The Center for Virtual Care (CVC) at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) recently collaborated with the Aga Khan Center for Excellence in Trauma and Emergencies at Aga Khan University (AKU) in Pakistan on the creation of a new course that aims to promote telemedicine best practices internationally. The course titled “From Bedside to Webside: Use of Telemedicine in Emergency Care,” is a hybrid instructional course that focuses on the foundational skills required to provide virtual care.
“The ability to deliver high quality care at a distance has potentially life-saving applications,” said Dr. Peter Greenwald, Vice Chair of Clinical Strategy and Innovation for the WCM Department of Emergency Medicine. He added, “The logistical and geographical barriers that can prevent healthcare access exist in every corner of the globe. Courses like what we have developed with our partners at AKU have the potential to transform health care.”
Program materials were modeled on training modules the CVC currently provides to all WCM medical students. Learning objectives include the acquisition of telemedicine physical exam skills and the verbal and nonverbal techniques required to conduct an effective and compassionate virtual visit. AKU faculty provided guidance on adapting course materials to comply with regional norms and assisted in developing simulated patient encounters.
“The success of the course shows that the teaching we do here at the CVC and WCM can be translated across borders,” said Dr. Rahul Sharma, Professor and Chairman of the WCM Department of Emergency Medicine and Founder and Executive Director of the CVC. “We are eager to deepen our partnership with partners at AKU, and to find other ways our telemedicine expertise can be valuable to international partners.”
