Infectious Disease CME

This very well-organized site offers free CME in four formats:
Cases on the Web (COWS): After a brief text-based introduction, you are presented with cases and must make decisions as you move through each case. About 29 cases offering 1.0 hour of credit each and a very large number of archived (credit-expired cases).

Webcasts: “Recordings from…regional advanced-level CME courses”- 13 courses each with about 8-9 presentations of 0.5 to 1.0 hours.

Webinars: Two archived presentations each offering 1.5 hours.

Articles: A small collection of text articles (About 8 credits)

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Infectious Disease

The Lyme Disease Case Study Course from the Infectious Diseases Society of America consists of a series of case studies written by expert faculty members and is based on the IDSA guideline “The Clinical Assessment, Treatment and Prevention of Lyme Disease, Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis.”

At the completion of this course, you will be better able to:
• Evaluate and diagnose Lyme disease;
• Utilize effective therapy to treat Lyme disease; and
• Review and interpret the IDSA guideline “The Clinical Assessment, Treatment and Prevention of Lyme Disease, Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis.”

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Infectious Disease.

Here are some of the topics covered in the courses.
• Emergency Preparedness
Some titles: Anthrax, Botulism, Brucellosis, Glanders
• Mental Health/Disasters
Some titles: ID and Treat of Symptoms/Disorders of Disasters; Mental Health Effects Unique to Disaster
• Public Health
Some titles: Adult Immunizations, Adult Pertussis, Emerging Infections
• Culture Block

Target audience: Physicians focusing on General Interest, Preventive Medicine, Infectious Disease.

CME activities of special interest to physicians who treat HIV/AIDS. Medscape contains a variety of educational formats:

CONFERENCE COVERAGE – Reports of advances presented at major medical conferences; typically includes several tracks with news stories, expert interviews, and in-depth topic overviews.

CLINICAL UPDATE – Comprehensive original review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.

FAST TRACK CLINICAL UPDATE – Narrowly focused original review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.

CME-LIVE – Real-time online events with streaming video, synchronized visuals, and interactive questions and answers; archived for 1 year.

CLINICAL BRIEFS – Daily reports of major current medical research articles; 0.25 credits each

JOURNAL CME – Articles selected from a wide selection of peer-reviewed journals.
SPECIAL REPORT CME – Topic-based monthly email newsletter distributed to Medscape’s professional member database by specialty.

INTERACTIVE PATIENT CASES – Original CME activity presented to the physician in an interactive, clinical case-based format.

CME CIRCLE – Multimedia content certified by other accredited professional education providers, typically from live symposia or monographs, and then posted on Medscape and archived for one year.

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Infectious Disease

CME activities of special interest to infectious disease specialists. Medscape contains a variety of educational formats:

CONFERENCE COVERAGE – Reports of advances presented at major medical conferences; typically includes several tracks with news stories, expert interviews, and in-depth topic overviews.

CLINICAL UPDATE – Comprehensive original review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.

FAST TRACK CLINICAL UPDATE – Narrowly focused original review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.

CME-LIVE – Real-time online events with streaming video, synchronized visuals, and interactive questions and answers; archived for 1 year.

CLINICAL BRIEFS – Daily reports of major current medical research articles; 0.25 credits each

JOURNAL CME – Articles selected from a wide selection of peer-reviewed journals.
SPECIAL REPORT CME – Topic-based monthly email newsletter distributed to Medscape’s professional member database by specialty.

INTERACTIVE PATIENT CASES – Original CME activity presented to the physician in an interactive, clinical case-based format.

CME CIRCLE – Multimedia content certified by other accredited professional education providers, typically from live symposia or monographs, and then posted on Medscape and archived for one year.

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Infectious Disease

This site contains the pdf versions of current MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports) articles. You download and read the articles, then submit your quiz answers online.

Areas covered include: Maternal and child health, immunization, substance abuse, and reportable infectious diseases.

A new activity is posted every week. You have only 45 days after posting to submit your answers for CME credit.

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Preventive Medicine or Infectious Disease

Practice Point: HIV offers various vidoes, clinical clips, interactive case, and mini modules focusing on HIV.

All the courses are free and offers CME credits.

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Infectious Disease

The major focus of this site is Global Health.

Examples of modules include:
• Module 1: Introduction to Health Care for Immigrant and Refugee Populations
• Module 2: Disaster Response and Clinical Medicine in Resource-Limited Settings
• Module 3: Public Health and Noninfectious Disease in Developing Countries
• Module 4: Parasitic Infections
• Module 5: Bacterial, Mycobacterial (TB), and Fungal Infections
• Module 6: Viral Infections
• Module 7: Travel Medicine

You will also find 2 courses unrelated to global health:
• Nitrous Oxide for Pediatric Procedural Sedation
• FASD: Early Identification and Intervention in the Primary Care Setting

Target Audience:
Physicians focusing on Family Medicine, Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, Preventive Medicine, and Pediatrics.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

Clostridioides difficile (formerly known as Clostridium difficile) is a gram-positive obligate anaerobe that produces exotoxins in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract resulting in watery, loose stool, abdominal pain, and nausea. The U.S. incidence of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is about half a million people, with 28% community-acquired, 37% healthcare-associated, and 36% associated with long-term care facilities. Additionally, CDI has incurred one billion dollars in costs to the U.S. healthcare system. Antibiotic exposure causes changes to the GI microflora and increases the risk of developing CDI, which is especially seen in carbapenems, third-/fourth- generation cephalosporins, clindamycin, and fluoroquinolone use. Other risk factors include acid suppressive therapy; age; prolonged hospitalizations or other recent healthcare exposure; recent tube feeding or GI surgery; and immunocompromised states, including recent chemotherapy.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: infectious diseases physicians, gastroenterologists, hospitalists, and intensivists; 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 with CDI. 

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

The WHO defines vaccine hesitancy (VH) as a “delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of vaccination services.” Despite substantial progress in rates of routine immunization over the decades prior to the most recent one, more recent trends suggest that immunization rates are beginning to plateau. Beyond VH and skepticism, there is also the embrace of outright vaccine rejection or denial fostered by the presence disinformation on conventional and social media platforms including claims that vacines are unsafe or unnecessary. Recent outbreaks of largely eradicated diseases such as measles, mumps, and diphtheria suggest that herd immunity may have suffered, putting those ineligible for vaccination at additional risk of infection. These developments have been attributed in part to VH and denial.

One large group with increasing VH is parents. A 2019 national survey found that approximately 1 in 4 parents reported serious concerns towards vaccinating their children. Another study saw that in up to 35% parents of well-vaccinated children demonstrate VH. Parents may raise issues that many providers feel ill-equipped to answer, due to lack of thorough knowledge of all vaccines or lack of evidence-based communication strategies. Unfortunately, only few evidence-based strategies exist to guide providers in their discussions with vaccine-hesitant parents.

Providers play a crucial role in vaccinating populations, but it is not and should not be their sole responsibility. Clinical practice sites, community organizations, health organizations, and government all contribute to addressing VH. Understanding potential solutions outside the office, such as media campaigns and policy changes, also provide insight into vaccine hesitancy and potential directions for future use.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: Primary care physicians, pediatricians, and public health professionals; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in adult internal medicine and pediatrics; and any other clinicians who commonly encounter patients eligible for protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.