General Internal Medicine s First Conference Holds Promise

Discussions ranging from ways to manage pain to the proper use of oral anticoagulants helped draw more than 85 physicians and medical professionals to the first General Internal Medicine Conference held Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, at Manor House Banquet and Conference Center in Mason.

"This was a conference built around evidence-based education principles that support long-term retention of knowledge,” says Katie Broderick, MD, assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, and a conference organizer. "The topics covered were chosen based on a needs assessment of providers at UC and throughout the Cincinnati community. Medical updates included discussions on direct acting oral anticoagulants, hypertension, pain management, hyperlipidemia, oral diabetes medications, perioperative medicine and evidence-based medicine.”

Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credits were available for the conference, which Broderick says the division plans to host again in the fall of 2018. With seven breakout sessions, participants had the chance to interact with presenters during short but impactful sessions.

"Our group facilitators were prepared and the attendees were engaged and enthusiastic,” explains Broderick. "The attendees included physicians and nurse practitioners from all over the Tristate and also included professionals from Ohio State University and the University of Kentucky. Our course evaluations have been excellent.”

Benjamin Kinnear, MD, assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, says the conference was designed to force physicians to think outside of the box. He presented a talk on diagnostic reasoning aimed at helping medical professionals correctly identify an illness and craft a treatment plan.

"We covered Bayesian reasoning and how to use smartphone apps to bring these concepts to the bedside,” says Kinnear. "It pushed some attendees out of their comfort zones, and hopefully gave them new tools for patient care.”