Functional Neurological Disorder: A Healthcare Professional’s Guide
Understand the history, symptoms, and management of FND to communicate more effectively and sensitively with your patients.
Duration
3 weeksWeekly study
3 hours
Functional Neurological Disorder: A Healthcare Professional’s Guide
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Learn from experts on functional neurological disorder
Specialist understanding of functional neurological disorder (FND) has improved rapidly in recent years. Yet research shows that there is still a worrying lack of awareness of the condition among healthcare professionals more broadly.
On this three-week course taught by world-leading experts at St George’s, University of London, you’ll gain in-depth insights into all aspects of the condition. You’ll learn from the lived experience of FND sufferers, and explore the impact that poor patient communication has had on their lives.
Learn about FND symptoms and diagnosis
After an introduction to the history and pathophysiology of FND, you’ll delve further into the challenges around diagnosis.
You’ll learn about functional neurological signs and symptoms, and how you can make a diagnosis of FND.
Explore strategies for managing FND
Once a patient is diagnosed with FND, a range of treatments are available to help manage and improve the condition.
You’ll explore different treatments for FND, including psychological therapy, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy.
Develop effective and sensitive patient communication
In the third and final week of the course, you’ll apply your knowledge to a clinical scenario, focusing on the issue of language choice. Hearing from a real-life sufferer of FND, you’ll understand the damage that poor communication by healthcare professionals can do to a patient’s condition.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of FND and a clear sense of how best to inform and advise patients about their condition.
Syllabus
Week 1
Understanding FND
Introduction to Functional Neurological Disorder
Welcome to this course on Functional Neurological Disorder. During this section, we will be exploring how to define FND, including the importance of language and some historical context.
Epidemiology and risk factors
How common is FND? And which patients are most at risk of developing functional symptoms? Here we will look at the prevalence and major risk factors associated with developing FND.
Underlying mechanisms
Here we look at current neuroscientific theories underlying the development of functional neurological symptoms
Summary of the week
We cover what we have learnt this week and what we can look forward to in the coming week
Week 2
FND diagnosis and management
Welcome to week 2
Introduction to the topics and areas covered this week
Presentation and diagnosis
We cover what symptoms and diagnosis steps are taken with patients with FND
Types of FND management
Management of FND is tailored to the individual patient, depending on their clinical presentation and risk factors. Here we explore some of the different management modalities in more details.
Summary of the week
A summary of the topics and areas covered this week
Week 3
Communication skills in practice
Welcome to Week 3
Welcome to the final week of the course
Layla's story: Presentation to the Emergency Department
In this section of the course, we will meet Layla, a woman presenting to the Emergency Department, with symptoms concerning for a possible stroke.
Layla's story: Seizures on the ward
On the stroke unit, Layla's symptoms evolve into a new presentation.
Take home messages
Summary of the course
Learning on this course
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 what Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is using lay language
- Describe the proposed underlying pathophysiology of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)
- Identify any biological, psychological and social risk factors in patients with functional neurological symptoms
- Identify positive diagnostic markers from the history and examination that are suggestive of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)
- Reflect on the importance of language choices when communicating with patients about Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)
- Summarise the different management strategies that can be used to treat Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)
- Practice answering patient questions about Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), including explaining the diagnosis, possible risk factors and triggers, investigations and management
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for professionals across the healthcare sector (including medical, mental health and allied health professionals), who want to learn more about functional neurological disorder and its diagnosis.
Who will you learn with?
Who developed the course?
City St George's, University of London (formerly St George's)
City St George’s, University of London (formerly St George’s) School of Health and Medical Sciences is a leading provider of education in the fields of healthcare, medicine and psychology.
Learning on FutureLearn
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- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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You can use the hashtag #FLFND to talk about this course on social media.