CME: Technique, tests, and timely step-up: making inhaler use, biomarkers, and escalation routine in asthma
Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:
Asthma remains a highly prevalent chronic respiratory disease, affecting more than 26 million people in the United States, including over 4.5 million children, with several thousand deaths and substantial emergency department and inpatient utilization each year despite effective preventives. Persistent symptoms, recurrent exacerbations, and preventable hospitalizations indicate gaps in risk stratification and in the consistent application of guideline-based care, even with comprehensive frameworks such as the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) strategy. Many severe attacks still occur, requiring parenteral bronchodilators, systemic corticosteroids, magnesium sulfate, oxygen, and respiratory-support devices, underscoring missed opportunities to optimize maintenance regimens and device use upstream.
Target Audience:
The following HCPs: primary care physicians, allergists, pulmonologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and those who otherwise have an interest in, commonly care for, or clinically encounter patients with asthma.
Commercial Support Disclosure: This program is supported by an educational grant from Chiesi USA, Inc.
This activity is free of charge.
Release Date: June 06, 2026 -- Expiration Date: June 06, 2028
Faculty: Maryum Merchant, MD
Agenda
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Faculty introduction and disclosures |
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Introductory content · Asthma burden and small-airway dysfunction (SAD) o Current U.S. epidemiology, morbidity, and mortality o Pathophysiology of SAD and persistent airflow limitation o Clinical phenotypes linked to SAD and risk stratification · Diagnostic advances and biomarkers in asthma o Role of oscillometry, multiple-breath washout, and spirometry in detecting SAD o Application of FeNO and blood eosinophils for phenotype-based management o Incorporating imaging and physiologic assessment into routine workflows |
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Management of asthma · First, before any therapeutic discussions, not to be overlooked: the importance of optimizing inhaler technique and device selection o Prevalence and impact of critical inhaler errors across devices o Teach-back methods, device-specific checklists, and digital training tools o Coordinating education across the multidisciplinary team · Therapeutic optimization and OCS stewardship o Frameworks to review and minimize cumulative OCS exposure o Stepwise optimization of ICS/LABA, addition of LAMA, and transition to SITT o Sequencing SITT and biologics in severe asthma; aligning with payer criteria · Advancing equity in asthma care o Disparities in diagnostics, controller medications, SITT, and biologics o Integrating social-determinant screening and community partnerships into care pathways o Practical strategies to improve access to devices, medications, and education · Patient case(s) |
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Summary, conclusions, and best practice recap |
Learning Objectives
By the end of the session the participant will be able to:
- Describe how small-airway dysfunction (SAD) affects asthma control
- Discuss factors affecting asthma phenotyping, therapy selection, and disease monitoring
- Recall the importance of inhaler technique and implementing structured retraining to maintain effective medication delivery
- Design evidence-based strategies to minimize oral corticosteroid exposure, including timely use of SITT before biologics
- Summarize health-equity principles so diverse patients can access diagnostics, controller therapies, and self-management resources
Accreditation
ACCME Activity #203702968
ScientiaCME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Credit Designation: ScientiaCME designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
ABIM MOC Recognition Statement: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
ABIM MOC Credit Type: Medical Knowledge
Physicians: For maintenance of certification (MOC) points, you must enter your board certification ID # and birth date correctly. It is the learner's responsibility to provide this information completely and accurately at the completion of the activity. Without providing it, the learner will NOT receive MOC points for this activity. By providing this data, you acknowledge that it will be shared with ACCME and the applicable certifying board. Please note: Not all activities on this site provide MOC points. If this activity does not specify that it provides MOC points in this section, then it does NOT provide MOC points. This activity provides MOC points only for ABIM.
Pharmacists
ScientiaCME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 1.0 contact hours (0.1 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy education credit. Proof of participation will be posted to your NABP CPE profile within 4 to 6 weeks to participants who have successfully completed the post-test. Participants must participate in the entire presentation and complete the course evaluation to receive continuing pharmacy education credit. ACPE #0574-0000-26-028-H01-P. This is an Application (A) type activity.
Pharmacists: You must enter your NABP # and birth date correctly so that proof of participation can be posted to your NABP CPE profile. It is the learner's responsibility to provide this information completely and accurately at the completion of the activity. Without providing it, the learner will NOT receive CPE credit for this activity.
Nurses: The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME. This activity is designated for up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ assigned by organizations accredited by the ACCME as satisfying Category 1 CME for National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) national certification maintenance. This activity is designated for up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) states that continuing education providers accredited by the ACCME may provide acceptable, accredited Advanced Practice Provider content. This activity is designated for up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.
Faculty Disclosure and Resolution of COI
As a provider of continuing medical education, it is the policy of ScientiaCME to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities. In accordance with this policy, faculty and educational planners must disclose any significant relationships with commercial interests whose products or devices may be mentioned in faculty presentations, and any relationships with the commercial supporter of the activity. The intent of this disclosure is to provide the intended audience with information on which they can make their own judgments. Additionally, in the event a conflict of interest (COI) does exist, it is the policy of ScientiaCME to ensure that the COI is resolved in order to ensure the integrity of the CME activity. For this CME activity, any COI has been resolved thru content review by ScientiaCME.
Disclosure of Faculty: Maryum Merchant, MD, HS Associate Clinical Professor, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, has no relevant financial disclosures.
Disclosures of Educational Planners: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, President of ScientiaCME, has no relevant financial disclosures.
Faculty will NOT discuss off-label uses.
All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.
ScientiaCME adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers or others are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.
Commercial Support Disclosure: This program is supported by an educational grant from Chiesi USA, Inc.
Instructions
- Read the learning objectives above
- Take the Pre-Test (optional). Completion of the pre-test will help us evaluate the knowledge gained by participating in this CME activity.
- View the online activity. You may view this is in more than one session, and may pause or repeat any portion of the presentation if you need to.
- Minimum participation threshold: Take the post-test. A score of 70% or higher is required to pass and proceed to the activity evaluation.
- Complete the activity evaluation and CME registration. A CE certificate will be emailed to you immediately.
System Requirements
Windows 7 or above
Internet Explorer 8
*Adobe Acrobat Reader
Mac OS 10.2.8
Safari or Chrome or Firefox
*Adobe Acrobat Reader
Internet Explorer is not supported on the Macintosh
*Required to view Printable PDF Version
Please take a few minutes to participate in the optional pre-test. It will help us measure the knowledge gained by participating in this activity.
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