Free CME

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common monogenic blood disorder, affecting millions of people worldwide and approximately 100,000 Americans. Although it may be found in various areas of the world, SCD predominantly affects individuals of African or Hispanic heritage. It is caused by the inheritance of b-globin alleles that code for hemoglobin S, resulting in an amino acid substitution in hemoglobin’s b chain and clinical disease. Patients with SCD have impaired circulation, and lysis of the erythrocytes contributes to a chronic inflammatory response, causing severe pain and less efficient oxygen delivery. The hallmark clinical features of SCD are hemolytic anemia and painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), which may lead to emergency department visits, hospitalization, and potentially fatal complications such as acute chest syndrome, stroke, or pneumonia.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: hematologists and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who specialize in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with SCD.

Popular activities include:
• Treatment of the Woman with Refractory Overactive Bladder
• Diagnostic Testing for Rupture of Membranes:
• Performance of ROM Diagnostics in Clinically Relevant Populations
• Updates in HPV Testing and Genotyping
• Screening and Maternal Fetal Rh Incompatibility
• HPV Screening & Testing
• Managing Osteoporotic Fracture Risk

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on OB/GYN, Internal Medicine, and Family Medicine.

Pri-Med’s P.A.C.T. Update: Practical Approaches to Comprehensive Treatment of Pain 2024-25 curriculum focuses on improving practitioners’ ability to recognize, diagnose, and classify pain; educating clinicians on the full spectrum of pain management options, including non-opioid pharmacologic interventions; and providing risk reduction strategies through integration of opioids into individualized pain management plans. Clinicians will learn to recognize signs and symptoms of opioid dependence and abuse in order to optimally manage patients’ pain and medication use.

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the definitions and mechanisms of pain
• Identify risk factors and stratification for opioid-related aberrant behavior and opioid use disorder as part of the initial assessment
• Apply individualized recommendations for nonpharmacologic and non-opioid treatment options for patients in pain
• Review general characteristics of opioid analgesics including their intended use and risks
• Differentiate among tolerance, physical dependence, and manifestations of opioid use disorder
• Recognize best practices to reduce the risks associated with prescription of opioid analgesics, including safe storage and disposal
• Anticipate and manage adverse effects of opioid use including signs of opioid overdose and the use of naloxone
• Select approaches to safely initiate opioids for the treatment of acute pain and chronic pain
• Identify strategies for ongoing safe and effective use of opioids in patients with chronic pain, including titration, referral, and discontinuation, when appropriate
• Summarize counseling strategies for caregivers and patients on opioid therapy
• Act appropriately to evaluate, treat, or refer patients with opioid use disorder