Travel health update
Travel health can be complicated and advice for health professionals is ever-changing. This month Jane Chiodini presents details of a new interactive educational resource that will help you grow your expertise in this fast-moving and challenging field
THE FAULTY OF TRAVEL MEDICINE ‘HUB’
The Faculty of Travel Medicine ‘Hub’ is a pilot interactive educational journal, which was launched in June 2016. It provides easily accessible, visually attractive education that can be undertaken at the user’s own pace and time availability. My love of creating and designing educational tools was perfect for this initiative, as part of my role of Director of Education for the Faculty of Travel Medicine (FTM). The material is developed as an e learning programme which offers the capability of providing the user with many different forms of interactions including videos, live links to related resources online and self-directed learning and assessment. Read on to find out about the features in the current edition!
An update in travel medicine practice
This update is written by Cathy O’Malley, a travel health specialist nurse who presents five topic-specific videos, each with a page linking the learner to key resources for that subject. The first is on female genital mutilation (FGM), raising awareness of the practice and helping the practitioner understand their responsibility, plus links to key resources. Subsequent videos address Zika virus, yellow fever, malaria and finally, tips for keeping yourself up to date.
Case study
Written by Sharon Blayney, a student on last year’s Diploma of Travel Medicine course, this feature centres on sexual health as part of the travel care advice, providing a fully referenced and detailed case study for the learner to download from the resources section of the hub. Again, links are provided for further online information.
Practical Pearls and Lightbulb Moments
This section shares learnings from a travel medicine practitioner who not only has the theoretical knowledge, but also the practical experience. In this edition, I write about the pitfalls and challenges of travelling after treatment for breast cancer, and provide links to useful resources.
Videos and podcasts
In this edition, you will find a film about a healthcare outreach programme that runs in Kenya, led by travel health specialist nurse Karen Rudd. The 30-minute video illustrates the work of the programme and the resource provides details of how you may become involved if you are interested.
The hub includes links to events and activities from the Faculty of Travel Medicine, for example, to the online edition of the FTM magazine, Emporiatrics, as well as FTM educational courses and forthcoming meetings. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease is the official journal of the FTM and within the Hub are two open access papers to review for the learner’s CPD – these are on the topics ‘Malaria prevention in the pregnant traveller’ and ‘Prevention of high altitude illness’.
ACCESS AND FEEDBACK
During the pilot phase, the resource is being provided with open access, at http://rcp.sg/FTMHub.
After visiting the Hub, please then take the short survey at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/FTMHUB to help us decide how to provide the resource in future.