Pediatric rheumatology education: the virtual frontier a review.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Many children with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases are unrecognized. Identifying these children requires health care provider awareness, knowledge, and skills to recognize disease features and how (and when) to refer to specialist care. The aim of this paper is to highlight the need for better access to health care, review the essential role that education and virtual care play to address unmet need in low resource areas and especially to expand workforce capacity. Using collaborative partnerships, virtual platforms, and innovative assessment methods, musculoskeletal care and education can be delivered to reach a greater audience than ever before. Increased awareness through multiple initiatives and readily available resources are imperative to improve global rheumatology care. CONCLUSION: The needs of children with rheumatic diseases and musculoskeletal conditions are vastly underserved around the world resulting in preventable morbidity and mortality. Expanded implementation of virtual education and e-health care platforms provides an opportunity to increase access to care for children globally.