News

We are delighted to announce that the Fundamentals of child health e-course will be launching next month.

The aim of the e-course is to help you develop the knowledge and skills to take a person-centred approach to supporting children and young people (CYP) and their families/carers with information about health, optimising medicines use and improving health outcomes.

Children and young people are placed at the front and centre of the NHS Long Term Plan. The plan contains a number of measures which will, if implemented, make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of CYP, with a focus on obesity, oral health, improving vaccination uptake and mental health issues. The Fundamentals of child health e-course covers these topics and more, encouraging you to reflect on your role in supporting CYP in these areas.

This is a self-directed e-course, meaning you can learn at your own pace, and at a time and place that suits you. The course comprises seven units, each covering a specific area of child health. We recommend that you go through the units in sequence. However, you can pick and choose the order in which you access each unit to meet your specific learning needs, as each unit is a standalone piece of learning. 

Each unit emphasises the importance of understanding CYPs’ perspectives, as well as those of their parents/carers, to help you adapt your communication and apply person-centred care to all consultations. To support this learning, the e-course includes a range of activities, scenarios, case studies and reflective tasks designed to help you to think about applying the learning in your everyday practice.

The comprehensive e-course covers the following topics relating to child health:

• the stages of child development, and tips for adapting your verbal and non-verbal communication with CYP according to these stages
• how the physiological differences at each stage can impact medicines use, including dosage calculations and medicines adherence
• how to take a shared decision-making approach to the use of medicines in CYP, including the use of unlicensed and off-label medicines
• how to have effective, person-centred consultations with CYP and their parents/carers, and involve them in shared decision making
• what to consider when having conversations with CYP about their mental health
• your role in safeguarding CYP by taking appropriate action if you have concerns about their safety or wellbeing
• the signs and symptoms of acute conditions, minor ailments and common infections, and how these differ between adults and children, including their pharmacological and non-pharmacological management
• how you can best support CYP with long-term conditions as a pharmacy professional.

For more information, including how to register, visit:

www.cppe.ac.uk/programmes/l/child-ec-01