Joslin Professional Education Consortium Offers Support And Education To Implement Best Practices In Diabetes Care

Main Category: Diabetes
Article Date: 24 Sep 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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Joslin Diabetes Center announced the introduction of the Joslin Professional Education Consortium (JPEC), a unique, comprehensive, Web-based resource and community for primary care physicians (PCPs) focused on treating diabetes and its complications. JPEC offers free, 24/7 social networking among peers and colleagues and access to support and education to improve patient care for diabetes and is designed to supplement continuing medical education (CME) activities.

"JPEC is a unique online resource dedicated to helping primary care physicians improve patient care for diabetes and related conditions with the goal of creating a social support system for improving outcomes and implementing best practices," said Richard S. Beaser, M.D., Medical Executive Director, Professional Education, Joslin Diabetes Center. "As the world's preeminent diabetes clinic and research center, Joslin is uniquely qualified to be a key educational and practice support resource for physicians, providing them with the tools to manage diabetes and related conditions more effectively in their individual practices."

JPEC provides members with point-of-care access to practice support materials, ready-for-distribution patent education materials and opportunities to participate in interactive dialog with experts and colleagues, particularly around patient case discussions. Free to PCPs, JPEC membership provides on-line access to these key support materials for treating patients with diabetes and its complications. In addition, physicians can utilize online performance improvement (PI) tools for self-assessment, obtain documentation of PI and earn American Medical Association PRA Category 1 Credits.

"While medical specialists focus on ongoing education and developments within their area of expertise, primary care physicians need to keep current on a wider spectrum of knowledge," said Dr. Beaser. "Traditional CME can alert them to new advances, but often this is not enough to help them adapt their practice and improve patient outcomes. What sets JPEC apart is that through office staff and practice systems support and performance improvement methods, it provides PCPs with the tools and interventions they need to effectively incorporate specific learnings into their practices and apply them in patient settings."

JPEC provides a structured approach for prospective PI continuing medical education where a primary care physician enters clinical data from de-identified chart reviews. This information is then analyzed by JPEC and compared to recommended goals. Based on this comparison, the physician can decide what specific goals to set and which interventions to use in achieving these goals, based on materials provided on JPEC. The physician can then track progress by re-entering clinical data after new interventions have been implemented into the practice. A PI evaluation report summarizes the changes in performance and patient outcomes, allowing the physician and office staff to evaluate the impact and select process changes to implement throughout the practice.

Additional features available on JPEC include

-- Joslin CareKit
- Text versions of didactic CME educational activity
- Educational materials designed to encourage and support patient self-management
- Educational materials to guide and support decision-making by office staff
- Support material for improving office systems, such as reminders and checklists

-- Performance Improvement CME

- Online practice assessment and chart abstraction tools
- Guidance for choosing goals and process interventions
- Methodology for measuring and documenting impact of performance changes

-- Joslin Journal Club

- Regularly updated links to key references and important evidence-based recommendations

-- JPEC Community Discussion Board

- A member idea and experience exchange with colleagues and Joslin faculty

-- Opportunities to participate in discussions of case vignettes illustrating patient care

-- Online announcements

- Providing news about follow-up educational activities, practice evaluation processes and downloadable patient education materials.

The inaugural JPEC program: "Type 2 Diabetes: Improving Office Systems of Care," is supported by an educational grant through Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.

Physicians interested in registering for JPEC or who need more information can visit http://www.jpec.joslin.org. For questions or comments about using JPEC, please e-mail profedweb@joslin.harvard.edu or call 1-888-567-5460.

About Joslin Diabetes Center

Joslin Diabetes Center is the world's preeminent diabetes research and clinical care organization. Joslin is dedicated to ensuring people with diabetes live long, healthy lives and offers real hope and progress toward diabetes prevention and a cure for the disease. Founded in 1898 by Elliott P. Joslin, M.D., Joslin is an independent nonprofit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

http://www.joslin.org