Free CME

Neuropsychiatric Sequelae Virtual Curriculum Series: Agitation, Depression, and Pseudobulbar Affect consists of two sections: Mechanisms and Management of Agitation in Alzheimer’s Disease and Challenges in Managing Treatment-Resistant Depression.

After viewing Neuropsychiatric Sequelae Virtual Curriculum Series, you will be better able to:
• Identify different and various forms of agitation among patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
• Review proposed mechanisms underlying agitation in AD and how pharmacologic agents may affect them
• Evaluate body of evidence of current and emerging pharmacologic agents for the management of agitation/aggression in patients with AD

Target Audiences:
This program is intended for US-based neurologists, psychiatrists, geriatricians, primary care clinicians and health care providers involved in the care of patients with neuropsychiatric sequelae who may be suffering from agitation as a result of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Join Bruce E. Sands, MD and Thomas A. Ullman, MD for this two-part program on current advanced therapies for the management of IBD.

• Snapshot of IBD Today
• The Current and Emerging Treatment Landscape of IBD

Advances in Nursing Care for Pediatric Patients with High-Risk Neuroblastoma consists of two presentations with discussion: Optimal Nursing Strategies to Manage Pediatric Patients with High-Risk Neuroblastoma and Recurrent/Refractory Disease of Pediatric Neuroblastoma: Enhancing the Role of the Nurse.

At the conclusion of Advances in Nursing Care for Pediatric Patients with High-Risk Neuroblastoma, you will be able to:
• Review the fundamentals of diagnosing, treating, and managing high-risk pediatric neuroblastoma
• Examine strategies to improve supportive care for children with high-risk neuroblastoma
• Examine the aspects of parental decision-making regarding appropriate care for children with recurrent/refractory neuroblastoma
• Plan strategies to improve the dialogue and working relationship with parents/caregivers of pediatric patients regarding the goals of care through the treatment continuum and beyond

Nursing Educational Objective:
After completing Advances in Nursing Care for Pediatric Patients with High-Risk Neuroblastoma, you should be able to:
• Provide appropriate care and counsel for patients and their families

Target Audiences:
This program is intended for pediatric oncology nurses, pediatric nurses, oncology nurses, nurse practitioners, nurse managers, infusion nurses, research nurses, physician assistants, and other health care providers who care for or have an interest in pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma.

Ovarian Cancer: Enhancing Treatment with Targets and Companion Diagnostics consists of a single presentation with discussion featuring Drs. Bradley J. Monk, MD and Robert L. Coleman, MD.

At the conclusion of Ovarian Cancer: Enhancing Treatment with Targets and Companion Diagnostics, you will be able to:
• Appraise the pathophysiology of ovarian cancer and their associated mutations, including germline and somatic BRCA mutations and other DNA repair deficiencies such as loss of heterozygosity
• Evaluate the safety and efficacy data of PARP inhibitors
• Use the latest diagnostic tools and genetic testing to identify patients who would benefit from PARP inhibitor therapy

Target Audience:
This program is intended for Medical and gynecologic oncologists, oncology nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other health care professionals, including gynecologists, primary care physicians, physicians-in-training, and physician assistants involved in and/or interested in the management of patients with ovarian cancer.

New Horizons in Personalized Care for Metastatic Bladder Cancer consists of a single lecture, New Horizons in Personalized Care for Metastatic Bladder Cancer with discussion by Matthew I. Milowsky, MD and Matthew Galsky, MD.

After viewing New Horizons in Personalized Care for Metastatic Bladder Cancer, you will be better able to:
• Evaluate the role of new targeted and immune-based agents in the first- and second-line metastatic settings, and how they can be integrated into practice
• Apply strategies and tools that enhance patient-clinician communication and shared decision making processes

Target Audiences:
This program is intended for Medical/genitourinary oncologists, urologists, surgeons, radiologists, and other health care professionals (primary care physicians, physicians-in-training, oncology nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physician assistants, etc.) involved and/or interested in the therapeutic management of patients with bladder cancer.

In this online CME self-learning activity: Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder characterized by episodes of mania, hypomania, and depression. It affects 3-4% of the U.S. population, represents a substantial societal and economic burden in the United States, is also found to be strongly associated with other major public health concerns like diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as suicide.

The literature demonstrates that medication nonadherence is a major issue among patients with bipolar disorder. Nonadherence affects approximately 60% of patients and can result in hospitalization, poor effectiveness, increased relapses, and increased risk of morbidity. Other factors, such as patient perceptions, illness severity, and the relationship between the physician and patient, come into play and should be taken into account to optimize adherence.

Target Audience: Healthcare professionals specializing in: family medicine, internal medicine, mental health, neurology and psychiatry, or those who otherwise commonly care for patients with bipolar or related psychiatric diseases.

