Today we did our first webinar on a site called ReelDX, specifically created as a teaching tool for providers and students, offering lifelong learning for a variety of other specialists and, eventually, for parents as well. When we signed on to do teaching thorough ReelDX, we were especially thrilled at the prospect that parents could also access actionable medical information on health conditions that affected them personally.
To participate in these teaching vignettes, “case history” teaching, we needed to overcome several hurdles, most of them internal. For once, because of ReelDX’s expertise, we did not have to worry about the technology, or about the outreach to interested learners.
No, our first hurdle was to overcome our own long-standing opposition to filming young patients suffering from eating disorders. Consonant with our dedication to doing no harm we felt this must be approached cautiously. And we did so. Parental consent and patient consent were obtained and may be freely withdrawn at any time. Only bonafide teaching points were/are to be covered, no sensationalism.
Over the past 17 years of teaching pediatric residents at Kartini Clinic, we have been aware of the power we have to create an informed new generation of pediatricians who understand eating disorders in a way their older predecessors never have. These young doctors carry away the knowledge that parents do not cause these conditions and in fact are essential to treatment. They carry away the knowledge that without complete weight restoration all other interventions are pointless and ineffective. They understand that weight loss in childhood mandates swift and close attention and cannot be “blown off”. They understand that fat kids get anorexia too. And boys. And farm kids. And kids of color…etc.
So that’s all very well and good, but those are just the pediatric residents in Portland Oregon. How about the family practice residents? The nursing students and social work students? Psychology students? How about those in California? New Hampshire? Utah? London? Karachi? How do we reach them?
As most of you know, I have written a book and write this blog nearly every week, but in the same sense that a picture is worth a thousand words, it is our hope that video case discussions can have an impact and reach that will change medicine and far outstrip my writings. At least for our young patients. And that’s what we all care about, right?
And we will be doing more webinars in future, so stay tuned. If you are a provider and want to be notified of upcoming Kartini Clinic webinars, please sign up for our newsletter on kartiniclinic.com, or email nancy@reeldx to be included on their mailing list for all upcoming webinars.
