CME Sponsor:

USF Health and CME Outfitters

 

Location:

Interactive CE Broadcast via Satellite, Internet, or Telephone

 

Faculty:

Leonard H. Calabrese, DO (Moderator)

Professor of Medicine

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

R. J. Fasenmyer Chair of Clinical Immunology

Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Cleveland, OH

Allan Gibofsky, MD, JD, FACP, FCLM

Professor of Medicine and Public Health

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Attending Rheumatologist

Hospital for Special Surgery

New York, NY

William F. C. Rigby, MD

Professor of Medicine

Dartmouth Medical School

Lebanon, NH

 

Credit Information:

CME Credit (Physicians):
USF Health is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

USF Health designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Note to Physician Assistants: AAPA accepts Category I credit from AOACCME, Prescribed credit from AAFP, and AMA Category I CME credit for the PRA from organizations accredited by ACCME.

CNE Credit (Nurses):
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP 15510, for 1.0 contact hour.

CPE Credit (Pharmacists):
CME Outfitters, LLC, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. 1.0 contact hours (0.1 CEUs)

 

Registration Fee:

Free

 

Statement of Need:

New and emerging strategies for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are continually being explored in research, and many show promising and effective application for real-world clinical practice. To facilitate diagnosis and therefore early treatment of the disease, clinicians should be aware of validated assessment tools, which can be effectively applied in real-world practice settings. Further, monitoring of disease activity and progression using an outcome measure is a valuable and important practice in the optimization of treatment for patients with RA. Current guidelines advocate for the early and sustained use of DMARD therapy in RA. However, clinicians require a more thorough understanding of different strategies in selecting appropriate combination DMARD therapy for each patient, which will ultimately increase chances of remission.(1)

In this CME Outfitters Live and On Demand activity, expert faculty will comprehensively analyze and discuss strategies for early diagnosis, early and sustained DMARD therapy, and measurement-based care that will help clinicians improve care of their patients with RA.

  1. Dale J, Alcorn N, Capell H, Madhok R. Combination Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Methotrexate and Sulfasalazine Together or With Other DMARDs. Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol CME 2007;3:450-458. http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/560135 Accessed March 11, 2011.


Activity Goal:

Use of diagnostic strategies and measurement-based care tools and principles to optimize management and improve quality of life for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
 

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this CE activity, participants should be able to:

  • Apply new and emerging diagnostic strategies for rheumatoid arthritis to facilitate early diagnosis of the disease.
  • Utilize validated outcome measures to monitor disease activity and progression and ultimately optimize therapy for individual patients with RA.
  • Integrate guidelines and strategies for combination DMARD therapy to facilitate more appropriate DMARD selections for patient therapy.

The following learning objectives pertain only to those requesting CNE credit:

  • Identify the purpose and uses of new and emerging diagnostic strategies for rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Name disease outcome measures used to monitor disease activity and progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Recognize guidelines and distinguish among currently available strategies for combination DMARD therapy.

 

Target Audience:

Physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other health care professionals with an interest in rheumatoid arthritis.