Category: Insights
Unexamined Ways to Drive Clinical Trial Enrollment
Clinical trial recruitment has been a persistent problem, with studies showing up to 55% of trials are canceled prematurely due to low enrollment rates. These rates are even more dismal when it comes to diverse populations, including ethnic and racial minorities as well as seniors. Common methods for improving trial access such as transportation supports have been well documented, yet there are numerous other avenues for improving the patient experience that have yet to be uncovered. […]
A Pressing Need for Gene and Cell Therapy Education
The explosion of gene and cell therapies brings promise – and a plethora of questions – from patients and healthcare providers. CAR T-cell therapy is a notable example. These one-time treatments are providing durable remission and in some cases cures of recurrent blood cancers. Due to the complexity of CAR T-cell therapy, it is currently available exclusively at specialized medical centers. […]
Young Woman Forms the Chrysalis Initiative Amid Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis
“Black women are 71% more likely to die of breast cancer than their White counterparts, so you have to question what is going on here,” she says. “Although there was knowledge in the medical community about inequities, it seemed like the default response was that this was all associated with poverty or lack of insurance, but what I found is that it’s more nuanced than that. There was bias that was contributing to these disparities. Even if a Black woman had adequate insurance and income, she was often not being presented with the standard of care.” […]
Advancing Alzheimer’s Disease Management – Strategies for Early Diagnosis
Dementia is one of the biggest global health crises of the 21st century, according to leading neurologists. More than 50 million people are living with the disease, and that number is expected to triple by 2050. Roughly 60-80 percent of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s disease. Specialists are raising awareness that neurodegeneration can begin years, and sometimes decades before a person becomes symptomatic. This is one reason early diagnosis is so crucial. […]
Reducing Disparities in Alzheimer’s Care: Creating Opportunities to Optimize Brain Health
Global cases of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are expected to triple by 2050, according to a recent study presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. African American and Hispanic American communities are disproportionately affected by the disease, with African Americans having two to three times more instances and Hispanic Americans having 1.5 times more instances of […]
Navigating the New World of Microlearning: Reaching and engaging specialists
As many continuing medication education (CME) program funders will tell you, finding ways to reach medical specialists is often a conundrum. Not only is their time in high demand but they have a plethora of choices when it comes to continuing education. […]
Four-part CME Series Empowers Clinicians Caring for Patients with Rare Diseases
Patients with rare diseases are anxious to find a cure, yet roughly only half ever receive a proper diagnosis. Many of these patients return to their primary care providers (PCPs) frustrated. […]
Engaging and Educating Rare Disease and Cancer Patients Online through Financial Literacy
More than half of Americans face financial difficulties paying for medical treatment, according to a recent study. This is particularly relevant in rare diseases and cancer and exacerbates health issues while causing mounting anxiety. […]
CME Education Proves Beneficial for Helping Clinicians Understand Rapidly Changing Generalized Myasthenia Gravis (gMG) Treatment Options
In the face of a rapidly shifting landscape of targeted therapies for treating gMG, PlatformQ Health, the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill collaborated to develop online CME education about the management of this disease. […]
51st CNS Annual Meeting: Presenting Educational Outcomes on Aligning Patient/Caregiver Roles in Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies
The management of developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) has shifted in recent years, necessitating changes in treatment decisions. In the wake of these changes, PlatformQ Health, the National Organization for Rare Disorders, the Lennox Gastaut Syndrome Foundation, and the University of California, San Francisco came together to produce aligned, online continuing education to support healthcare providers in their ability to diagnose and treat DEEs and help caregivers to engage in care. […]
Breaking Down Barriers Between Patients & Providers
When confronting a frightening condition like bladder cancer, patients may fall into a rabbit hole of information online. It can be challenging to discern what sites to trust and where to turn. Not only are patients facing concerns about their own survival, but also worries over sensitive issues such as bladder function and sexual health. In this situation, it can be difficult for patients to open up to providers about their fears. […]
Nurse Spotlight: Improving Clinical Trial Access with LLS Pediatric Nurse Navigator Kelly Laschinger
Researching clinical trials is a formidable challenge. Figuring out which trials offer the most promise to a particular patient is a monumental job, with life-altering implications. With hundreds of thousands of registered clinical trials across the country, it’s no wonder most people are overwhelmed at the prospect of it all. […]
Survey Shows Patients & Caregivers Find Disease-state Education Empowering
A detailed survey of PlatformQ Health (PQH) digital education attendees found patients and families are realizing meaningful changes as a result of the learnings they gained during these programs. […]
CME Program Closes Critical Knowledge Gap in Cancer Immunotherapy Treatment
The initiative succeeded in improving clinicians’ understanding of topics such as biomarker testing, combination therapies, checkpoint inhibitor use, adverse event management, and more. […]
A collaborative approach to digital neurology education
Together with leading advocacy organizations, we’ve created unique learning channels that help make a difference in the lives of patients with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, dementia, and many other neurological conditions. […]
Spring Partnership Newsletter – The latest from medical education thought leaders
Spring is here and we are excited to share some of our latest articles and webinars that explore pressing medical education and healthcare topics that you may be interested in. Through this seasonal newsletter, we aim to show the breadth and depth of our collaborations and how we work with our partners to go beyond […]
KDIGO Advocates for Multidisciplinary Patient Care
“CKD is a silent disease,” said Cheung. “There is significant under-recognition that people may have it. That’s really unfortunate because there are effective therapies, ranging from renin-angiotensin system inhibitors to statins. […]
A True Champion: A conversation with powerhouse Ricki Fairley
