By the end of the course you will be better able to:

• Evaluate the pathophysiology underlying multisystem allergic disease                                      
• Design diagnostic and management strategies to address both common and difficult/uncommon scenarios in paediatric practice
• Reflect on the usefulness of a multidisciplinary team to the care of children with complex multisystem allergic disease, and involve allied healthcare professionals when required
• Assess the psychosocial impact of allergic diseases in children and their families and formulate initiatives to address this issue
• Plan the required steps for an optimal transition of allergic adolescents into adult care

Teaching delivery format
This short course will be delivered in a blended format which will include live online sessions as well as in person elements at our St Mary’s Campus – live streaming will be made available for those that are not able or do not wish to attend the face to face teaching sessions.

The course has been devised in an attractive and innovative format combining asynchronous materials (e.g. pre-recorded sessions, reading lists and web-based resources) as well as live interactive sessions, both online and on campus. A range of formats will be used to encourage active learning, including ‘meet the expert question & answer’ sessions, focused discussions, interactive case-based sessions as well as group work. Practical ‘hands-on’ elements will be covered on the optional on campus half day.

Key dates & times (provisional): tbc

*The on-campus teaching will be held at our St Mary's Campus – where possible, live streaming of the sessions will be made available for those that are not able or do not wish to attend the face to face teaching sessions. 

Planned topics & sessions

Practical management:

• Keynotes in Pregnancy and Infant Feeding Advice
• Food challenges
• Food and inhalant immunotherapy in practice
• Practical Management of Drug Allergies
• Reactions to vaccines in childhood
• Difficult asthma in children and teens
• Adolescent transition
• Case-based sessions, including group work and student-led sessions (e.g. ‘bring your tricky case’)

Psychosocial aspects:

• The impact of allergic diseases in children and their families:  How to address the problem
• The role of the psychologist in difficult asthma
• Health inequality in allergy
• Safeguarding in the allergy clinic

Complex allergy:

• Complex allergy case studies
• Is it allergy? Differentials in Paediatric Allergy
• Immunodeficiencies for the paediatric allergy clinician
• Complex non-IgE-mediated food allergy – the role of a multidisciplinary team

Other:

• Diagnostic tests in paediatric allergy
• Update on epidemiology of allergic diseases in childhood
• Sleep & allergic disease

On campus sessions:

• Anaphylaxis simulation training
• Hands on advanced practice on eczema creams and medical devices

By the end of the module, students should be better able to:

1. Design diagnostic and management strategies to address both common and difficult/uncommon scenarios in paediatric practice.
2. Reflect on the usefulness of a multidisciplinary team to the care of children with complex multisystem allergic disease, and involve allied healthcare professionals when required.
3. Assess the psychosocial impact of allergic diseases in children and their families and formulate initiatives to address this issue.
4. Plan the required steps for an optimal transition of allergic adolescents into adult care.

CME approval from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) will be sought.  All participants will be awarded an Imperial College London Certificate of Attendance on completion of the course.

The course is suitable for doctors (GPs, specialist trainees and consultants in Allergy, Paediatrics, Gastroenterology, Dermatology), as well as nurses, dietitians, health visitors and other healthcare professionals wishing to improve their ability to manage children with allergies in daily practice.

This is an advanced course and not suitable for those with little or no knowledge of paediatric allergy.

Participants have the option of completing an assessment component and on completion will be provided with an official Imperial College London transcript of results. Please note that there is an additional assessment fee payable in full prior to submission date.

The assessment will take place usually 2-4 weeks after the course dates and it consists of the preparation of a 'Grand Round’ type oral presentation using slides, plus an accompanying document containing an abstract and academic referencing.

You will be asked to give a 10 minute presentation using slides in an online webinar platform. This should cover a somehow complex clinical allergy case in a child with more than one allergic condition. Challenging aspects in the diagnosis or management, and/or how to tackle them (involving the multi-disciplinary team), should be discussed. For instance, aspects like impact on quality of life or diet/nutrition, safeguarding concerns or transition needs. How this case fits into the classical concept of the allergic march and our current understanding of allergy pathophysiology should be discussed. The presentation will be followed by 5 minutes of questions from the examiners.

Full details of the assessment and deadline for submission will be given during the course. Please contact us for further information.