• University of Padova

Exercise in Medicine: From Functional Evaluation to Adapted Exercise Training

Understand how exercise can prevent and treat chronic diseases as you learn how to meet the different needs of your patients.

1,520 enrolled on this course

Educators are currently active on this course

Physiotherapist assisting senior patient with hand exercise as part of an exercise prescription

Exercise in Medicine: From Functional Evaluation to Adapted Exercise Training

1,520 enrolled on this course

  • 5 weeks

  • 4 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Intermediate level

Find out more about how to join this course

Explore exercise prescription for patients with chronic diseases

Current literature and guidelines clearly demonstrate that physical activity and exercise are effective and cost-saving methods for both the prevention and treatment of different chronic diseases. However, this promising treatment is currently underused in real-world healthcare settings, mostly because of a lack of information and awareness.

This five-week course will help bridge this information gap and show you the benefits of exercise therapy for patients with chronic diseases.

You’ll learn how to integrate functional evaluation and physical exercise training into healthcare systems as a standard in patient care. This will be achieved through videos, papers, and interviews with some of the most important international experts in this field

Learn how use functional evaluation for adapted exercise prescription

You’ll appreciate the importance and utility of functional evaluations and learn how to design an individualised exercise prescription.

This knowledge will help you explore the importance of adapting exercise training to meet the needs of people with different chronic conditions.

Understand how to integrate exercise as medical treatment

To further help your patients safely and effectively engage in exercise, you’ll explore different chronic conditions such as cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, and peripheral diseases.

This knowledge will help you address and overcome barriers to successfully integrate exercise into your healthcare systems.

Learn from the experts at the University of Padova

Throughout the course, you’ll be guided by the specialists from the University of Padova. With their expertise, you’ll finish the course knowing what’s behind individualised exercise prescription and training for a variety of different patients and extreme environments.

Skip to 0 minutes and 9 seconds Have you ever heard about the exercise pill? No, it’s not a magic pill you take to replace exercising. It’s a means to treat patients with chronic diseases. The science behind this clear physical activity and exercise training positively impact on a variety of chronic pathologies. It helps to prevent and treat diseases despite this clear benefits, its implementation in real-world settings is currently still limited. So that’s why we are here to spread this good news.

Skip to 0 minutes and 46 seconds Whether you are a health care or exercise professional or a student particularly interested in the promotion and implementation of physical activity and exercise therapy. Or if you simply want a healthier world, That’s the course for you. We will discuss how the Global Alliance of exercise in medicine is trying to translate scientific evidence related to the exercise pill and good clinical practice. And we will try to find solutions how to integrate it in the health care system. You will develop and improve your skills on prescribing tailored exercise according to the evaluation of cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, peripheral limitations in patients with different chronic diseases. Then you will learn how to implement exercise programs.

Skip to 1 minute and 34 seconds Also adopting digital health technologies to improve compliance and motivation. We will explore the benefits of exercise throughout a person’s life. And these special populations such as cancer survivor, solid organ transplantation patients, children and adults with congenital heart diseases and people with different disabilities. Moreover, we will discuss the effect of the environment, and therefore we will learn how to safely drain from the peak of the mountains to the depth of the sea. Together with high-level international experts, we will learn and share best practices of exercise medicine.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    The benefits of physical exercise and its role in prevention and treatment of chronic diseases

    • Take the first step

      Welcome to our course! Meet our team of educators and experts and find out what you will be doing with us in the next 5 weeks.

    • Let’s get physical

      Exercise is medicine! Have an overview of the multiple benefits of physical activity and exercise.

    • Bridging the gap from clinics to sports

      Keep it interdisciplinary! Have a look at the "Exercise is Medicine" initiatives and communities spread all over the world that fight for health promotion.

    • Synthesis

      Key points of Week 1 and a sneak preview of Week 2.

  • Week 2

    Getting ready for exercise: from functional evaluation to individualized exercise prescription and implementation

    • Exercising with chronic conditions

      The patient's path. Explore the importance of adapting physical activity and exercise for patients with chronic conditions.

    • Physical exercise evaluation and prescription

      Look at the whole picture! Learn best practices for clinical and in-field evaluation of functional capacity and how to prescribe exercise, addressing the patient's needs.

