Rheumatoid Arthritis: Early Diagnosis and Effective Management for Primary Care Physicians
Welcome to the National Association for Continuing Education webcast from the NACE Emerging Challenges in Primary Care Update: 2010 conference. The topic of this webcast is Rheumatoid Arthritis: Early Diagnosis and Effective Management for Primary Care Physicians.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is among the most common types of arthritides, with a prevalence of 0.5-1%. The disease runs a chronic fluctuating course that may lead to progressive joint destruction, deformity, disability, and even premature death. If untreated, 20-30% of RA patients become permanently work-disabled within 2-3 years of diagnosis. On the other hand, early diagnosis and treatment can improve outcomes, including reduced pain, joint score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and disability.
The program was captured live in Denver, Colorado on June 5, 2010 and features Dr. Alan Brown. Dr. Brown is Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology within the Department of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina.
Learning Objective(s):
After completing this program participants should be able to:
- Define criteria for diagnosis of RA
- Outline potential benefits of early RA diagnosis and aggressive management
- Describe the clinical rationale for why the tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and the newer biologics have the potential to improve outcomes
- Summarize the efficacy and safety of the available biologics
- Utilize referrals to arthritis specialists when necessary, and initiate prompt treatment if a specialist appointment is not readily available
- Examine appropriate RA patient management through a collaborative approach with arthritis specialists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists
This webcast was recorded live and is being used with the permission of the presenter.
How To Obtain Your CME Certificate
Register for the course at www.naceonline.com.
- View the content.
- Complete and submit the post-test and evaluation.
- A minimum passing score of 60% must be earned on the post-test in order to complete the CME
activity. - Print your CME certificate.
Alan Brown, MD
Alan Brown, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
The National Association for Continuing Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The National Association for Continuing Education designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit�. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Estimated Time to Complete: 1.0 Hours
Alan Brown, MD, Speaker, is a consultant to UCB and is on the speakers bureau for Abbott Laboratories and Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America.
Gregg Sherman, MD, Course Director, has no relationships to disclose.
Michelle Frisch, MPH, Activity Planning Committee, has no relationships to disclose.
Alan Goodstat, LCSW, Activity Planning Committee, has no relationships to disclose.
Jefrey Lieberman, MD, FACP, Activity Planning Committee serves as a consultant/speaker for Abbott, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Aventis.
Harvey Parker, PhD, Activity Planning Committee, has no relationships to disclose.
None of the peer reviewers have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
No commercial support was provided for this enduring activity. The live CME activity series entitled Emerging Challenges in Primary Care: Update 2010: was supported by an educational grant from Abbott Laboratories,Inc.; educational grant from Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; an educational donation provided by Amgen; an independent educational grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; an educational grant from Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Lilly USA, LLC.