that all medical professionals will benefit from the expertise.
Diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and risk factor management is an integral part of diabetes management because it improves outcomes.
In this ‘on demand’ session, Professor Stephen Fava, Consultant Diabetologist and head of the Diabetes Endocrine Unit at Mater Dei Hospital gives an overview of the importance of risk factor modification in Type 2 Diabetes.
In this session you will learn how a 1% drop in HbA1c, leads to a 14 % drop in risk of myocardial infarction and a 12% drop in risk of stroke.
You will learn about the importance of both HbA1c and glucose variability are separate risk factors for cardiovascular disease and the importance of avoidance of both hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemic episodes. You will learn about the importance of lifestyle interventions, Blood pressure control and statin therapy, irrespective of lipid levels.
On completion of the session you will be able to download a certificate of participation which you can use for accreditation purposes
Benefit from expert knowledge in the International Masterclass in Diabetes management by logging on to cme30.eu now
International Masterclass in Diabetes management session 3
Diabetes management is complicated and when dealing with complicated conditions, we need guidelines.
In this session, Dr Sandro Vella, Consultant Endocrinologist and Diabetologist at Mater Dei Hospital, Malta, will go through most recent guidelines for the management of diabetes
By the end of the you will know what the guidelines say about
Diabetes and cardiovascular risk
Hypertension, Dyslipidaemia and Antiplatelet therapy in type 2 diabetes
Glycaemic targets
Glucose lowering agents and associated cardiovascular and renal benefits
On completion of the session you will be able to download a certificate of participation which you can use for accreditation purposes
Benefit from expert knowledge in the International Masterclass in Diabetes management by logging on to cme30.eu
In this session, Professor Josanne Vassallo, Consultant Diabetologist & Endocrinologist explains the importance of instituting appropriate management of diabetes as early as possible and gives an overview of the pharmacological therapeutic options in type two diabetes including indications for early introduction of insulin therapy.
In this session you will learn about the pharmacokinetic properties of different insulin preparations that are available and how this can be used for optimal management in different scenarios. You will also learn about patient resistance and barriers to starting insulin, learn about initiation strategies as well as intensification of insulin therapy as well as the importance of assessing correct injecting technique at each encounter. You will learn about the importance of educating the patient regarding self-monitoring , injection techniques and ‘sick day rules’. You will also learn about minimising the risk of extreme hyperglycaemia, hypoglycaemia and the importance of explaining warning signs and red flags to patients and relatives.
You will also learn about simplification and deintensification of insulin therapy in certain situation and end of life care in patients on Insulin.
On completion of the session you will be able to download a certificate of participation which you can use for accreditation purposes
Benefit from expert knowledge in the International Masterclass in Diabetes management by logging on to cme30.eu now
Managing overweight and obese patients is a challenge each doctor will surely encounter at any point in his practice. Dr. Rachel Agius, Consultant Diabetologist, Endocrinologist, General Physician and Clinical Lead in Bariatric Medicine at Mater Dei Hospital Malta, provides us with the most updated knowledge on the subject.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, the participants will be able to:
- Understand that obesity is a chronic, complex multifactorial disease which requires long term management particularly in the setting of type 2 diabetes
- Appreciate the different treatment modalities for obesity management
- Appreciate that weight loss in individuals with type 2 diabetes can be more difficult to achieve and maintain
- Understand that modest weight loss of around 5% is considered clinically significant and is associated with significant improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors
- Appreciate different classes of pharmacological agents for obesity management and their properties
- Appreciate that targeted patient-centred therapeutic regime in type 2 diabetes does not involve solely treating hyperglycaemia
Exactly twenty five years ago, on the 18th October 1996, TheSynapse was officially launched with the aim to provide news, services and education resources to all medical professionals. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary, we are proud to launch the International Masterclass in Diabetes.
The Masterclass consists of thirteen self-learning sessions with self-assessment tests as well as ten webinars held twice a week for five weeks starting on 17th November 2021. The webinars will be complementary to the ‘on demand’ sessions so we strongly recommend that you will do these sessions prior to the webinars.
This CME30 session encompasses a discussion and exploration of the main themes around pre-diabetes focusing on diagnosis, screening for DMT2/pre-diabetes and interventions in pre-diabetes. A few landmark studies are discussed. The ADA guidelines on the subject are discussed and explained.
On completion of this module you will be awarded a certificate of participation which you can use for accreditation purposes. The Medical Association of Malta 1 CME point for each of
the 13 on demand eLearning sessions.
Learning Objectives
Summarise the pathophysiological principles occurring in pre-diabetes/DMT2
Discuss the main recommendations in diagnosis and management of pre-diabetes
Discuss a few landmark studies on the subject
Explore and delineate the management of pre-diabetes
| Release Date: | 18th October 2021
In this session, Mr Mark Formosa, Consultant Gynaecologist describes the Pathology of HPV infections and the potential for malignancy.
