CME: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) : Therapeutic Updates and Optimizing Treatment

ACCREDITATION EXPIRED: December 13, 2018

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online CME self-learning program:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disorder in which joints, typically those in the hands and feet, become inflamed, swollen, painful, and stiff. Without appropriate treatment, the inflammation may become chronic and cause irreversible destruction of bone and cartilage in the affected joints as well as contribute to the development of clinically important co-morbid conditions with attendant morbidity and mortality. The National Arthritis Data Workgroup estimates that about 1.3 million U.S. adults (0.6% of the adult population) have RA. RA imposes a considerable disease burden. Patients with RA have substantially lower health-related quality of life (QOL) than the general population with lower overall scores for physical and mental health across all age groups. The RA disease burden also is associated with increased health care resource utilization. Notably, RA patients with low QOL are twice as likely to be hospitalized as RA patients with high QOL.

The revised 2010 ACR/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Diagnostic Criteria for Rheumatoid Arthritis expanded the number of potential patients eligible for RA treatment. Moreover, guidelines governing the treatment of RA have been updated fairly recently. The literature suggests that practicing healthcare professionals are oftentimes unable to keep up with the steady publishing of literature and evolution of clinical practice, and awareness of professional guidelines is no exception.  Recently published guidelines therefore also inherently suggest a gap in medical practice and justify the need for educational programming.

Agenda:

• Faculty introduction, disclosures
• Precourse cases
• Rheumatoid arthritis: epidemiology
• ACR 1987 vs. 2010 with supporting illustrations
• Biomarkers
• Rheumatoid factor in nonrheumatic diseases
• Prognosis, progression, and impact
• Treatment standard: early aggressive treatment
• Goals of RA management
• Clinical spectrum and costs of RA
• Cytokine disequilibrium and mechanisms of RA therapies
• Extent of joint damage and changing approaches to care
• Traditional treatment pyramid for RA: sequential drug therapy
• Evidence for changing medical practice over the last three to four decades: early referral, diagnosis, and treatment in RA
• ACR treatment algorithm and 2015 guidelines for RA
• Measures of RA disease activity, and persistent disease activity with
• traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in Patients
• Probability of continuing and reasons for discontinuing DMARDs
• Biologic agents and highlights concerning their efficacy, adverse effects, administration, and mechanisms of action
• Patient case
• Summary

Target Audience:

Rheumatologists and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in rheumatology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with RA.

Commercial Support Disclosure: This program is supported by an educational grant from Mallinckdrodt.

Release Date: December 13, 2016 -- Expiration Date: December 13, 2018

Faculty: Yousaf Ali, MD, FACR

Agenda

Learning Objectives

Accreditation

Faculty Disclosure and Resolution of COI

Instructions

System Requirements