By the end of the session the participant will be able to:

• Identify current and emerging treatment modalities for the management of bipolar disorder and apply them to patient cases using evidence-based medicine.
• Evaluate a specific patient during the maintenance phase of therapy and suggest modifications for improvement, taking into account: Efficacy; changes in symptoms; adverse effects of therapy; and impact on quality of life.
• Describe the challenges associated with treating patients with bipolar disorder, including medication adherence and adverse effects, such as weight gain.
• Recall the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder as it relates to the mechanisms of action of available and emerging pharmacotherapies.
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Activity Description / Statement of Need: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented changes in health care delivery worldwide, affecting the way that nearly every medical specialty can safely practice. As with other fields of medicine, oncology has its own challenges in navigating the pandemic. Based on pre-pandemic estimates, 1.8 million new cancer diagnoses would be expected in 2020, equating to approximately 5,000 new cancer diagnoses per day. Evidence thus far suggests that COVID-19 is associated with significantly more complications and a higher risk of death in patients with cancer or with a history of cancer. Furthermore, patients with cancer have also been shown to have a higher COVID-19 infection rate than the general population, suggesting increased susceptibility, potentially due to immunosuppression, comorbidities, or poor health status related to cancer or its treatment. Based on these data, oncology specialists are said to be fighting “a war on two fronts” by balancing the risks of COVID-19 transmission and acquisition with the risks of delayed cancer diagnosis and treatment. This represents an unmet need among oncology practitioners as they navigate this new health care landscape.

Target Audience:

Healthcare professionals, including medical oncologists; radiation oncologists; surgical oncologists; surgeons; radiologists; nuclear medicine specialists; nurse practitioners and physician assistants who practice in oncology; and other healthcare providers who manage cancer.

By the end of the session the participant will be able to:

• Recall the symptoms of COVID-19 infection and best practices for screening patients, health care providers, and staff in the oncology setting.
• Develop a plan to provide oncology care in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Describe the risks of delaying cancer diagnosis and treatment against the risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection.
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In this online CME self-learning program: Mucopolysaccaridoses (MPS) are group of genetic disease characterized by a deficiency of lysosomal enzymes responsible for the hydrolysis of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), whose manifold biological roles resulting in a variety of clinical manifestations in patients presenting with MPS. MPS has seven different subcategories, of which Hunter syndrome is MPS II. A deficiency in iduronate 2-sulfatase results in relatively high levels of the GAGs heparan and dermatan sulfate, resulting in physical signs similar to MPS I with the addition of aggressive behavior and developmental delay. Hunter syndrome is an X-linked recessive genetic disease, with males more likely to develop disease and females more likely to be carriers

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: Pediatricians, neurologists, endocrinologists and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with Hunter syndrome.

By the end of the session the participant will be able to:

• Determine the likelihood of a Hunter syndrome diagnosis using established diagnostic methods, given a patient case.
• Describe current and investigative options available for management of Hunter syndrome, and design a medical plan to treat a patient with Hunter syndrome.
• Describe present barriers to care in the treatment of patients with Hunter syndrome.
• Describe the clinical outcomes associated with Hunter syndrome treatment.
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In this online CME self-learning program: Alcohol use disorder (AUD), referred to colloquially as alcoholism, is an integration of past terms that have include in past as alcohol dependence or abuse, and may be marked by any one of a number of different symptoms or behaviors that include physical cravings, compulsion, guilt, and frequent consumption over an extended period of time. A quarter of adults report at least one day of heavy drinking over the past year. Alcohol accounts for over 687,000 emergency department visits in the U.S. by people under age 20 per year; worldwide, 76.3 million people are estimated to have AUDs, and they account for an annual mortality rate of 1.8 million. AUD is largely under-recognized and undertreated, constituting one gap in care and justifying continuing HCP education. HCPs are considered well-positioned to be able to recognize AUD, and one of the first missed opportunities to do so is failing to employ a validated screening tool, which might identify a condition well before it reaches the full scale of its adverse psychosocial potential.

Target Audience:

HCPs who are: psychiatrists, primary care physicians, emergency medicine physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and those who otherwise commonly treat patients suffering from or have a clinical interest in AUD.

By the end of the session the participant will be able to:

• Describe the common clinical presentation(s) of AUD.
• Recall recommended AUD diagnostic criteria, and apply them to a patient case.
• List current treatment options for AUD, including behavioral and pharmacologic therapies and apply them to patient cases using evidence-based medicine.
• Describe challenges to the successful management of AUD relating to treatment adherence.
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Fabry disease is characterized by a deficiency of the glycoside hydrolase enzyme alpha galactosidase A, resulting in the accumulation of the glycolipid globotriaosylceramide throughout the body, particularly prominently in the blood vessels. A defect in the enzyme alpha galactosidase A results in glycosphingolipid accumulation, ultimately leading to multi-organ dysfunction and the patient’s premature death. Early symptoms, which occur during childhood, involve pain and may include Raynaud phenomenon, paresthesias, and arthralgia in the extremities and proximal limbs, as well as impaired gastrointestinal emptying, resulting in abdominal pain, diarrhea, early satiety, postprandial bloating, nausea, and vomiting. In adulthood, the disease’s impact spreads beyond and begins to affect the cardiac and renal systems.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: cardiologists, nephrologists, pediatricians, and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with Fabry disease.

By the end of the session the participant will be able to:

• Describe the pathophysiology of Fabry disease diagnosis and treatment.
• Describe the challenges associated with diagnosis of Fabry disease.
• List present and emerging treatment options for Fabry disease and apply them to patient cases using evidence-based medicine.
• Describe the benefits and any applicable risks of therapeutic approaches to Fabry disease and take them into account when formulating a treatment plan for patients.