University and PASCAR working together on Heart Failure CPD

15 Mehefin 2021

The University’s School of Medicine and PASCAR (Pan African Society of Cardiologists) have joined forces to develop and deliver a Heart Failure CPD course aimed at cardiologists and allied health care professionals across Africa.

Background

Africa suffers the double burden of disease with persistence of communicable diseases and rising noncommunicable disease, especially cardiovascular disease. A new CPD course developed in partnership with PASCAR is aimed to upskill practicing cardiologists, internists, and allied health care professionals in Africa to develop heart failure services and act as local champions to help raise the profile of heart failure management.

Course aims

The course has been developed to create a network of appropriately trained specialists with an interest in heart failure, enabling them to take a leadership role in regions, countries and local institutions. A cornerstone of the course is lifelong membership for the participants to help facilitate the long-term course objectives.

Candidates will be involved in developing systems of care designed to offer early diagnosis and optimise treatment without undue burden on resources through capacity building.

The course began in Spring 2021 with 22 delegates from a range of medical practices and specialisms.

As the Chair, Pan African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) task force on heart failure, I am very excited about the first Africa Heart Failure course, the first of its kind on the continent. This course designed for Africans, by Africans is organised in collaboration with Cardiff University, has delegate representation from all regions of the continent and faculty from across the globe. It will surely improve capacity of African Physician/Cardiologists and will change the status of heart failure education, management and research on the continent for the better. It will also provide a lifelong learning and mentoring opportunity as well as development of regional and continental networks.

Mahmoud U. Sani, Professor of Medicine Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Consultant Physician/Cardiologist, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State, Nigeria.

Course details

The course is split into 3 sections:

Section 1

Best practice in heart failure – 30 hours of live online lectures delivered by the University’s Dr Zaheer Yousef, PASCAR and a faculty of recognised speakers
Talks will cover Understanding of Heart Failure including terminology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, signs/symptoms, co-morbidities, diagnostics techniques, biomarkers and imaging and treatments /drug therapies.

Section 2

A 5-day residential visit to the University and its Heart Failure Centre (once travel is permitted).
The aim is to provide opportunities for observation and discussion, as well as running evening seminars. Delegates will learn about the organisational set-up, care pathways, multi-disciplinary team working, and integration with research activities.
Over the course of 5 days, delegates will be exposed to a spectrum of heart failure care including community-based clinics, nurse-led clinics, cardiac physiologist-led clinics, imaging (echo, cardiac MRI, cardiac CT and PET), cardiac device implants and follow-up, cardio-genetic meetings, specialist heart failure clinics, in-patient acute heart failure, and supportive/end-of-life care.
The module will consist of observational sessions, workshops, seminars, and role play (communication skills and end-of-life care).

Section 3

Quality improvement project. Delegates will choose a project, which will be supervised by a PASCAR mentor.
This will be a quality improvement project on a topic of local importance and relevance to the delegate’s role and working environment.

It’s a great pleasure to be involved with this very worthwhile course, which I have no doubt will lead to tremendous improvements in the care of heart failure patients throughout Africa. The programme involving multi-disciplinary care and life-long mentorship is specifically tailored for the needs of the African continent and we are delighted to work with Cardiff University to deliver a course to the highest standards.

Professor Zaheer Yousef BSc MBBS MD FESC FRCP Consultant cardiologist, Heart Muscle Diseases & Heart Failure Devices, University Hospital of Wales & Cardiff University.

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