Medics Information for clinicians Information for Healthcare Professionals Our charity has developed a range of clinical guidance publications in collaboration with our Clinical Advisory Panel (CAP) to inform and advise healthcare professionals. Read on to find out more. COVID-19 Guidance for Clinicians About Adrenal Insufficiency For a bite size look at adrenal insufficiency, watch CoMIC's brilliant video infographic explaining everything adrenal insufficiency, from aetiology, sign and symptoms, investigations, management, adrenal crisis and the vital patient training in sick day rules, administering the emergency injection and carrying the NHS steroid card. The content of CoMICs video was critically reviewed by Dr Alessandro Prete, University of Birmingham; Professor Wiebke Arlt, University of Birmingham; Dr Helen Simpson, UCLH and ADSHG Medical Trustee; Professor Stefanie Hahner, University of Würzburg, Germany. Thank you to Dr Punith Kempegowda from Simulation via Instant Messaging – Birmingham Advance (SIMBA) for their permission to share this fantastic resource. You can watch our 3-part video series explaining Addison's for the patient and their loved ones, produced with CoMICs, on our YouTube channel. Read more about our infographic and video collaboration with CoMICs which went on to be featured in the Guardian newspaper. Out & About: Steroid Cards & Medic Alert Jewellery NHS Steroid Emergency Card NHS Steroid Emergency Card: developed by the Society for Endocrinology (SfE), Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I), the card should be issued to all patients at risk of adrenal crisis. The QR code printed on the card takes you straight to the Society for Endocrinology Adrenal Crisis page. Alongside the card, new medical guidance on the prevention and emergency management of adrenal insufficiency was released and a National Patient Safety Alert. The British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) have produced a Paediatric Steroid Treatment Card for Adrenal Insufficiency To learn more on education on steroid safety with the steroid emergency card and how to order cards for your patients - please visit the Society for Endocrinology Adrenal Crisis page Please direct your patients to our newly diagnosed page, so they can learn about the importance of carrying steroid cards, medical alert jewellery and injection kits. Please download our steroid card posters - both for patients and healthcare professionals. National Patient Safety Alert Guidance for the prevention and emergency management of adult patients with adrenal insufficiency. Society for Endocrinology Adrenal Crisis page ADSHG Adrenal Crisis Emergency Wallet Card: the emergency wallet card contains advice authored by the ADSHG Clinical Advisory Panel, on the treatment required to prevent an adrenal crisis in the event of serious injury or illness. It is available in printed form and is sent free to every member when they join the charity as a postal member. Additional cards can be bought in our shop. Learn about all steroid emergency cards - for adults and children Adrenal Crisis Care Letter This simple adrenal crisis protocol gives emergency medical treatment guidance for paramedics or hospital staff in the event of a person with Addison's suffering an adrenal crisis. This letter should be signed by your doctor. This document is also available in eight foreign languages for those who live or travel abroad. Emergency Injection Kit Every patient should be issued with a prescription for hydrocortisone IM for emergency use as required for a hydrocortisone emergency injection kit and advised of training for patients and carers/families on their use. Some Endocrinology centres provide the kit as a whole (box including the syringes and needles alongside the prescription) others ask the patients to provide their own storage solution. Provision of a hydrocortisone emergency injection kit is standard practice and is the advice given by the ADSHG Clinical Advisory Panel, Society for Endocrinology, on the NHS page for Addison's disease and in the RCGP eModule, for the prevention of an acute adrenal crisis. We raise awareness in our community through our #ShareYourKit campaign, provide clearly labelled kit options in our shop, advice on how to create your own kit in our blog post, provide picture instructions and training videos online. Visit our "Why should I give my adrenal insufficiency patient an emergency injection kit?" page for further guidance and links to expert clinical guidance, regarding the provision of a hydrocortisone emergency injection kit for a person with Addison's disease and adrenal insufficiency, for the prevention of an acute adrenal crisis. Why should I give my adrenal insufficiency patient an emergency injection kit? Primary Care (GPs, Practice Nurses, Pharmacists, Dentists) Reducing risk of acute adrenal crisis How to avoid precipitating an acute adrenal crisis (Article by Professor Wass) Adrenal Crisis Care Letter Pass on to patients our 3-part video series which explains Addison's and what to do in the event of adrenal crisis Free RCGP Training Module In this 