ScientiaCME Free CME Courses

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Infectious Diseases. 

Target Audience: Neurologists

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Pain Management

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Allergy or Dermatology

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Glaucoma, a heterogeneous disease leading to progressive damage to the optic nerve, causes irreversible vision loss and affects approximately 64 million people worldwide.The prevalence of glaucoma is increasing, and more than 100 million people will have glaucoma by 2040. Approximately half of all individuals with glaucoma are unaware of their condition due to the asymptomatic nature of the disease. Although the incidence of glaucoma-related blindness has decreased over the last 20 years, thanks to effective management strategies, 13% to 40% of people with glaucoma still develop unilateral or bilateral blindness, typically at a rate of 1.1% per year.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: ophthalmologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners,  and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with glaucoma.

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:

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired, hematopoietic stem cell disorder characterized by complement-mediated destruction and loss of erythrocytes and the eponymous clinical manifestation of pink-red discoloration of the urine due to presence of hemoglobin. PNH is a rare disorder with a reported incidence of clinically significant disease of between 1 to 2 cases per million. However, it is possible that this range may be underestimated, as a subset of patients remain undiagnosed. PNH occurs worldwide with no known specific ethnic or geographic distribution patterns.

Approximately 40% of patients with PNH saw at least five or more specialists before receiving a diagnosis. PNH diagnosis is complicated by the rarity of the disorder and the nonspecific findings, meriting continuing healthcare educational programming.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: Hematologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists specializing in hematology and transplant medicine; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with PNH.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Cultural competence has been defined in a variety of ways. According to the CDC, 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 health outcomes among diverse groups of patients with unique sociocultural identities including race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: Physicians, pharmacists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other HCPs.

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.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Gaucher disease (GD) is characterized by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase, resulting in the accumulation of sphingolipids throughout the body but most manifesting prominently in the bones. GD is subcategorized based on clinical features: type 1 GD is the non-neuronopathic form and affects mainly the inner organs, while types 2 and 3 are the acute and sub-acute neuropathic forms, whose pathology manifests predominantly within central nervous system. GD has an estimated prevalence of 0.70 to 1.75 per 100 000 in the general population, it affects individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage in significantly higher numbers. One of the first of GD’s complications is the chronic anemia and a persistent bleeding risk. Another is the hepatosplenomegaly, which may be a part of the initial clinical presentation, as may the anatomical abnormalities of bone deformities and stunted growth.

This learning activity has been designed to bring healthcare professionals’ knowledge of the strategies for treatment and management of GD up to date and to improve their competence and performance in treating it.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: Pediatricians, neurologists, endocrinologists, and primary care physicians; physician assistants and nurse practitioners in those areas of specialty; pharmacists who practice in specialty pharmacies that treat patients with rare diseases; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with GD.