THU003 An Analysis Of A Patient Simulation Platform To Test Learners’ Obesity Management Skills During A Live Educational Event
Authors: Black Robin L , Brechtelsbauer Erika L , Apovian Caroline Margaret , Fujioka Ken 
Published: October 2023

Disclosure: R.L. Black: None. E.L. Brechtelsbauer: None. C.M. Apovian: Consulting Fee; Self; Altimmunte, EnteroMedics, Gelesis, L-Nutra, NeuroBo, Novo Nordisk. K. Fujioka: Consulting Fee; Self; Amgen Inc, Currax, Gelesis, Novo Nordisk, Rhythm, Shionogi, Sunovion, Takeda.

Background: Obesity remains a significant health problem in the United States. Unfortunately, healthcare professionals (HCPs) are often reticent to discuss weight with patients and use obesity medications—despite their proven efficacy in clinical and real-world practice. These deficits in practice highlight the need for ongoing education among HCPs focused on guideline-recommended, proactive management of obesity. Therefore, Clinical Care Options (CCO), in partnership with Edocate, developed an interactive, simulation-based CME/CE-certified satellite symposium on obesity management using the Patient SimX platform and presented during ObesityWeek. Aim: The goal of this analysis is to determine the educational impact and remaining knowledge gaps among HCPs following a live case-based simulation on obesity management. Methods: CCO produced an online case-based simulation on obesity management, which was presented via live satellite symposium with simulcast on November 2, 2022. Learners completed 2 interactive patient cases that were designed to simulate an in-office visit to address common challenges related to obesity management. The Patient SimX platform provides learners with instant feedback on clinical decisions and tracks progress toward clinical goals. Faculty presented a live didactic presentation reviewing key considerations and best practices in obesity management informed by real-time decisions made by learners. Patient cases were designed to be similar but unique so that learners could demonstrate improvements in key patient care goals and outcomes from Patient 1 to Patient 2. Patient cases provided learners with the opportunity to test their obesity management skills in patients with and without type 2 diabetes. Results: HCP Demographics: N = 208; in-person: 77; simulcast: 131; MD: 39%; pharmacist: 13%; NP: 6%; PA: 5%; nurse: 4%; other HCP: 16%; non-HCP: 13%. Baseline and Remaining Gaps: Learners significantly improved in their ability to treat obesity from Patient 1 to Patient 2. A relatively high percentage of learners were able to achieve a 5% weight loss goal in Patient 1 (76%), and this significantly increased in Patient 2 (91%). Similarly, 66% of learners referred Patient 1 for meal planning, which increased to 84% for Patient 2, and 59% of learners recommended physical activity for Patient 1, which increased to 86% for Patient 2, demonstrating further room for improvement in lifestyle-based treatments. Across learners, 97.4% of treatments prescribed for Patient 1 (history of type 2 diabetes) were incretin based (GLP-1 RA or tirzepatide), whereas 91.8% of treatments prescribed for Patient 2 (no history of type 2 diabetes) were incretin based. Conclusions: This analysis demonstrates that the Patient SimX platform was an effective teaching tool in a live setting to improve guideline-based treatment of obesity.

Presentation: Thursday, June 15, 2023