    • Let's move

      The Exercise Pill in practice. Explore how to design an exercise program following a medical prescription, considering related barriers and finding the right motivation.

    • Insights from experts

      Deepen the topic through the eyes of our experts: prescribing endurance and strength training, supporting lifestyle changes, and promoting digital systems in telemedicine.

    • Synthesis

      Key points of Week 2 and a sneak preview of Week 3.

  • Week 3

    Exercise prescription and application for the treatment of patients with cardiovascular or pulmonary limitations

    • Cardiovascular diseases

      Exercise in medicine. Learn how to recognise clinical signs and symptoms, build an exercise prescription and adapt the training sessions for patients with cardiovascular limitations.

    • Congenital heart disease

      A closer look: the management of congenital heart diseases and how to support an active lifestyle in these patients.

    • Pulmonary diseases

      Exercise in medicine. Learn how to recognise clinical signs and symptoms, build an exercise prescription and adapt the training sessions for patients with pulmonary limitations.

    • Insights from experts

      Deepen the topic through the eyes of our experts: prescribing and monitoring exercise with the help of artificial intelligence and digital health applications.

    • Synthesis

      Key points of Week 3 and a sneak preview of Week 4.

  • Week 4

    Exercise prescription and application for the treatment of patients with metabolic or peripheral limitations

    • Metabolic diseases

      Exercise in medicine. Learn how to recognise clinical signs and symptoms, build an exercise prescription and adapt the training sessions for patients with metabolic diseases.

    • Warriors

      Exercise as a defence weapon! Explore how to prescribe and use the Exercise Pill for warrior patients like cancer survivors and solid organ transplant patients.

    • Peripheral limitations to exercise

      Exercise in medicine. Learn how to recognise clinical signs and symptoms, build an exercise prescription and adapt the training sessions for patients with peripheral limitations.

    • Insights from experts

      Deepen the topic through the eyes of our experts: adapting physical exercise and nutrition for healthy aging.

    • Synthesis

      Key points of Week 4 and a sneak preview of Week 5.

  • Week 5

    Exercise prescription for special populations and special environments

    • Pregnancy and the lifetime continuum

      A lifetime commitment. Investigate why exercise is so important at every age.

    • Disabilities

      Going beyond the limits. Learn how to adapt physical activity and exercise in people with disabilities.

    • Mental health

      The body and the mind. Explore when physical activity and exercise can be a benefit or an overdose.

    • The role of environment

      From the peak of the mountain to the depth of the sea. Find out how our body reacts to different environments and if exercising in these conditions is feasible and safe for people with chronic diseases. 

    • Putting it all together

      Final wrap up and greetings.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

If you'd like to take part while our educators are leading the course, they'll be joining the discussions, in the comments, between these dates:

  • 25 Mar 2024 - 28 Apr 2024

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain the benefits of physical exercise for the prevention and treatment of specific chronic conditions
  • Interpret an evaluation of the patient's level of physical activity, exercise capacity and cardiorespiratory fitness.
  • Describe and articulate an individualised exercise prescription, also addressing patient’s compliance and related barriers.
  • Collaborate with colleagues and affiliated professionals by sharing experiences and best practices developing a network within international initiatives working on Exercise in Medicine.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for healthcare professionals and students.

You may be a medical doctor wanting to learn more about exercise prescriptions based on functional evaluations of your patients with chronic diseases. Or you could be an exercise professional who needs to design individually-adapted physical exercise programmes.

You may also be a physiotherapist or student who wants to understand how exercise can treat and prevent chronic diseases.

Who will you learn with?

MD, PhD specialized in Sports and Exercise Medicine, working as Assistant Professor and researcher in the fields of sports medicine, sports science, functional evaluation and exercise prescription.

Chiara is an Exercise Professional and her work is focused on the design and supervision of adapted physical exercise programs in patients with chronic diseases.

MD, specialised in Sports and Exercise Medicine and working in the fields of sports medicine, pre-participation screening, functional evaluation and exercise prescription.

Francesca is a Sports and Exercise Medicine physician and a researcher working in the fields of sports and exercise medicine, cardiovascular prevention, functional evaluation and exercise prescription

Who developed the course?

University of Padova

The University of Padova is one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious seats of learning; it aims to provide its students with both professional training and a solid cultural background.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$349.99 for one year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$134/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 29 May 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

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