Hear from 10-year cancer survivor, influential advocate and TOUCH CEO, Ricki Fairley, as she dispels myths around clinical trials and discusses how to drive more equitable trial enrollment. […]
CME Palooza Spotlight: Equity in Clinical Trials Is Within Reach: Patient Voices in Medical Education Matter
In our latest collaboration with CME Palooza, we hosted a webinar featuring Jeanne Regnante, Chief Health Equity and Diversity Officer of the lung cancer advocacy organization, LUNGevity, Shawn Feliciano, a patient with MS who has participated in clinical trial research and Sapana Panday, Senior Director of Digital Education at PlatformQ Health. During this conversation the […]
Diversity in Rare Disease Clinical Trials: Making meaningful & practical changes
Leaders from the Moffitt Cancer Center, NORD and TOUCH speak on behalf of their organizations about what they are doing in their day to day to make a difference in the lives of Black or other underserved patient populations. […]
#ASH21 Day 4 Recap: Presidential Symposium and late-breaking abstracts
As our #ASH21 blog comes to a close, the hematology community has much to look forward to with a plethora of clinically relevant data, emerging novel therapies, a better understanding of mechanisms of resistance that can lead to new therapeutic strategies, and a strong commitment from the leading hematology organization to address disparities and ensure equity. […]
#ASH21 Day 3 Recap: Ensuring health equity & research findings
Day 3 of the ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition kicked off with a continuation of the Diversity, Health, and Equity track, focusing on changing the tide from paternalistic patterns and exclusion of marginalized populations to inclusion of clinical trial design and a “deliberateness” of engaging minority communities from the very start. This important effort to reevaluate the status quo is part of the hematology community’s commitment to ensuring equity and addressing disparities. […]
#ASH21 Day 2 Recap: Research findings, new data and health equity
Read a short recap of insights about day 2 of ASH, the world’s largest professional society committed to conquering blood diseases, ASH. […]
#ASH21 Day 1 Recap: Tackling Health Equity and Highlighting New Research Findings
The first day of the highly anticipated 63rd ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition kicked off with a new track focused on diversity, health, and equity. As the world’s largest professional society committed to conquering blood diseases, ASH is building and nurturing a global hematology community and workforce inclusive of diverse perspectives, talents, and experiences. […]
End of Year Infographic: Empowering patients on their journey to improved confidence and communication
As patients take an increasingly active role in their own care, education plays a central role. Knowledge fosters shared decision making among providers, patients, and their families. We’re pleased to share outcomes from our digital patient education model. Download the PDF version: 2021-Infographic-Patient.pdf Be sure to check out our other End of Year Infographics: […]
End of Year Infographic: Fostering a powerful, patient-centric, continuing medical education model
Tracking outcomes is essential to PlatformQ Health education, both as a means to continually enhance engagement and to assess knowledge gaps that support the development of future programming. We’re pleased to share the most significant outcomes across our CME programs and their impact on clinical practice and patient outcomes. Download the PDF version now: […]
A patient-centric education model in 2021 and beyond
Education is at the heart of everything — from launching new screening protocols, to releasing new medications, to enhancing patients’ quality of life. […]
Addressing the gulf between patient and provider perspectives
Tethered education: Aligning patients and providers What spurs patients to choose one treatment option over another? What are the hurdles patients face when presented with a newly FDA approved drug? What barriers to change keep physicians from prescribing new treatments? The practice of shared decision making can help answer these crucial questions. This approach can […]
Shortening the Diagnostic Odyssey
Clinicians are facing challenges with diagnosing a wide range of conditions. […]
Promoting Equity in Lung Cancer Clinical Trials
New collaborations are bringing innovative approaches to patient outreach and education to address diversity in clinical trials. […]
Rare Disease Digital Education Infographic
A year-long initiative to produce rare disease digital education made a positive change on clinical practice and patient outcomes. […]
The Patient Voice: Capturing the patient’s lived experiences in CME changes clinical practice and patient outcomes
The patient voice is the presence of the patients’ lived experiences, values, and preferences in medical education, often in the form of video testimonials. It has the power to spur real change in healthcare by capturing the attention of HCPs and inciting them to make improvements in their practice. […]
A Changing World: A Look Back on 2020
In 2020, PlatformQ Health’s mission to improve health outcomes through trusted digital education did not waver. We are grateful to be a steady hand for our partners, HCP and patient learners, and supporters, providing continuity through seamless shifts into the digital world. Digital education is at the heart of our past and current success, and our ability to adapt and innovate is a critical component of our future-focused orientation. […]
Digital health education in 2021: Driving impact through purposeful design
Our world will be different in 2021 and beyond. The question is, how will we, as a health education community, evolve? Here we are, finally, in 2021. For months we looked forward to turning a new year and imagined life where we are not jumping from crisis to crisis—put simply, life that just feels normal. […]
2020: A year of innovation
From patients to caregivers, associations to pharmaceutical companies, COVID-19 ignited transformative digital innovations across healthcare. Robert Rosenbloom, our CEO, reflects on 2020 and looks to the year ahead. […]
Tethered education: Closing the gap between patients and providers
Under normal circumstances, managing a complicated health condition can be challenging enough with limited in-person time. Now with COVID-19, doctors are scrambling for new strategies to provide care to their patients, leading to a dramatic increase in the reliance on telemedicine. One solution gaining traction: Tethered education. […]
Survey Shows HCPs Turning Online for CME: “We must not ignore other medical topics!”
We surveyed more than 200 HCPs to learn more about how they plan on learning in our ‘new normal’ and what information they’re seeking most often now. […]
Tips to Prepare for Your Doctor’s Visit
Going to see your doctor can be a frightening experience: you may be worried you have a serious affliction, or maybe you’re just going to follow up for a chronic condition, or maybe there is a procedure you are facing that you know will be painful. […]