LEARNING NEW & MORE

PAH Academy IPAD App

Investigating unclear dyspnoea.

Actelion, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, has run the PAH Academy since 2004. During this time, they have educated around 3,000 physicians in investigating patients with unclear dyspnoea and diagnosing PAH (Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension) – a rare but lethal disease with high mortality if untreated. The original program was a mainly non-reusable paper-based 1.5 days workshop. Physicians’ time constraints together with environmental considerations, however, induced Actelion to take the successful academy to the next level. And they asked Symbal to join them.

The solution

Together with editor in chief Björn Kornhall, MD at Department of Cardiology, Skane University Hospital in Lund, Symbal developed an iPad version of the seminar. It can be used in group-learning sessions as well as for individual learning, and follows the diagnostic path from unclear dyspnoea to confirmed diagnosis of e.g. Coronary Artery Disease, Interstitial Lung Disease, Acute Pulmonary Embolism, Chronic Pulmonary Embolism or Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

“Our participants and facilitators are very impressed with the new iPad version – it’s modern, professional and flexible. This development has been especially rewarding for me personally. I started out as a PAH Academy facilitator 10 years ago, and I’ve now had the possibility to be involved in improving it. To think about the fact that the PAH-Academy tool have helped the physicians to better understand PAH and may have facilitated the diagnosis of many Swedish PAH patients during the past 10 years makes me very proud.”

Kristian Broms, Cardiologist, Medical Director Nordic Countries, Actelion

The results

The new PAH Academy is now being rolled out across Sweden and the feedback has been enthusiastic.