Free CME

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Narcolepsy is a neurologic disorder characterized by inappropriate regulation of the sleep-wake cycle and excessive sleepiness during waking hours. Affected individuals may fall asleep at inappropriate times, such as when talking to others, eating, or even driving. Roughly 135,000 to 200,000 people in the United States are estimated to have narcolepsy. Women and men are affected by narcolepsy equally, and most patients begin having symptoms between the ages of 7 and 25 years. The treatment of narcolepsy may be complicated and must be tailored individually after careful evaluation of the patient’s symptoms.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: neurologists, internists, PCPs, psychiatrists; nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists who specialize in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and those who otherwise commonly care for or clinically encounter patients with sleep disorders.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online CME self-learning activity:

According to the CDC, there are more than 1.1 million people aged thirteen and older living with HIV (PLWH). Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s, advances in public health initiatives and treatments have considerably lengthened the life expectancy of PLWH, and as they have begun to live longer, the number of patients with chronic HIV infection has greatly increased. What was once acute inpatient care of the dying has become outpatient chronic disease management with an emphasis on a long-term balancing act that involves the consideration of comorbidities, drug interactions, and adverse drug events in an aging HIV population.

Projections suggest that there may soon be a shortage of HIV providers. To avoid the imminent shortfall of HIV specialists, PCPs to manage HIV infection, comorbidities, and sequelae is critical to meeting the demand for HIV care. The quality of HIV care experienced PCPs provide is substantially similar to that of infectious disease specialists, but research shows that nearly 40% of PCPs and residents do not feel comfortable providing comprehensive services for PLWH in all disease stages.

Target Audience:

HCPs specializing in: primary care; family medicine; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in primary care; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with HIV.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

The term human papillomavirus encompasses a family of DNA viruses that are sexually transmittable and may cause either benign or malignant lesions. They are the leading cause of cervical cancer (CC), with approximately 90% of CC cases attributable to HPV, as well as a major contributor to anogenital and head and neck cancers, although many patients infected with HPV will never develop any related symptoms or disease. The prevalence of HPV in the U.S. is 42.5 million people, and direct medical costs attributed to it are $775 million. HPV 16 accounts for a majority or plurality of HPV-related cancers of both genital tract and head and neck.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends HPV vaccination beginning as early as age nine for both sexes, with the schedule and number of doses dependent on age of first dose.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: Primary care physicians and pediatricians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients who would benefit from HPV vaccination.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Von Willebrand disease (vWD) is the most common congenital bleeding disorder worldwide. Affecting both male and female births in equal number, vWD is caused by a deficiency or defect in the von Willebrand factor (vWF) glycoprotein, which is responsible for mediating platelet and coagulation factor VIII function. vWD types 1 and 3 are caused by quantitative deficiencies in vWF. In contrast, type 2 vWD is caused by a qualitative defect in the production of vWF. Type 1 is the most common type of vWD, accounting for 60% to 70% of cases, followed by type 2, which is diagnosed in 25% to 30% of patients. Type 3 vWD, the rarest form, affects about 1 in 1,000,000 people. There is evidence that the use of factor VIII/vWF concentrates should be individualized, but no recent vWD guidelines address this issue. Although DDAVP is the treatment of choice for most type 1 vWD patients, data do not support the use of DDAVP for type 2B vWD owing in part to an increased risk for thrombocytopenia. Another practice gap is a lack of guidance around the appropriate ages at which patients with severe vWD are optimally initiated on vWF prophylaxis. Furthermore, although DDAVP is not contraindicated in pregnancy, 31% of physicians consider DDAVP a contraindication according to the results of one survey, illustrating a present area of controversy in practice.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: Hematologists and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in hematology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with vWD.

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Target Audiences:
Clinicians practicing interventional oncology (IO) or those who are interested in learning more about IO.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online CME self-learning program: Opioid use disorder (OUD) affects millions of individuals globally and is best defined by the DSM-5 as a condition due to tolerance, manifestation of physical dependence, and loss of control, which in turn leads to health hazards. The prevalence of OUD and the resultant impact on people is staggering, an estimated 130 people die from opioid overdoses every day. Moreover, the prevalence of OUD is increasing rapidly in concurrence with the widespread availability of opioids, with an estimated 60 prescriptions per 100 patients.

^{Professional societies, non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies have all recommended a comprehensive public health approach to identifying and managing OUD, which will require the involvement of HCPs across specialties and regions. Implementing a comprehensive multidisciplinary cascade of care for patients with OUD will also necessitate that HCPs embrace new resources to deliver innovative and accessible health care. These resources may include novel prescription digital therapeutics, telemedicine, and engagement of non-physician HCPs who can provide support, counseling, and, in some cases, prescribing.}

Target Audience:

Healthcare professionals specializing in: Addiction, pain management, primary care, family medicine, psychiatry; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in pain management or substance abuse; and any other health professionals who encounter OUD in the clinical setting.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) characterized by steatosis, with the accumulation of fat in the liver in excess of five percent of the liver’s weight, together with hepatic inflammation in the presence or absence of fibrosis. Risk factors for NASH include a number of comorbid metabolic diseases and disorders, including metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. The prevalence of NASH is estimated to be 1.5%-6.45% of the U.S. population, and prevalence of NASH among NAFLD patients to be 59.1% globally.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs in: Gastroenterology, hepatology, and endocrinology; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and those who otherwise have an interest in or commonly care for or clinically encounter patients with NAFLD.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Acromegaly is an endocrine disorder characterized by dysregulated hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH), usually caused by a GH-secreting, pituitary adenoma and leading to an overproduction of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Estimated at between 40 and 240 people per million, is not as high as other endocrine disorders, acromegaly has a significant impact on patient quality of life. Approximately 25 percent of people with acromegaly have elevated blood pressure, and 50 percent have evidence of insulin resistance, putting them at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in future. The mortality rates of acromegaly patients are three times higher than the general population, with most dying from respiratory or cardiac complications.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: endocrinologists and primary care providers; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who specialize in endocrinology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with acromegaly.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Gastric cancer (GC) accounts for over 26,000 new cases and 11,000 related deaths in the U.S. annually, and while malignancies of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction (GEJC) are associated with 19,000 and 15,000, respectively. GEJ tumors clinically more often resemble gastric than esophageal cancers, and GEJ cancers are often included in studies of GC. Adenocarcinomas represent more than 95% of gastric cancers and around 75% of esophageal cancers in the US. Staging of GC & GEJC depends on the tumor’s histopathology, location, and degree of spread, and 36% of patients in the U.S. are diagnosed in the advanced stages of the disease because the signs and symptoms are often initially clinically silent for most of the disease course, and missed opportunities for identification are not uncommon. The prognosis of GC & GEJC is poor: the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of GC is 32%, with the five-year OS rate of patients with advanced disease is six percent.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: Medical oncologists; physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists specializing in oncology; and any other clinicians involved or interested in the treatment of GC & GEJC.