Dr Claire McKay, Organising Committee Member
Over two days at the end of May 2023, the College hosted an exciting and innovative online programme on acute medicine for the generalist, at which we were delighted to attract over five hundred delegates. The aims of the committee organising this event on behalf of RCPE were to provide useful updates on topics of interest to anyone managing medical patients in the acute setting, and we hoped to provide a practical approach to a wide range of conditions.
Topics covered on day one included - sepsis, acute kidney injury, hypertensive emergencies, maternal medicine, anaemia, melaena, red legs, non-convulsive status, side effects of anti-cancer drugs, acute overdose, ITU admission criteria and anticipatory care planning. Thanks to our online audience, there was good engagement on social media and via Slido, and excellent Q&A sessions took place after each talk, with a range of questions covered. The speakers shared their expertise generously and gave excellent tips for generalists in these situations, including when to call in the experts.
Over the course of day two we enjoyed talks on - managing acute agitation, neutropenic sepsis, PTE, asthma, acute rheumatology, headache and when to call the neurosurgeon. The course also incorporated two longer sections on diabetes and cardiology topics, with a panel taking questions at the end of these. Again, each talk had been painstakingly prepared by the speakers who provided a wealth of information on management of these conditions.
The programme was made up of doctors and other healthcare professionals and all received excellent feedback. A delegate tweeted that they ‘...rarely recommend conferences…..however, I’ll make an exception for RCPE Acute Med 23. Excellent talks with useful advice’. The event is still available for registration until 23 June 2023, for you to be able to catch-up online and claim CPD for up to 3 months following the live event. Highlights will also be made available on the College's Education portal for Fellows and Members to view for a longer period of time.
The committee would like to thank all the speakers for their time and expertise. Thanks also go to the RCPE technical and support staff and those who chaired sessions. Thanks must also go to the audience for their questions and engagement throught the two days. All these groups helped make this event successful, enjoyable and education, and we're looking forward to the next Acute Medicine for the Generalist Course due to take place in June 2024 - we hope you can join us!