Webinars – the way to go for CME in COVID times!
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, various scientific meetings and conventions have been postponed or eventually cancelled. To answer the need for continuing medical education (CME) among its members, the Philippine Society of Pediatric Cardiology (PSPC) has been having regular webinar lectures (through zoom). For the month of May, these were the meetings:
May 14, 2020: “Cardiovascular Involvement in Pediatric Patients with of COVID-19”
Speaker: DR. SHELDON P. PARAGAS
Moderator: DR. REGENTE I. LAPAK
May 21, 2020: “Interim Guidelines in Performing Echocardiography in Pediatrics amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Speaker: DR. AURORA S. GAMPONIA
Moderator: DR. MARIA DOLORES B. VICTOR
For the 1st webinar, there were a 98 attendees although more than a hundred who registered for the meeting, some were not able to connect due to technical difficulties. In his lecture, Dr. Paragas talked about reports of Hyperinflammatory Shock in children during this pandemic, specifically case clusters of 8 children in England who developed these manifestations for a period of 10 days with features similar to Atypical Kawasaki Disease, Kawasaki Disease Shock Syndrome and Toxic Shock Syndrome. There was a lively discussion among the participants. The meeting was facilitated by Dr. Connie Sison with the use of PGH zoom account.
During the 2nd webinar which was facilitated by Natrapharm, there were 111 attendees. Dr. Gamponia discussed about indications and protocols on echocardiography including protection for personnel and equipment. She emphasized the importance of determining which studies are “elective” and reschedule them, performing all others and also identifying “non-elective” (urgent/emergent) indications and to defer all others.
The PSPC CME Committee (with Dr. Rey Lapak as Chair and Dr. Martha Santiago as Co-Chair) has prepared 4 lectures for the month of June:
June 4, 2020: “BLS and PALS in the setting of COVID-19 Pandemic”
Speaker: DR. MARIA THERESA C. ROSQUETA
Moderator: DR. MARIA BERNADETTE A. AZCUETA
June 11, 2020: “Catching High Risk Newborns in Times of COVID”
Speaker: DR. KAREN ABAT- SENEN (Neonatologist- PGH)
Moderator: DR. LOUISA GO
June 18, 2020: “Cardiac Imaging in Children amidst COVID Pandemic”
Speaker: DR. JUSTINE IRIS YAP
June 25, 2020: “Guide to Good Prescribing in Pediatric Heart Failure”
Speaker: DR. MARIA CONCEPCIN SISON
