P3D195: The Power of the Parent Voice: Impact of Including a Patient Advocate in a Continuing Medical Education Symposium on Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis

Background: Living with a diagnosis of pediatric atopic dermatitis (AD) often has deleterious effects on both the afflicted child and their family. At an accredited educational symposium held during the 2022 AAP National Conference & Exhibition, two clinical dermatology experts presented recent data and shared their expert opinions about disease management, while a parent/patient advocate discussed the impact of her daughter’s AD diagnosis and subsequent biologic treatment on the child’s and family’s life.

Methods: The primary aim of the 60-minute certified medical education (CME) symposium, titled “Reducing the Burden of Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Children: Strategies to Integrate Novel Systemic Agents”, was to improve clinicians' awareness and skills related to the management of moderate-to-severe pediatric AD. Pre- and post-assessments were administered to determine the effect of the education on learners’ knowledge, competence, confidence, and intended behavior change.

Results: Pediatricians, allergists, dermatologists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who treat dermatologic conditions participated in the program, either in person during the AAP conference (n=45) or online within the six months following the event (n=134). Aggregate data analysis from the in-person learner assessments demonstrated an improvement in knowledge and competence from baseline (pre-test) to immediate follow-up (post-test) across all measures (see Table 1). The greatest learner improvements were seen on the questions related to the content in the patient advocate’s presentation, suggesting that her contribution may have improved the magnitude of the overall learning. The impact of the patient advocate was also demonstrated in the data captured on confidence and intended practice change; for instance, 71% of learners indicated that they would make changes in their clinical practice to address quality of life concerns with patients and their families. Qualitative feedback gathered from learners also supported the valuable role of the patient advocate in illustrating the far-reaching repercussions of a pediatric AD diagnosis; several learners commented that the advocate’s presentation added a personal, real-life perspective. Based on learners’ self-report of number of patients seen per week, the content of this program potentially affected the care of 1,216 children with AD.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that a live/virtual CME program involving both expert faculty speakers and the parent of a child with severe AD was effective in improving knowledge and competence among clinicians. The outcomes suggest that the patient advocate’s involvement had an impact on measures related to quality of life in pediatric AD. Involving a patient advocate in future medical education programs is recommended to highlight real-world experiences and may increase the effectiveness of the education.