By the end of this short course you will be better able to:

• Evaluate the clinical manifestations of the spectrum of allergic diseases, and distinguish them from other diseases with similar presentations
• Formulate a suspected diagnosis based on the clinical history and the clinical examination, with the appropriate diagnostic work-up ensuring the correct conduct and interpretation of test results
• Analyse the available management strategies to design a therapeutic plan for children and adults with allergic diseases, including the use of key medical devices and treatments
• Appraise the impact of allergic diseases on quality of life proposing validated tools to assess patient-reported outcomes in allergic diseases, and show a professional, kind and supportive attitude towards patients and their families
• Demonstrate professionalism in real life clinical scenarios, as well as the use of relevant medical devices, both for the testing of allergy and the treatment of allergic diseases including anaphylaxis.

Teaching delivery format
The course has been designed in an innovative format combining asynchronous materials (e.g. pre-recorded sessions, reading lists and web-based resources) to revise in your own time, and live interactive sessions both online and on campus which will include focused discussions and case-based elements. A range of formats will be used to encourage active learning, including expert panel question & answer sessions, group work, workshops, role-play, pro-con debates and scenario-based sessions.

The live online sessions will take place in December/January, predominantly in the week of 22 - 25 January 2024 . We encourage participants to book leave that week to be able to follow the teaching. Asynchronous materials will be made available mid-December and a ‘course launch webinar’ will be held for registered participants to introduce the course and help you get organised to maximize your learning experience. 

Going through the asynchronous materials should take around 25-30 hours of study, and the live online sessions will take around 15-18 hours.  

Key dates & provisional times (UK time):

• 18 December 2023, 3.00 - 3.30pm: launch webinar (Online)
• 10 January 2024, approx. 2.30 - 5.00pm: live teaching (Online)
• 22 January 2024, approx. 12.30 - 6.00pm: live teaching (Online) 
• 23 January 2024,  approx. 1.30 - 6.00pm: live teaching (on campus or online)
• 25 January 2024, approx. 9.00am - 6.00pm: live teaching (on campus or online)

*The on campus teaching will be held at our St Mary's Campus – where possible, live streaming of the sessions will be made available for those that are not able or do not wish to attend the face to face teaching sessions. 

Planned topics

Food allergy & anaphylaxis:

• Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy
• Diagnosis and Management of Anaphylaxis
• Diagnosis and Management of Allergic Gastrointestinal Disease in children
• Diagnosis and Management of Allergic Gastrointestinal Disease in adults
• Food Allergen Challenges and Exclusion Diets

 Respiratory allergy:

• Diagnosis and Management of Asthma and preschool wheeze
• Diagnosis and Management of Allergic eye disease
• Diagnosis and Management of Allergic Rhinitis
• Basic Occupational Allergy
• How to perform Lung function testing
• How to get inhalers technique right
• Avoidance of inhalant allergens

 Skin & drug allergy:

• Diagnosis and Management of Atopic Eczema
• Diagnosis and Management of Allergic Contact Dermatitis
• Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Urticaria in children and adults                    
• Diagnosis and management of Angioedema
• The spectrum of Drug Allergy
• Practical lessons on Perioperative Anaphylaxis

 Case-based learning:

• Skin and gut - case based learning
• Respiratory allergy - case based learning
• Venom allergy - case based learning
• Drug Allergy - case-based learning
• Adult Grand Round (live)
• Paediatric Case discussion (live)
• The allergy clinic (live) – group work
• Bring your tricky case (live) - student-led

 Practical aspects:

• How to take an allergy-focused history in children
• How to take an allergy-focused history in adults
• Reflective practice
• How to perform skin prick testing
• Practical demo on creams and bandages
• Practical demo on adrenaline autoinjectors
• Severity and quality of life Tools for the clinic
• ‘Good Dr Google’: useful online resources for patients – student-led

 Other:

• Allergy tests
• Molecular diagnosis in Allergy
• The impact of allergic diseases in HRQL
• Patients’ Voices

Please note there might be minor changes to the planned topics above.

The courses are suitable for doctors (GPs, specialist trainees and consultants in Allergy, Paediatrics, Dermatology, Respiratory Medicine or ENT), as well as nurses, dietitians, nutritionists and other healthcare professionals wishing to improve their ability to manage allergic patients in daily practice.

Participants have the option of completing an assessment component and on completion will be provided with an official Imperial College London transcript of results. Details of the assessment and deadline for submission will be given during the course. Please note that there is an additional assessment fee payable in full prior to submission date. Please contact us for further information.