Free Primary Care CME

Target Audience: Healthcare professionals specializing in colon and rectal surgery, family medicine, internal medicine, gastroenterology, oncology, pain management, palliative care, primary care, proctology, and other clinicians who treat patients suffering from gastrointestinal disorders.

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Infectious Diseases. 

Target Audience: Psychiatrists

Target Audience: Neurologists

Streptococcus (S.) pneumoniae is a common bacterium and one of the leading causes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), causing 27% of cases worldwide and 15% of U.S. cases – an important figure because CAP is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Not only is acute respiratory illness one of the top ten causes of death in the U.S., but it is associated with a 17% all-cause mortality rate 30 days after presentation and a 38% rate after one year. For those admitted to the ICU – accounting for nearly a quarter of those hospitalized with CAP the corresponding morality rates are 27% and 47%, respectively.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Crohn’s disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) defined by a transmural process that often occurs in the terminal ileum; although, any portion of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can be affected. While the exact etiology of CD is unknown, a handful of genetic, immunologic, and environmental risk factors have been identified, including an impaired immune response to commensal or pathogenic intestinal microbiota that drives mucosal inflammation in genetically susceptible patients. About 34,000 children in the United States have CD, and the incidence of pediatric CD has increased by about 10% annually since 2007.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: pediatricians, pediatric gastroenterologists, and those who specialize in adolescent medicine; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with pediatric CD.

Unintended pregnancies are a public health emergency and are associated with maternal morbidity and mortality due to complications of unsafe abortion, miscarriage, preeclampsia, obstetric bleeding, and socioeconomic inequality. Over 48% of all pregnancies in the US are unintended – either unwanted or occurring earlier or later than desired – and they are most prevalent in women and girls of lower socioeconomic status and those who cohabit. Unintended pregnancies also impose significant psychosocial and economic costs. Including expenses related to births, abortions, and miscarriages, they cost the US approximately $21 billion every year.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation and obstruction of airflow in the lungs, resulting in difficulty breathing. It includes the conditions of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both of which contribute to the deterioration of lung function. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, with a prevalence of 14.2 million.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Alpha-mannosidosis (AM) is a rare recessive lysosomal storage disorder characterized by immune deficiency, facial and skeletal abnormalities, hearing impairment, and intellectual disability. It is caused by mutations in the MAN2B1 gene, leading to deficiency in alpha-mannosidase, a lysosomal enzyme involved in the oligosaccharide degradation pathway. While the exact prevalence of AM in the US is unknown, it has an estimated incidence of 1 in 500,000 live births worldwide. Laboratory indicators of AM often appear shortly after birth, followed by progression of clinical manifestations. While symptoms of AM vary considerably in individual presentations, three clinical subtypes have been identified (mild, moderate, and severe) and are used to guide disease prognosis and management. The current diagnostic algorithm for AM focuses on measuring alpha-mannosidase activity in leukocytes using colorimetry or fluorimetry. An alpha-mannosidase activity level of under 5% suggests AM, and a diagnosis is then confirmed with genetic sequencing.

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. In one US study, 45% of deaths among people with SCD were related to cardiopulmonary causes, and VOCs alone have been shown to increase the risk of death by 50%. SCD may disrupt employment or school and is associated with a significant reduction in quality of life. This learning activity has been designed to bring HCPs’ knowledge of rationale behind treatment of SCD up to date and to enhance their competence and performance in the condition’s management.

In this online, self-learning activity: Blepharitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the eyelids, resulting in discomfort, redness, irritation, and the appearance of dandruff-like flakes on eyelashes. Demodex blepharitis is a specific subtype of blepharitis, where blepharitis is caused by an overgrowth of Demodex mites, which are normal facial skin flora. In other forms of blepharitis, the etiology may be bacterial colonization, allergies, or seborrheic dermatitis, whereas in Demodex blepharitis, the excessive growth of Demodex folliculorum or Demodex brevis is the driver of inflammation. Research suggests that Demodex blepharitis represents three out of five cases of blepharitis.

In this online, self-learning activity:

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an inflammatory kidney disease with IgA deposition in the glomerular mesangium. IgAN is the most prevalent primary chronic glomerular disease worldwide. Globally, IgAN has an estimated incidence of 25 cases per one million people annually. It is more common in children and young adults than in the elderly. Among patients of all ages, the average annual prevalence of IgAN in the United States is 329 per 1 million. The epidemiology and gender distribution of IgAN vary by country and region. In North America and Europe, the prevalence is higher in men.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: nephrologists, internists, and pediatricians; physician associates, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in those areas of specialty; and those who otherwise care for or clinically encounter patients with IgAN.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Over the past few decades, cultural competence has been defined in a variety of ways, including in the recent appearance of the closely related terms, cultural humility and cultural competemility. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cultural competence is a “set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations.” In the setting of healthcare, practicing cultural competence can improve the ability of HCPs to meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients, which may ultimately improve provider competence and health outcomes among diverse groups of patients with unique sociocultural identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare, debilitating, and potentially life-threatening disease due to C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) deficiency with an estimated prevalence of 5,000 people in the U.S. and over 116,000 worldwide. HAE is characterized by recurrent edema, and the cutaneous attacks can be disabling, with the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and upper airways are most commonly affected. Patients are also under persistent risk of laryngeal swelling that may prove fatal if not treated in a timely manner. The disease is classified as: HAE with normal functional C1INH protein (previously known as type III HAE) or HAE due to a deficiency of C1INH protein, with the latter further distinguished either by deficiency in both concentrations and function of C1INH (type I) or by normal levels of dysfunctional C1INH (type II). Owing to its rarity and symptomatic overlap with other conditions, patients not uncommonly experience a diagnostic delay of 8 to 10 years, putting them at a higher risk of inappropriate treatment, morbidity, and mortality.

Target Audience:
HCPs including: allergists, immunologists, emergency medicine specialists, and internists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists specializing in immunology; and any other HCPs who have an interest in or otherwise clinically encounter patients with HAE.