New workshops, clinical skills sessions are on tap

The Herbert S. Waxman Clinical Skills Center offers sessions at Internal Medicine 2009. Registration is free on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Examination of the abdomen: Participants will practice proper examination technique for patients with acute or chronic abdominal pain, advanced techniques for examination of the liver and spleen, practice examination of the abdomen in patients with suspected inflammatory bowel disease and colonic diverticular disease, and differentiate anterior abdominal wall pain from intra-abdominal causes of pain.

Incision and drainage of abscesses: Under expert faculty guidance and using simulation models, participants will learn how to incise, drain, irrigate and pack abscesses.

Scientific program workshops

Advanced airway techniques

Participants will gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of rapid sequence intubation, as well as practice intubation on a manikin. Become familiar with and practice the use of the tracheal tube introducer, the insertion and use of the laryngeal mask airway, and the proper use of the self-inflating bag mask ventilator.

Clinical challenges in caring for elderly patients: dizziness, vertigo and falls

In this workshop, participants will:

• learn how to follow the new Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of BPPV in an outpatient visit,
• learn how to perform and interpret the Dix-Hallpike maneuver, the lateral roll test for the diagnosis of horizontal canal BPPV, the standard canalith repositioning technique (CRT), and the CRT for horizontal canal BPPV,
• understand how to perform, score and interpret the “Get Up and Go” test, performance-oriented gait assessment, and six standard balance tests,
• practice using the 10g monofilament to detect peripheral neuropathy, and
• learn how to incorporate a flow sheet for assessing fall risk and tracking post-fall treatment recommendations into the office practice.

Ophthalmoscopic skills

Participants will learn the proper technique of direct ophthalmoscopy and be able to observe all the chambers of the eye. Emphasis will be placed on recognizing common retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, papilledema and macular degeneration. In addition, participants will learn how to diagnose cataract formation.

Opioids for chronic pain: Maximize benefits, minimize risks

Recall the breadth and quality of evidence for the use of opioids for chronic pain, including current gaps in knowledge. Attendees will learn how to select an appropriate opioid analgesic regimen based on patient characteristics, clinical pain syndrome and safety and efficacy data, how to apply a practical framework for decision-making on the initiation, maintenance and discontinuation of opioid analgesics, and strategies to meet best practice standards and medico-legal requirements to support opioid prescribing.

Practical management of chronic leg wounds from venous insufficiency or lymphedema

Participants will learn to differentiate between major leg-wound categories, have an increased understanding of how to prepare the wound bed for treatment, and know which topical or systemic treatment to use on wounds. Attendees will understand when to use an Unna boot and a two-layer compression wrap, and be able to apply them. They also will learn tips for practical application in the management of venous leg ulcers.

Practical orthopedics for primary care providers: knee and shoulder

Participants will learn a mechanism-based “makes sense” understanding of knee and shoulder pathophysiology, quicker and more precise history taking skills, high-yield physical exam techniques to improve diagnostic accuracy, and injection techniques. Faculty will also focus on what diagnostic tests are most useful, and when to order them.

Psychiatry in primary care: assessing risk for suicide

Attendees will learn when and with whom the risk for suicide should be assessed, and practice the clinical skills associated with assessing risk for suicide in the primary care setting using standardized patients. Participants also will learn and practice formulating an assessment and plan for a patient who is at an increased risk for suicide.