CHEC announces national online CPD event covering critical eye condition that has seen 400% increase in secondary care referrals. The seminar is to be hosted by CHEC Clinical Director Mahmoud Rabie and follows the UK rollout of CHEC’s ground-breaking YAG Quantel Capsulo Laser System which significantly improves accuracy in eye treatments.
CHEC, a leading provider of community-based ophthalmology and endoscopy services in the UK, has announced a national online continuing professional development (CPD) event to be held next month, focusing on the critical eye health condition, papilloedema. A high-profile gross negligence manslaughter case related to the condition in 2016 has since led to an estimated 400% increase in secondary care referrals regarding optic discs in 2023.
The CPD event will take place on 9 August from 19:00-20:30, providing eye health professionals from across the country with the opportunity to learn more about papilloedema, as well as achieving valuable insights and CPD points.
Papilloedema causes swelling of the optic disk caused by increased intracranial pressure. Unfortunately, the condition is often associated with false positive diagnosis caused by an anomalous optic disc appearance, termed pseudo-papilloedema, so professional education around diagnosis is critical. Because the condition causes fluids to build up in the brain, it can also be one of the first signs of a brain tumour. The seminar will discuss the key factors around assessment of optic discs and the process for diagnosing swollen discs.
Hosted by CHEC’s Consultant Ophthalmologist and Clinical Director Mahmoud Rabie, the CPD event titled, 'The Dodgy Disc', will thoroughly analyse and assess the complexities of papilloedema. In 2016 an optometrist was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter for failing to notice swollen optic discs in a child which then led to their death. Although this conviction was overturned, papilloedema has since received significant attention, sparking conversation around the importance of diagnosis of rare conditions and better education across the eye health sector.
“It is our hope that this event will provide much-needed insight into the intricacies of diagnosis for optic disc conditions with a broad range of eyecare practitioners and ophthalmologists from across the country. Feedback we have had on previous CHEC hosted events is that they always been very engaging and a rewarding for everyone involved, and I have no doubt that our national event will generate a similar response,” said Mr Rabie.
CHEC’s national CPD event follows the growing popularity of its well-attended and trusted programme of accredited seminars at the local hospitals and clinics in its network. CHEC has in recent months also announced the opening of several new treatment centres across the country, including in Stockport, Sheffield, Worcester, and Stevenage. CHEC’s Stockport centre played host to a CPD event following its launch earlier this year, and became the second-ever site in the UK to roll out the groundbreaking YAG Quantel Capsulo Laser System, which improves accuracy in eye treatments like glaucoma.
Furthermore, CHEC's commitment to safety, effectiveness, quality of care, and patient-centric focus has been consistently recognised, with its Stoke hospital recently receiving an 'Outstanding' rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Jose Bailey, Commercial Director at CHEC, commented: “We understand that it is extremely important to bring together professionals from across the country to discuss the critical topic of optic disc swelling and help boost greater awareness of these types of conditions. The growing interest in our CPD events from healthcare professionals across England, along with our successful expansion over the last couple of years, have given us this great opportunity to host this national online CPD event.”
A link to register for the August CPD event can be found here.
