Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust

An education module has been launched today for medical professionals in a bid to reduce the time it takes to diagnose brain tumours in children and young people from the current average of 12-13 weeks to 5.

Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust collaborated on the HeadSmart campaign, launched last year, to assist parents and health professionals in recognising the early signs of brain tumours in children and young people. HeadSmart is asking GPs, paediatricians and doctors of emergency medicine to use the brand new e-learning tool on the HeadSmart website to help them recognise more accurately and swiftly, the symptoms of a brain tumour in children. With symptoms often mimicking those of other diseases and illnesses, a brain tumour may be less easily identifiable than other conditions. A quicker diagnosis may have a significant influence on survival rates and can reduce the long term effects of a brain tumour, e.g. blindness, deafness or other disabilities.

The online module is the latest addition to the HeadSmart campaign that was launched last year and aims to improve diagnosis times for children with brain tumours in the UK as these lag behind those in other countries. The HeadSmart partner organisations (Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Nottingham and The Health Foundation) have produced the module to assist medical professionals in understanding the early signs of brain tumours in children and young people.

Professor David Walker, Professor of Paediatric Neuro-oncology at Nottingham University, commented: “Symptoms of childhood brain tumours are often similar to those of other diseases and illnesses, and we want to help doctors at the front line of the health system to be more confident about when a child needs a brain scan and when they do not. This online education module, and the HeadSmart website as a whole, aims to raise awareness of the symptoms and guide doctors about what to do if they see a child presenting with them.”

Julia Trusler, Head of Research and Policy at SDBTT said “We are delighted to see this e-learning module launched for health professionals, which will enable GPs and paediatricians to have greater knowledge about the signs and symptoms of brain tumours in children, and when a child should be referred for a scan. We have been working hard on it for some time, with our HeadSmart colleagues, and are particularly grateful to all the health professionals who have provided feedback and input. We are now keen for this to be used as widely as possible, and encourage everyone to send a link to GPs or paediatricians that they know to get the word out there.”

The education module is based on a clinical guideline that is endorsed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and accredited by NHS Evidence. It provides advice on the recognition and investigation of children who could have a brain tumour to help doctors to make judgements about those children who require a referral for a scan, those who should be reviewed again later and those who should be reassured. It also gives information about the functions of different areas of the brain and what this might mean in terms of the symptoms that result. Recently the HeadSmart campaign was shortlisted for the BMJ’s Improving Healthcare Award for Excellence in Healthcare Education. This recognises the work HeadSmart has already done to raise critical awareness of this issue.