SES Webinar: Incorporating the patient voice in medical education – hear from our expert speakers

Recently, SES ran its first ever webinar, spotlighting the importance of incorporating the patient voice in medical education; we kicked off the webinar with an intro on the topic from our Acting Managing Director, Mia Hill. 

As eloquently put by the Father of Modern Medicine, William Osler: “to study the phenomena of disease without books is to sail an uncharted sea, while to study books without patients is not to go to sea at all.” Osler, who paved the way to bedside clinical training, was a firm believer in patient-guided medical education, aligning with our mission at SES. 

Integrating the patient perspective into Independent Medical Education (IME) is imperative to the exceptional education we provide. Our HCP users are able to learn through replica case studies, clinical trial clubs, and interactive modules formulated with patient experience and real-world scenarios. Through these learning formats, physicians can develop their clinical practice and diagnosis criteria, gaining insights from all aspects of disease evolution. 

In this educational 45-minute session, we had the privilege of hearing from key individuals in the world of medical education: 

Carl Harrington, a patient and former president and chairman of the board of IWMF, discussed the importance of patient advocacy in supporting all patients with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM) and shared some insights into collaborating with SES—watch here. Our collaboration brings empowerment to patients struggling with undiagnosed WM and significant disease awareness to HCPs globally. 

Lyndsy Ambler, a patient representative on the Lupus Hub Steering Committee, championed a holistic approach to IME, emphasizing that patients possess unique insights into the daily realities of living with their conditions, revealing key educational gaps in lupus. We have been collaborating with Ambler to close these gaps in the field and improve patient care. 

Ricard Cervera, Lupus Hub Chair and head of the Department of Autoimmune Diseases at Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, underlined the importance of incorporating the patient voice in lupus treatment, sharing invaluable insights into the different manifestations experienced by patients. Cervera described his experience of ﷟HYPERLINK "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7R_ALPkg_g"working with SES to improve patient lives and educate HCPs on the latest treatment options, as well as the importance that provides practitioners with the right tools to make a lLupus diagnosis.of education that provides practitioners with the right tools to make a lupus diagnosis. 

Cheryl Petruk, a member of the MPN–PAG Collaborative Steering Committee who was the primary caregiver for her husband battling MPN, emphasized the vital role of patient inclusion in all communications. Petruk shed light on the importance of the effective education of patients on their disease in order to provide a sense of power and control. 

During the webinar, the renowned panelists highlighted the practical aspects of translating these ideas into action. They also discussed examples of SES actively supporting these initiatives through educational programs which focus on providing up-to-date knowledge to HCPs and patients alike, thereby bridging the gap between treatment and care. 

We invite you to watch the full webinar below: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QipnmrMzQxA