TNMU Conference Joined Over a Thousand Experts

On February 25-26, 2021, the International Research and Training Conference “Current issues of higher medical education in the development of practical skills and competencies of general practitioners – family doctors” (winter session of the conference “Topical matters of diagnosis, treatment, rational pharmacotherapy, prevention of rehabilitation in the family medicine”) was held in I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University. The conference took place on the event of the 10^th anniversary of the Association of Family Medicine of Ternopil Region. Due to the pandemic in the world and the challenging epidemiological situation in our region, the meeting of scientists was online.

Over a thousand top experts from different parts of Ukraine and the world joined it, i.e. Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Poltava, Uzhhorod, as well as Lille (France). About 35 research reports were presented and discussed during the sessions.

The Vice-Rector for Research, Professor Ivan Klishch, welcomed the conference participants. He congratulated everyone on behalf of the rector of TNMU, Professor Mykhailo Korda, and wished success and fruitful work to the participants of the meeting.

“Our branch of the Association of Family Medicine, and, therefore, the Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice of Family Medicine, make every effort to improve the educational component, teaching methods, especially in development of practical skills in the situation of distance learning. At this difficult time, students do not have access to patients, cannot attend treatment and prevention facilities, so the teachers have to find solutions to provide an effective learning process. General practitioners of family medicine are actually at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, as well as other diseases, so it is very important to share experience, positive results on how to train excellent specialists,” Ivan Mykolayovych said.

Lidia Tchaikovska, the Deputy Head of the Health Department of Ternopil Regional State Administration, also welcomed the participants.

Lidia Zinoviivna said: “The first 16,000 doses of vaccines arrived at night. The first vaccinations of medical workers are taking place in the region. Let’s hope that soon our lives will be usual, without masks and daily restrictions. I really respect the family doctors’ work, they were the first to fight against COVID-19, saving thousands of lives with their self-sacrificing work. We will overcome this virus by cooperation of Ternopil National Medical University and family doctors, as well as other doctors (infectious disease specialists, anesthesiologists). I wish a fruitful work and, most importantly, health to all the conference participants.”

Professor Lilia Babinets, the Head of the Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice of Family Medicine of TNMU, opened the plenary session. She congratulated everyone and wished success to the participants of the meeting: “Right now it is even more important to work persistently, develop, and share our teaching and clinical experience. The conference takes place on the event of the 10^th anniversary of the Association of Family Medicine of Ternopil Region. So 10 years of our work have passed. Today I really appreciate your support and assistance and wish you further inspiration and fruitful work.”

Professor Larysa Matiukha, the President of the National Association of Family Medicine, also welcomed the conference participants. She wished everyone health, success, fruitful results of the conference, new knowledge and opportunities.

Professor Yevhenia Zaremba, the academician of the Academy of Sciences of Higher Education of Ukraine, also greeted the participants online.

Professor Lilia Babinets presented a report on “Topical issues of cardiovascular management in outpatient practice during COVID-19 infection”. She said that in most cases, victory over the virus meant only that the person had survived. COVID-19 affects not only the lungs, but also the cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, nervous systems of the patient. Among the main problems in the patients after the virus, experts identify angina and arrhythmia, which are often due to long bed rest and controlled breathing. Other serious and long-term consequences of COVID-19: viral fatigue syndrome; impaired muscle function – decreased muscle tone; mental health problems, i.e. depression, insomnia and various cognitive disorders.

The joint report by the international authors on “Way to introduction of screening in family medicine in Ukraine: SWOT-analysis of opportunities and faults” was prepared by Pavlo Kolesnyk, Associate Professor, the Head of the Department of Family Medicine and Outpatient Care, Faculty of Medicine No. 2, Uzhhorod National University, Sabine Bayen, Doctor of the University of Lille, France (Université of Lille, France) and Ivanna Shushman, Assistant Professor of  the Department of Family Medicine and Outpatient Care of the Medical Faculty No. 2 of Uzhhorod National University.

The researchers noted that Ukraine had limited financial resources to study local evidence-based screening guidelines and screening support. Family physicians do not have a clear protocol for implementation into clinical practice of screening.

The report by Oleksandr Moshchych, Professor of the Department of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, Audiology and Phoniatrics of P. Shupyk National University of Health of Ukraine on “Prospects for the use of bioregulatory drugs in the family medicine” was of great interest.

