Autonomic Disorders & Syncope Workshop

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Since diseases of the autonomic nervous system involve a set of connecting fibers rather than a specific organ, these diseases cross specialty boundaries and frequently elude diagnosis, causing a 4-5 year delay in the implementation of easily available and effective patient treatment. In addition, since the field has no obvious champion, there is virtually no education on autonomic disorders at the medical school or residency levels. This proposal aims to improve patient care by disseminating information about autonomic disorders to generalists in family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, neurology and cardiology. This objective will be met by assembling the first patient-based symposium/workshop in autonomic disorders for pediatric and adult primary care physicians and generalists. The workshop will include introductory lectures, patient-clinician interactions, and discussion between attendees and a panel of autonomic specialists. In addition, current physician knowledge in autonomic disorders will be assessed through our rapid screening instrument before and after the workshop, and the results will be compared with results from a random sample of physicians. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Despite the high prevalence and catastrophic consequences of autonomic disorders, very little education is provided to medical students and residents about them. Consequently, primary care physicians who commonly see these patients struggle to correctly diagnose the disorder and effectively treat the patient. The dissemination of knowledge on autonomic disorders to primary care physicians and other health care professionals at the "Autonomic Disorders & Syncope Workshop" will greatly improve the care of the numerous patients afflicted with these devastating and under-recognized diseases.