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Course details

  • Duration: 5 weeks - 
    including live online sessions
  • Fees:
    - £395 for doctors
    - £300 nurses and AHPs
  • Venue: Online
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This short course will explore and explain the physiological basis of common problems encountered in paediatric practice.

There are considerable differences in susceptibility to infections at various ages. Understanding the host/organism interactions will not only aid management, but also highlight targets for prevention. This short course will cover a scientific basis of infectious disease throughout childhood and management strategies to improve outcomes.

Specific subjects will be: meningococcal infection, HIV in childhood, tuberculosis, RSV bronchiolitis and other respiratory infections. Infection in the immune compromised host will be discussed.

The course is part of a range of short courses spread throughout the academic year which are available both to students who are enrolled on the MSc in paediatrics and child health and as stand-alone CPD accredited programmes for all healthcare professionals. The courses are offered in line with level 3 of the RCPCH curriculum.

More information

Course aims

  • Have gained a deeper understanding of the relationship between host defence and infectious diseases in children, and will recognise which components of the immune system control infection with different pathogens.
  • Understand how organisms evade host defences to establish latent or persistent infections, and how organisms enhance their virulence through toxin production and other mechasims.
  • Be able to articulate a rational approach to the prevention and management of infections in neonates and children of all ages, including acute bacterial infections, chronic mycobacterial infections, toxin producing organisms, viruses including HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C and the herpes viruses, and travel related infections.

Topics

Topics covered during the course will include:

Week 1:

  • Neonatal Host Defences – Infectious Diseases
  • Bacterial or Viral
  • The approach to the child with too many infections
  • Infections in the immunocompromised child

Week 2:

  • Host defence against Bacterial Infections 
  • Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Infections 
  • Antimicrobial stewardship 
  • Tuberculosis
  • Meningococcal disease and septicaemia 

Week 3:

  • Containing epidemics and Understand different disease phenotypes Ebola. Zika, Covid
  • Viral Hepatitis A-zzz 
  • HIV in Paediatrics – it’s all over? 

Week 4:

  • PID & Fungal Immunity 
  • Lyme Disease and tick-borne infection in the UK 
  • Periodic Fever Sydromes
  • Children & Young people’s experiences with Infection

Week 5:

  • Rationale for immunisation programmes
  • The genetics of host susceptibility to infection
  • Travel related infections in children 

Course structure & delivery

The course is run online over 5 consecutive weeks and it is estimated that you will conduct  7 - 10 hours per week of guided and self-directed learning, which will also incorporate online group work. There are also planned synchronous online sessions during the course to discuss ideas, present group and individual work and to facilitate further learning.

The course adopts an active learning strategy which consists of: ​
 
  • ​Pre course reading/videos to read/watch with reflective activities to prepare for the course.
  • Online activities such as reading, researching & watching lectures with related tasks to enhance & consolidate your learning​​.
  • Group work and group presentations. 

This is supported by case-based learning and practical guidance. All teaching is delivered by highly experienced paediatric practitioners and educators.

You will be required to complete at least 80% of learning activities to receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course.

Online sessions
The synchronous online sessions will be delivered on the following dates:

Monday, 16 November: 9.00 – 12.00

Friday, 20 November: 11.00 – 12.00

Friday, 27 November: 11.00 – 12.00

Friday, 4 December: 9.00 – 12.00

Friday, 11 December: 11.00 – 12.00

Friday, 18 December: 9.00 – 12.00

 

Who should attend?

This course will benefit paediatricians, GPs, nurses, therapists, and other healthcare professionals involved in Child Health.

As the course is a multi-professional programme, students will develop an understanding of how their own individual behaviours, and those of the teams within which they work, can have a significant influence on the quality of care delivered.

Comments from past participants

"Excellent speakers, top experts in their area. Excellent training materials."

"Would recommend it very highly."

"Useful for doctors (GPs and Paediatricians). Useful information."