Healthpoint® Launches TheWoundInstitute.comSM
Healthpoint announces the launch of TheWoundInstitute.com, an online source for accredited wound care education designed for physicians and nonphysician clinicians. The site was developed to accommodate the educational preferences and workplace demands of healthcare professionals by allowing clinicians to complete courses at their own pace and register, test, and receive continuing education (CE) or continuing medical education (CME) credits instantly for their course work.
The formal launch of the site coincided with the 18th Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and 15th Annual Medical Research Forum on Wound Repair and followed a 3-month beta testing period that included over 2,400 registrants and the issuing of over 1,500 CE and 325 CME certificates.
TheWoundInstitute.com (http://www.thewoundinstitute.com) features comprehensive, research-based courses designed to assist healthcare providers in bridging the gap between knowledge and practice. The site currently features 6 courses that provide basic wound care information to practicing clinicians including:
• Anatomy and Physiology of Skin and Underlying Tissue
• Definition and Etiology of Wounds
• The Wound Healing Process
• Principles of Wound Healing
• Wound Assessment and Documentation
• Treatment Modalities.
TheWoundInstitute.com will continue to expand its educational offerings in 2005 with courses designed specifically for physicians and advanced practice clinicians. The next course to be added, “The Biology of the Chronic Wound,” is expected to be launched later this year and will investigate the pathophysiology and management of chronic wounds, including an exploration of the cellular and biochemical differences between chronic and acute wounds and an examination of prevention and treatment strategies.
According to the course author, Robert H. Demling, MD, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, “It is necessary to understand the abnormal microenvironment in chronic, nonhealing wounds, in order to design interventional strategies that both remove barriers to and actively promote healing.” Dr. Demling continued, “We believe the information in this course will be of significant interest to the clinical community and will provide practical information that can contribute to the successful management of these often devastating wounds.”
Online continuing education has exploded in popularity within the medical community over the past few years due to the convenience and interactive format afforded by the medium. According to Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) statistics, the number of physicians participating in internet-based CME programs increased from 37,879 in 1998 to 329,110 in 2002, while the number of nonphysicians (eg, nurses, pharmacists) participating in online CE programs increased from 24,733 to 323,756 over the same period.
TheWoundInstitute.com brings the value and convenience of internet-based continuing education to the wound care community and is the only online, fully accredited educational site listed on the Advancing the PracticeSM website (http://www.advancingthepractice.org). Advancing the Practice is an interdisciplinary group of healthcare professionals, organizations, and corporations committed to advancing the practice of wound care to improve patient outcomes.
TheWoundInstitute.com represents the most recent example of Healthpoint’s commitment to continuing education for wound care practitioners. In 2004, over 3,251 clinicians attended Healthpoint’s 79 programs, titled “Wound Healing: Script for Success,” earning over 8,804 continuing educational hours for physicians and RNs. Last year, 4,634 certificates and some 6,396 CE credits were awarded through Healthpoint’s representative delivered CE programs.
Information about the full range of Healthpoint CE programs can be found under the Education tab at http://www.healthpoint.com.
DM Systems Launches New Website
A new home on the Web for DM Systems (Evanston, Ill) is streamlined to be more user-friendly and includes information on all wound care, orthopedic, and rehabilitation products available from the company.
The growing line of wound care and orthopedic products from DM Systems includes original Heelift® and Heelift® Smooth Suspension Boots, Elbowlift® Suspension Pad, the new Heelift® Traction Boot, CastWalker® Cast Sole, GaitKeeper™ Cast Shoe, CastWedge™ Cast Adjuster, the new Adjusticizer™ Exercise System, Cadlow™ Shoulder Stabilizer, and AnkleTough® Rehab System.
Visitors can view informational videos and testimonials from clinicians who use DM products and download informative PDFs, including the new full-line product catalog. A search function assists users in locating national and international dealers and sales representatives to find specific product sources.
Visit http://www.dmsystems.com for more information.
Inspire Announces Developments in Corneal Wound Healing and Retinal Disease Programs
Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Durham, NC) announces that it has initiated a Phase 2 pilot clinical trial for diquafosol tetrasodium in corneal wound healing and is planning to initiate 2 Phase 2 pilot clinical trials for INS37217 Ophthalmic (denufosol tetrasodium) in macular edema.
Inspire is investigating its drug candidate, diquafosol tetrasodium, for potential therapeutic benefit related to the healing of the corneal epithelium. There is scientific support for the corneal epithelial wound healing potential of P2Y2 receptor agonists based on reduction of corneal staining in dry eye clinical trials and experimental work conducted by independent researchers. Diquafosol could potentially be useful in a variety of corneal epithelial wound healing applications, such as eye surgeries, corneal abrasions, and epithelial defects.
In April 2005, Inspire began enrolling patients in a Phase 2 pilot clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy of diquafosol tetrasodium ophthalmic solution 2% versus placebo in improving corneal wound healing following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) surgery. Approximately 30 subjects undergoing bilateral myopic PRK will participate in the trial. They will receive diquafosol in 1 eye and placebo in the other eye for 1 week. The effect of diquafosol versus placebo on corneal wound healing will be assessed photographically over a week following surgery. Results from this trial are expected by the end of 2005.
INS37217 Ophthalmic is a P2Y2 receptor agonist under investigation by Inspire as an intravitreal injection for the treatment of diseases associated with accumulation of fluid in or around the retina. Removal of this pathological fluid via the activation of P2Y2 receptors in the back of the eye could potentially provide benefit for patients with macular edema or other sight-threatening diseases involving pathological fluid accumulation.
“Persistent macular edema is a significant cause of visual impairment in post-cataract surgery and uveitis patients, even following successful treatment of the underlying inflammation,” said C. Stephen Foster, MD, President and CEO, Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institute, and Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School. “By stimulating fluid drainage across the retinal pigment epithelium, INS37217 Ophthalmic may be effective in resolving the fluid in persistent macular edema and potentially improve visual function.”
Visit http://www.inspirepharm.com for more information. |
