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 enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 2 hours to complete.

COST: $40.00 for the average learner. Participants living in emerging nations receive a 50% discount or can register for free. See our International Pricing Page for details.

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."

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION:

Registrants participate in the learning process by answering interactive multiple choice questions that are dispersed throughout the case presentation. You must answer a question correctly in order to continue through the course. If you answer a question incorrectly, you will be prompted to try again.

In order to earn credit, physicians must complete the entire educational activity before the termination date (see above). Non-physicians may register for the course but are not eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Instead, non-physicians will earn a certificate of participation after successfully completing the course before its termination date.

COMBINATION OF MEDIA USED:

This internet enduring material is a case-based, interactive presentation comprised mainly of text, interactive questions, and images. A variety of media, including video clips, audio clips, and Flash animation, may be presented. Links to any necessary plugins are provided when necessary, but no plugins are required for general use of the CME website, and you may skip the multimedia presentation(s) within the course if you choose.

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RICHARD MOLLICA, MD, MAR Course Director

Richard F. Mollica, MD, MAR is a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma (HPRT) at Massachusetts General Hospital. Since 1981, Dr. Mollica and HPRT have pioneered the medical and mental health care of survivors of mass violence and torture in the United States and abroad. To see Dr. Mollica's full bio, please click here. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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GREGORY L. FRICCHIONE, MD Reviewer

Dr. Fricchione is a Professor of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. DISCLOSURE: The commercial entities with which I have relationships do not produce health-care related products or services relevant to the content I am planning, developing or presenting for this activity.

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: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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SANJIV CHOPRA, MD Planner

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra is Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School and Senior Consultant in Hepatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. In his role as Faculty Dean for Continuing Education, Dr. Chopra provides oversight and leadership of the Department and oversees the academic development of our programs. Dr. Chopra is an experienced clinician, researcher, and educator. In his research roles, he has served both as a principal investigator as well as co-investigator. He has more than 120 publications and five books to his credit, addressing topics in disease states, patient care, and leadership. Dr. Chopra’s teaching experience is extensive, and he has won numerous teaching awards for his work with medical students, residents and physicians. Currently, he directs and speaks at 10 multiday CME courses, nine of which are through HMS. For his full bio, please click here. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

ANDI LONG, EDM Planner

Andi Long directs the Department of Continuing Education’s Distance Learning group, which offers a variety of online continuing medical education programs to health care professionals around the world. Andi develops strategies for new pilot programs and systematically rolls out new distance learning initiatives and has a leadership role in IT planning and other online processes for HMS DCE. She oversees the day-to-day operations of each distance learning activity and ensures ACCME compliance across all enduring programs. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of Harvard Medical School Faculty members to develop high-quality, engaging online programs that physicians in more than 170 countries have taken part in. Andi earned her Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Bridgewater State College, summa cum laude, with a degree in English. Her professional interests focus on teaching and learning with new technologies and online course development. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 2 

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

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

This course should take approximately 2 hours to complete.

Within 2 weeks of completing the course, you will receive your certificate via email.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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