Project ECHO Learning Model to be Used to Address Global Hepatitis B Burden
NEW YORK (1/23/2023) – DKBmed LLC is partnering with Project ECHO, inventors of the ECHO model in which participants engage in a virtual community with their peers where they share support, guidance and feedback, to develop a multipart program to address the global HBV burden. This program will provide telementoring for clinicians in the US and Asia responsible for the care of patients at risk for or diagnosed with hepatitis B (HBV). This initiative, ECHO HBV Workshop, is the global sequel to DKBmed’s successful workshop called ECHO HBV Bootcamp released in 2019.
More information on this program can be found at echo.dkbmed.com/programs/4
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 300 million individuals globally live with chronic HBV infection, with 1.5 million receiving a new diagnosis each year. Prevalence varies by region, but the estimated prevalence of chronic HBV in countries such as the USA, China, and Thailand exceeds 90 million. Lack of symptoms in the early phases, coupled with the need for laboratory testing for disease confirmation, makes HBV diagnoses challenging; less than 11% of patients with HBV are aware of their active infection. Not all people with chronic HBV require treatment, but all require careful monitoring. And those who do require treatment are underrecognized and therefore undertreated.
Left untreated, HBV infection elevates the risk for long-term complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In fact, the consequences of hepatitis B—cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer—were responsible for 820,000 deaths worldwide in 2019.
“The diagnosis and management of chronic HBV are complex matters, and many gaps in knowledge and practice remain unaddressed,” notes Calvin Q. Pan, MD, FAASLD, FACG, MACP, Professor of Medicine at NYU Langone Health. “Within the United States, half of patients with chronic HBV infection with private insurance do not have a complete laboratory assessment. Another one-third of treatment-eligible patients do not receive antivirals. Educational initiatives that allow us to share our experiences and overcome barriers to providing best care are key, I think, to control HBV domestically and abroad in areas with high disease burden.”
With the 2022 ECHO HBV Workshop, DKBmed brings HBV education to clinicians practicing in China, Thailand, and the United States to treat patients with or at risk for HBV infection. Two ECHO learning groups are based in the United States, two ECHO learning groups are in China, and one ECHO group is in Thailand. The groups will be led by expert faculty from each of the respective countries. Each group will consist of 15 to 20 clinicians who will collaborate on Zoom for four weeks across four different activities. Topics will include:
- Recognizing and capitalizing upon opportunities to screen patients for HBV
- Overcoming stigma associated with HBV diagnoses
- Evaluating the utility of newly approved and emerging medications used to treat chronic HBV
- Assessing optimal timing for treatment among patients with HBV to minimize the risk for hepatocellular carcinoma
Credit Designation Statements
Physician Continuing Medical EducationThe Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 4.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Continuing Nursing Education
This 1 contact hour Educational Activity is provided by the Institute for Johns Hopkins Nursing. Each Newsletter carries a maximum of 1 contact hour, or a total of 4.0 contact hours for the 4 modules in this program.
Disclosure of Support
The 2022 ECHO HBV Workshop is supported by an independent educational grant from Gilead Sciences, Inc.
About the ECHO Model
Project ECHO, which stands for Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, is a learning model first devised by health sciences faculty at the University of New Mexico. Inspired by medical rounds during residencies, this “all teach, all learn” framework facilitates the efficient dissemination of ideas among peers. During sessions, participants and subject-matter experts tackle complex cases in small-group, virtual settings and engage in a “continuous loop of learning, mentoring, and peer support.” Since being developed in the early 2000s, the ECHO model has been evaluated by staff at the world’s most prestigious medical journals. Learn more about the ECHO learning model, click here.
About DKBmed
DKBmed is an integrated continuing medical education company operated by an experienced team of medical education experts. DKBmed provides health care professionals with effective medical education that closes identified knowledge and practice gaps to improve patient health.Working with accredited providers and other partners, DKBmed develops innovative educational programs and quality improvement (QI) initiatives, bringing new learning methodologies to the CME landscape. DKBmed has become a leader in QI in the independent medical education space with QI projects in Pain Management, HIV, Depression, Influenza, and Diabetic Eye Disease. DKBmed was also an early adopter of case scenarios with real patients and live actors, TED/DKBmed Talks, 3D animation, webcasts, podcasts, and smart phone applications for clinicians and patients. These forward-thinking approaches enable health care professionals to learn and access educational programs in a manner that is most convenient and appropriate for them.
DKBmed’s programs are accessible through the company’s website (www.dkbmed.com). They reach more than 150,000 health care professionals in primary care and in a variety of specialties and disease states including: HIV, COVID-19, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, influenza, dermatology, retinal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, COPD, asthma, multiple sclerosis, pain management, depression and viral hepatitis (HBV, HCV) and oncology.