The management of HPV infection and it's oncogenic complications are discussed
This series is aimed at medical professionals and today's session is tutored by Dr Nigel Camilleri, consultant psychiatrist
Join us for this podcast where Dr Nigel Camilleri discusses Anxiety –
Effects of COVID – health anxiety, avoidance, school/ phobia, trauma from exposure to ill people.
Overview of different forms of anxiety
Dr Camilleri also gives us vital tips to medical professionals to help avoid the negative effects of anxiety and prevent burnout especially during this stressful period.
Currently there are a number of prostate imaging modalities available which have different roles in the diagnosis, staging and treatment of Prostate Cancer. The e-Learning session is aimed at explaining the importance of MRI of the prostate with respect to other modalities and in concordance with PSA level and digital rectal findings.
Learning Objectives
- To provide an overview of a number of imaging modalities available for prostate imaging.
- To guide healthcare professionals on how the decision on which imaging modality is used is made depending on the clinical question.
- To give an overview of PSA testing; including its importance, role as a screening and monitoring tool as well as red flags in PSA result values and trends which warrant referral.
- To explain the role of MRI of the prostate in the localisation, diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer as well as in the monitoring of response to treatment.
Covid 19 is real in Malta and is posing a real threat to all. Most viewers never experienced a pandemic situation so there is a lot of apprehension. Apprehension to make sure the patient is managed correctly and apprehension for not being a victim ourselves by contracting the disease.
In today’s session, we meet Dr Charles Mallia Azzopardi Consultant Infectious disease specialist who will be taking us through the management of patients from when they are first diagnosed. Topics covered include
• Diagnosis of COVID infection
• Assessment of severity
• Home management – management, precautions, red flags, other family members
• Does this patient need assessment by specialist – how best to communicate,
• Facilitating safe referral
• Hospital management – moderately severe cases
• When do patients require respiratory support
• Discharging patients
• When is patient considered safe and not infective?
• Assessment of patient fitness to return to work and perhaps the most important question
• how can we, as medical professionals, stay safe in the current pandemic. What are the most important precautions needed to avoid getting infected
This elearning Session is tutored by Dr. Noel Borg, a Consultant Intensive Care Specialist who discusses the management of the covid-19 patients who will bear the worst brunt of the Disease.
Among others, this Session covers the following points:
- Proportion of Covid-19 positive patients expected to deteriorate and require ICU admission and treatment
- Red flags which warrant ICU admission
- Types of respiratory support required by Covid-19 positive patients
- Expected sequela for patients who survive Covid-19
CME30 has invited a number of Healthcare Professionals who are at the forefront of the fight against this Virus both at an international and at a local level to tutor a number of eLearning Sessions on the Topic.
In this first session we meet Dr Gauden Galea, head of WHO in China who will
discuss the experience in China and what lessons can be learnt from the public health point of view.
This e-learning Session will discuss the immune mechanisms that play a role in COVID-19 as well as the role of serologic testing for diagnostic purposes. The potential of immunomodulatory treatments currently in clinical trials will be assessed.
Learning Objectives
- To discuss the assessment of the high-risk patient in terms of impaired host defense (either due to decreased antiviral immunity or due to hyper-inflammatory phenotype)
- To discuss how the use of CRP may be used to identify high-risk patients
- To highlight how the empiric off-label immunomodulator use in high-risk patients may decrease burden on healthcare system
This is part of CME30.eu COVID 19 Symposium. In this symposium we are looking at various aspects of this pandemic and today we are going to look specifically at the management of patients suffering from chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD.
We invite Prof. Stephen Montefort to speak about the subject.Prof Montefort is the lead respiratory physician at Mater Dei Hospital (Malta), Head of teh department of medicine and deputy dean of the Malta Medical School
One of the morbidities caused by the current COVID 19 pandemic is anxiety in medical professionals (besides the general population). Medical professionals are overworked and in the front line (or firing line) of this infection.
In this episode we meet Dr Joe Cassar, a consultant psychiatrist and Dr Anna Cassar, Clinical psychologist who will give us some tips how medical professionals can deal with their own anxieties and prevent burnout.
Until a few years ago the stethoscope was practically the only modality available for the assessment of heart function. Thankfully we now have a plethora of imaging modalities which permit the accurate assessment of heart structure and function. This Session provides an overview of several cardiac imaging modalities available including their respective uses, advantages and disadvantages as well as patient characteristics which have to be kept in mind when making a decision on which cardiac imaging modality to use in particular clinical scenarios.
Learning Objectives:
- To highlight the challenges of cardiac imaging when compared to imaging of other organs.
- To increase the appreciation of the repertoire of modern cardiac imaging modalities available including their respective uses, advantages and disadvantages.
- To give an overview of how decisions are made on which cardiac imaging modalities are used in particular clinical situations.
- To illustrate the multimodality approach to address a given clinical question through the representation of real life clinical scenarios.