As restrictions in the UK are beginning to feel like a thing of the past, I have been reflecting on my time with the Springer Healthcare IME team, having joined amid the global pandemic in January this year, and plunged into the deep end with the entrance into a new disease area. ...more

Last Thursday (7th July), the IME team put on their black tie outfits to attend the 2022 Communique Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Mayfair. We had two programmes shortlisted as finalists that evening, and we were absolutely delighted when one of our entries (our rare disease “FOP: Recognition, Treatment and Hope” program) won the category entitled Excellence in Professional Education Programmes. We beat off strong competition from large agencies such as Langland, Havas and Lucid, in one of the most hotly contested categories that evening (it had the highest numbers of finalists of any category). ...more

What do patient-reported outcomes, precision medicine, and shared decision making actually mean in the modern era of healthcare? Evidence-based guidelines and expert consensus now highlight the importance of incorporating patient preference when developing management plans. Patients who are empowered to contribute to decisions about their medical care often experience improved outcomes, such as reduced anxiety, faster recovery and increased adherence to their treatment regimens. ...more

This famous quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin could summarize the soul of the times we currently live in. Time is not infinite and therefore is, I think, the most valuable asset we possess. If you work in the medical education arena, you know that healthcare professionals are BUSY (yes, with capital letters). Not only do they have to help their many patients, but they also need to keep up to date with the latest developments in their area of expertise. All in addition to going to conferences, participating in advisory boards or research meetings, etc… ...more

Most, if not all, of us have switched off during a presentation and many of you will have switched off by the time you have got to the end of this blog, assuming that you will even get that far! We can sit through an hour long training session and not learn a single thing, yet grasp a concept from a 5-minute podcast or a picture. ...more

Earlier this month, Springer Healthcare IME were excited to attend the industry’s premier awards ceremony – the Communique Awards 2021 – held at the rather glamorous Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane. Our Cardiovascular Health and Type 2 Diabetes programme (developed in collaboration with MedShr) had been shortlisted as a Finalist in the Excellence in Professional Education Programmes category. ...more

Regular exercise is good for you, in moderation. No denying that. You might be incentivised by endless social media posts showing buff bodies promising that if we work harder and longer we will be stronger and, of course, better looking. And because exercise stimulates the release of natural pain-controlling chemicals, endorphins, and anti-depressant chemicals, enkephalins, the ‘exercise high’ is both motivator and reward. It could also lead to reducing drug intake, such as OTC medications for pain and prophylactics. ...more

How would you define a ‘rare disease’? A disease that affects very few people, isn’t it? In the European Union, a rare disease is ‘one that affects no more than 1 person in 2000.’ It might seem a very low rate, but in Europe alone there are approximately 30 million people living with one of over 6000 identified rare diseases ...more

Springer Healthcare IME would like to invite healthcare professionals to join our independent live webinar focussing on the recognition and treatment of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). ...more

Success in almost every sector involves the collaboration of many different disciplines; the expertise of each utilized to produce the best end result or outcome. The IME team has had numerous successes (not a marketing plug, I promise) which would not have been possible without the input from numerous specialists inside and outside of our tiny but mighty team. ...more