Oleksandr Petrovych noted that recently the effectiveness of complex homeopathic medicines had been proved by international, randomized, prospective, multicenter, placebo-controlled clinical trials. A modern highly skilled doctor, as a key part of world medicine, helps a patient, but only to the extent that it is mastered by a specialist and his colleagues.

Professor Lilia Babinets presented a report on post-COVID syndrome. The speaker said that the number of people suffering from COVID-19 in the world was about 11 million, more than half a million people died and almost 6 million recovered. Lilia Stepanivna listed the symptoms of post-COVID syndrome: weakness, headaches, fatigue, inability to work; fluctuations in blood pressure, often hypertension, arrhythmia; dizziness, confusion, irritability, delirium, hallucinations, weak hearing and smell; menstrual disorders in women; gastrointestinal disorders without any organic cause; nasal congestion, short breath, respiratory disorders often without changes in the lungs, burning in the eyes, low vision; insomnia, night terrors, vivid dreams, depression, suicidal thoughts.

The report by Iryna Borovyk, Associate Professor of the Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice of Family Medicine of TNMU on “Managment tactics for a patient with back pain” was very interesting for the participants of the conference. Iryna Olehivna pointed to the fact that during the year about 20% of people complained of back pain, half of them of working age. The problem has not only a medical but also a socio-economic aspect.

The report “Drug toxic hepatitis in antibiotic therapy (diagnosis and treatment)” was presented by Leonid Pinsky, Professor of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy of O. Bogomolets National Medical University.

The expert emphasized that the task of therapy is constant maintaining of the concentration of drugs in the pharmacotherapeutic range (PR) in the patient’s serum. The lower limit of PR is the concentration of drugs, when the drug provides 50% of the maximum pharmacodynamic effect. The upper limit is the concentration of drugs when the patient develops the first symptoms of side effects.

During the conference, Nadiia Yarema, the Professor of the Department of Internal Medicine No. 1 of TNMU, presented the report “Integrated approach in treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation regarding new recommendations of the ESC 2020″.

Nadiya Ivanivna noted that at the end of August 2020 new recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, developed jointly with the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgeons, had been published. The document is based on the results of clinical trials completed in the period of 2016-2020.

Ivan Katerenchuk, the Professor of the Ukrainian Medical Dental Academy, emphasized the advantages and disadvantages of introducing distance learning during the undergraduate study of internal medicine.

Professor Olena Koloskova, the Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Children Infectious Diseases, Bukovynian State Medical University, in her presentation on “Current opportunities in the control of bronchitis in children” pointed out that there was no adequate evidence for the benefits or efficacy of over-the-counter drugs in acute cough. However, the potential dangers of centrally acting antihistamines and antitussives should be considered carefully.

Professor Yelyzaveta Sirchak, the Head of the Department of Propaedeutics of Internal Medicine, Uzhhorod National University, expanded on “Feasibility of enzyme preparations in diabetes”. She noted that a universal and key link in the pathogenesis of “diseases of civilization” is a variety of metabolic disorders, especially lipids and carbohydrates.

Professor Olena Samohalska, the Head of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy of TNMU, in her report on “COVID-19 and liver damage” noted that the involvement of the liver in COVID-19 may have been associated with the following mechanisms: direct cytopathic action of the virus, uncontrolled immune response, sepsis, drug-induced liver damage.

During the workshops, Andriy Mysak, the Associate Professor of the L. Kovalchuk Department of Surgery No. 1 and Urology of TNMU presented the report on “Fundamentals of diagnosis and treatment of benign prostate in a family doctor’s practice”. He offered the fact that in the past benign prostatic hyperplasia was treated mostly by surgery. Today, more than 49% of patients at the beginning of the disease are treated by family doctors. It is worth striving for a less aggressive therapy.

Ihor Khoruzhyi, the Lecturer of the Department of Clinical Immunology, Allergology and General Patient Care, presented a report and a master class on “Adenoids, non-allergic nasopharyngitis, indications for adenotomy”.

Igor Volodymyrovych emphasized that the most recent and informative method of diagnosis of the degree of “adenoids” enlargement is endoscopic examination of the nasopharynx.

Lilia Babinets summed up the work of the plenary and sectional meetings, acknowledged assistance of the university administration as well as all conference participants. She noted that those days more than 35 scientific reports had been presented, many important issues concerning contemporary world trends in family medicine had been discussed.

The format of the videoconference allowed the participants not only to verbally present their scientific achievements, but also it was a platform for scientific discussion, joint viewing and fruitful discussion of video clips and presentations.

To watch the conference on the YouTube channel of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University follow the links: