The M4RD Red Flags Survey is OPEN! We are doing some research into what rare diseases have in common before diagnosis in the hope to produce an educational tool for medics: The Red Flags of Rare Disease. Find out more on our news page by clicking above.
We are driving an attitude change towards rare diseases amongst medical students and doctors-in-training to improve the patient journey #DareToThinkRare
3.5 million people in the UK live with a rare disease. And yet the term 'rare' continues to carry a stigma in medical education.
What does 'rare' mean to you?...Maybe 'complex', 'scary genetics' or 'this won't come up in the exam'.
But being a rare patient means waiting, on average, for 4 years without a diagnosis. This is called 'the diagnostic odyssey' and can mean the difference between receiving life-changing treatments or not. Medics4RareDiseases want to help future doctors change this.
Lucy Mckay, M4RD Founder, speaking about M4RD at the Findacure Drug Repurposing for Rare Diseases Conference 2018
We believe that doctors cannot know about every rare disease but that appreciating what rare disease patients have in common will help them have better relationships with their patients. And hopefully help achieve earlier diagnosis. We find opportunities for medical students and doctors in the rare disease field, for example:
- Holding an annual symposium on rare diseases at The Royal Society of Medicine
- Collaborating on the Findacure Student Voice Essay Competition
- Helping them to hold big events like Birmingham Rare Diseases Society's annual conference
- Making connections abroad for placements or research