15-minute eLearning module titled 'Adrenal insufficiency with a focus on Addison's disease', we discuss the causes of adrenal insufficiency (AI), how to recognise and diagnose the condition in primary care, and management. We also cover adrenal crisis, how to recognise this condition, and the emergency treatment which should be delivered before hospital transfer. Read our News article to find out more about the making of this course. The eModule can be accessed from the RCGP website: https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/addisonsdisease Diagnosing Addison's : A Guide For GPs This leaflet, 'Diagnosing Addison's: a guide for GPs', has been developed for the ADSHG by our Clinical Advisory Panel, led by Professor John Wass. It outlines the role of the GP in the early detection of Addison's disease and covers information on symptoms and clinical signs, primary care investigations and referral. Caring for The Addison's Patient : Information For GPs Dental Care This leaflet, 'Caring for the patient with Addison's: information for GPs', has been developed for the ADSHG by our Clinical Advisory Panel, led by Professor John Wass. It outlines the role of the GP in managing Addison’s disease at each stage in the UK patient life cycle from diagnosis to old age. Order paper copies of our leaflets Dental Care Addison's Disease: Advice for Dentists Our Paramedic Training Sessions Make our Paramedic Training Sessions for trusts and individuals in managing adrenal crisis part of your continuous professional development (CPD). Due to the COVID pandemic, we have moved our sessions online to Zoom. Visit our Paramedic page to find out more The sessions are an educational hour on Addison’s and adrenal insufficiency set in context with the JRCALC guidelines for emergency management. Each session is complemented by members’ own experiences, so alongside the theory you hear real life accounts from real people. Download our poster to share with your Ambulance Trust Endocrinologists and Endocrine Nurses Created with the Society for Endocrinology, download the Consultation Reference Guide for adult patients with Addison's disease (AD) This document is a useful consultation guide for endocrinologists and endocrine nurses to support patients with AD at diagnosis, their follow up reviews, treatment monitoring and shared-decision making. Endocrine Hub Through conferences moving online during COVID, we have created a Endocrinology Hub page. This links to information and resources our charity would normally share at Endocrine Conferences, to show the support we can offer you as healthcare professionals as well as resources for your patients and their loved ones. Visit our Endocrinology Conference Hub page Endocrine NursesRead about the Liverpool Nurses who moved their steroid education sessions for their patients with adrenal insufficiency online during COVID-19. If our charity can support you in creating similar resources or you would like more information please get in touch. Digital steroid coding system: Endocrine Nurse Specialist Becci Watling, from the Royal Bournemouth Hospital updates us on the implementation of their digital steroid coding system, a system which identifies all patients admitted with adrenal insufficiency. Visit our blog article 'Ensuring Sufficiency in Addison's when an inpatient' to learn more. Tertiary Care Surgical Guidelines The ADSHG surgical guidelines are intended for the information of medics and healthcare professionals (including dentists) and have been developed for the ADSHG by our Clinical Advisory Panel. They explain what level of extra medication and monitoring patients with Addison's disease will need in the event of most types of minor or major surgery or dental work. Nursing The Addison's Patient : Notes for Nurses 'Nursing the Addison's patient: notes for nurses' was written with hospital ward nursing staff in mind, for those times when anyone with Addison's becomes an inpatient. This might be for elective surgery or during the recovery from an adrenal crisis. Download or Order our Leaflets and Publications Explore and download our leaflets and publications from our website including Managing Your Addison's, Caring for the Addison's Patient, and Diagnosing Addison's. Order paper copies of our leaflets We couldn't carry out this work without the expert support of our Addison's Clinical Advisory Panel (CAP), a group of healthcare professionals with an interest in adrenal medicine. They advise us on our clinical guidelines, write medical commentaries and review our publications for us. They are led by Professor John Wass of the Churchill Hospital, Oxford. We are always looking for more healthcare professionals to join us, in whatever capacity you are able with your work commitments. If you are interested, please get in touch. Are you interested in undertaking research in this area of Endocrinology? We fund vital research projects into Addison's disease, adrenal insufficiency and steroid dependency. Read more about Research Grants and how to apply Stay in touch! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube. Manage Cookie Preferences