Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy II
E-Learning Course
from October 2008 until May 2009
Course description
The course will cover the clinical pharmacology of currently available antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and the principles governing their rational use in people with epilepsy. The program will be practice-oriented and aimed at the general neurologist / paediatric neurologist / paediatrician dealing with - but not exclusively involved in - epilepsy care.The course will address the optimal use of AEDs in relation to seizure type, epilepsy syndrome, and other patient characteristics, both in newly diagnosed epilepsy and in pharmacoresistant populations. Subject material will illustrate how pharmacokinetic properties, efficacy and adverse effect profiles of individual drugs should be taken into account when individualizing pharmacotherapy in different clinical settings. The course will also address the criteria for a critical assessment of literature data relevant to therapeutics. Practical aspects, such as real-life treatment choices in children, women of childbearing potential, the elderly and patients requiring multiple drug therapy, will be discussed interactively.
Learning objectives
The course, on completion, will enable the participants to improve their ability to use AEDs rationally. It will help them to make logical decisions on when to start and to stop treatment, which drugs to choose in specific clinical setting, and how best to assess response to treatment and tailor dosage to individual needs. It will also improve their competence in assessing critically the methodology and results of AED trials.
Course format
An introductory meeting as onsite start of all courses will take place during the 8th European Congress on Epileptology in Berlin in September 2008, inviting as many course participants as possible together with the course directors. This meeting will give an overview on the available courses and on practical aspects of participation in the course, including an introduction to the e-learning platform of the Virtual Epilepsy Academy. Attendance of this meeting is not mandatory for course participation.
The course itself is divided into 13 units of 2 weeks each, beginning with an introduction to the VIREPA e-learning platform, followed by 12 learning units. The learning material (textbooks and references) is available for download. The tasks to be worked on in each unit to achieve credits should be solved within an active communication process among all participants, guided by the experts in the discussion fora on the e-learning platform. These tasks help to deepen the theoretically gained knowledge from the learning material and enable to transfer this knowledge to the clinical practice of each learner.
The participants are expected to spend about 8 hours (~4 hours/week) for individual study of the learning material, for reading/writing contributions in the forum and for the completion of the tasks.
The course itself is divided into 13 units of 2 weeks each, beginning with an introduction to the VIREPA e-learning platform, followed by 12 learning units. The learning material (textbooks and references) is available for download. The tasks to be worked on in each unit to achieve credits should be solved within an active communication process among all participants, guided by the experts in the discussion fora on the e-learning platform. These tasks help to deepen the theoretically gained knowledge from the learning material and enable to transfer this knowledge to the clinical practice of each learner.
The participants are expected to spend about 8 hours (~4 hours/week) for individual study of the learning material, for reading/writing contributions in the forum and for the completion of the tasks.
Entry criteria:
- Minimum of 4 months of EEG training;
- 3 years of training in neurology, neuropediatrics, clinical neurophysiology, psychiatry or neurosurgery, or combinations of these.
Certification:
Successful participation in this course is awarded with Credit Points for the core curriculum “Clinical AED pharmacology” for the European Certification in Epileptology for Medical Doctors. For successful participation, participants have to complete the tasks during the e-learning phase, including a series of general questions and diagnostic tasks which will be presented at the end of the course.
Successful participation in this course is awarded with Credit Points for the core curriculum “Clinical AED pharmacology” for the European Certification in Epileptology for Medical Doctors. For successful participation, participants have to complete the tasks during the e-learning phase, including a series of general questions and diagnostic tasks which will be presented at the end of the course.
Applications should contain
- a signed confirmation of the neurology department on the 4 months of EEG training;
- a signed confirmation of the neurology department on the 3 years of neurological or comparable training
- CV
- list of publications
Duration: The course will start in October 2008 and last until May 2009.
Deadline for application is August 1, 2008.
Course fee: 600 Euro respectively 500 Euro for Eurepa members. A restricted number of bursaries will be available.
Number of participants: up to 30
Technical requirements:
Personal Computer, Internet accessTechnical requirements:
Operating system: Windows 98 / 2000 / NT / XP, Apple Mac OS X; Linux/Unix
Internet access: Modem, ISDN or DSL (recommended)
Browser: Internet Explorer 5.5 (and higher); Mozilla Firefox; Safari; Opera, Konqueror
Pdf- Reader (e.g. Adobe Acrobat)
Course Directors:
Jacqueline A. French, Co-Chair of the ILAE Commission on Therapeutic Strategies, and
Emilio Perucca, First Vice-President of the ILAE.
For application and further information, please contact:
Epilepsy Academy Office, Maraweg 21, D – 33617 Bielefeld, Germany
Tel.: +49 521 144 4310
Fax: +49 521 144 4311
Use application form »
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