Date of Report: 05/2005
Source: Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center (MATEC)
MATEC-Minnesota responded to the emerging need for a regionally-based clinical consultation forum for pediatricians by developing a cost-effective monthly conference call for pediatric HIV specialists to exchange clinical information and discuss complicated cases. During each monthly forum, a practitioner presents a case for discussion. To further enhance the discussion, participants are provided with the clinical history and laboratory data with visual presentations. Drs. Peter Havens and Laura Hoyt, MATEC faculty members and the physician facilitators for the call, worked in close collaboration with MATEC-Minnesota to develop the program. Dr. Havens and staff at the Medical College of Wisconsin developed an MS Excel spreadsheet to standardize patient data collection and provided training to faculty presenters to facilitate the effective use of the visual materials on the conference calls. The consultation forum initially began with two case presentations for 25 pediatric HIV specialists from the MATEC seven-state region. This training strategy now involves more than 70 regional providers and is limited to a single case presentation for each conference call. As with all MATEC activities, the staff continually assess the effectiveness of this training strategy. After developing a promotional brochure and email announcement, the number of invited colleagues increased to over 70 regional providers. Though the optimal call size is 15-20 participants, the calls have ranged from 9-27 participants and regional participants continue to join. MATEC also learned that it is important to allot sufficient time for in-depth discussion of each case and modified the call agenda to focus on a single case. The one hour, monthly teleconferences have evolved to provide an educational activity for practitioners to discuss antiretroviral management and other treatment decisions for children and adolescents with HIV. The collaborative design enables participants to share their experiences and expertise and to build relationships with fellow colleagues. Lessons Learned:  | Leadership and personal contact by physician facilitators are crucial to developing successful teleconference consultations. |  | | Plenty of time must be allotted for case discussions. MATEC consultation began with two case studies and now focuses on one case study. | | | Resources for technical assistance are important. Specifically, the presentation instrument required training for first time users. | |
For more information, please contact MATEC-Minnesota at (612) 626-3609 or matecmn@epi.umn.edu. | 
