The world today has become a very violent place. More than 50 countries and over 1 billion people today have been affected by mass violence. America has been attacked by terrorists and is facing future attacks. The mental health impact of this violence can be high. Studies have shown that in times of distress, most citizens will seek out family members, clergy, and their primary health care providers for support. Therefore, the health care system must be prepared to protect citizens against the acute and long-term mental health effects of terrorism and all other forms of extreme violence.

This course will provide a series of multiple-choice questions based upon common cases seen in primary health care clinics caring for highly traumatized patients from culturally diverse communities. The cases will feature multi-media content to engage the participant. Faculty for the course will be primarily drawn from the Harvard Medical School associated hospitals.

Primary care physicians, as well as psychiatric practitioners including psychiatrists, nurses, and social workers, are the target audience for this course. This includes health care practitioners in America, as well as other parts of the world exposed to extreme violence. The participants will have an opportunity to learn the diagnosis and treatment of the mental health sequelae of terrorism and other forms of extreme violence in culturally diverse populations. The course participants will also be able to advance their skills in the mental health care of all general medical patients who have had violent life experiences and are suffering from common mental health disorders such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

COST: $40.00
click here for pricing outside the United States of America

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Clinical knowledge of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma (HPRT)'s 11-point system for the mental health care of survivors of extreme violence.
2. Case-based clinical problem solving (a multiple-choice question based format will be used for the cases).

CLINICAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Develop the skills to elicit the patient's trauma story.
2. Identify the major mental health effects of extreme violence.
3. Diagnose and treat acute stress disorder, major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and chronic insomnia.
4. Increase skills related to the use of simple screens for depression and PTSD.
5. Enhance patients' coping and resiliency.
6. Appreciate the proper use of psychotropic drugs in culturally diverse patients.
7. Describe the key measures for preventing practitioner "burnout."

back to the top

back to the top

GREGORY L. FRICCHIONE, MD Reviewer

Bio and Photo Coming Soon. DISCLOSURE:

GRACE HUANG, MD Reviewer

Grace Huang, MD, is the Director of the Office of Educational Technology at the Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research, a joint venture between HMS and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston. She also works as a hospitalist at BIDMC. She has spent a number of years designing web-based modules on clinical skills, including computer-based case simulations (“virtual patients”), physical diagnosis tutorials, interactive pathophysiology diagrams, and procedure-based instruction. She serves as a consultant to the Association of American Medical Colleges in their initiative to promote scholarship and sharing of educational materials through MedEdPORTAL. Her clinical research interest is in the impact of a formal hospital-based procedure service on complication rates among internal medicine residents. DISCLOSURE: Dr. Huang's spouse works at Pfizer, Inc., and she holds stock options and shares in the same company.

GERALD W. SMETANA, MD Reviewer

Gerald W. Smetana, M.D. is a member of the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco and completed his medical residency at Beth Israel Hospital. He is a teacher clinician with an active primary care internal medicine practice who has devoted much of his 20 year career in medicine to teaching medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. Dr. Smetana held the position of Associate Firm Chief at Beth Israel Medical Center for 10 years during which time he received the Herrman Blumgart award for outstanding contribution to the education and professional development of the medical housestaff. He was also the recipient of the 2004 National Award for Scholarship in Medical Education from the Society of General Internal Medicine. He has been selected by his peers as one of the Best Doctors in America in a national survey. Dr. Smetana's academic interests include hypertension, perioperative medical evaluation, and headache. He is the lead author of numerous systematic reviews for the peer reviewed literature and text chapters on these topics. He chairs a committee at the American College of Physicians to develop a position statement on preoperative pulmonary evaluation. He is also chair of a Society of General Internal Medicine committee that is preparing a series of systematic reviews on the outcomes of medical care provided by generalists versus specialists. DISCLOSURE:

back to the top

NUMBER OF CREDITS: 2 

Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Upon completion of the course you will get a certificate via e-mail within 2 weeks.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

back to the top