Advances in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Early Diagnosis and a Focus on Chronobiology

Please Complete the Pre-Test to Access this Activity

CME Front Matter

This activity is sponsored by the
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Commercial Support

Supported by an educational grant from Horizon Pharma.

Time to complete this activity

1.5 hours

Release Date

July 2, 2013

Termination Date

July 1, 2014

Target Audience

• Primary care physicians (PCPs)
• Rheumatologists who are interested in issues faced by PCPs

Course Description

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can lead to severe joint damage and disability, but early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention can improve clinical outcomes and reduce joint damage and disability. This activity will first address the diagnosis of RA from the perspective of a PCP, followed by current treat-to-target recommendations. While many PCPs are uncomfortable initiating disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), other options include glucocorticoids, which can act as a bridge to DMARD therapy. Recent chronotherapeutic developments in the management of RA have the potential to provide PCPs with another tool, especially while awaiting a rheumatology consult or referral. The development of a low-dose delayed-release prednisone formulation now addresses the circadian pattern of symptoms that occurs with RA—in particular the morning stiffness which is seen in many patients. PCPs should be familiar with the available treatment options for RA, as the delay to see a specialist is often considerable. At the same time, rheumatologists should be aware of barriers faced by PCPs in order to better collaborate with them to improve patient care.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

1. Use defined criteria to diagnose patients with RA
2. Develop strategies that reflect the importance of early initiation of RA treatment and “treating to target”
3. Describe chronotherapeutic advances in the treatment of RA and how this may help to bridge therapy and treat to target
4. Advance ways in which rheumatic disease specialists can work more closely with PCPs to treat RA by using a “team” approach

Accreditation Statement

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation Statement

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure Policy Statement

It is the policy of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to ensure objectivity, balance, independence, transparency, and scientific rigor in all CME-sponsored educational activities. All faculty participating in the planning or implementation of a sponsored activity are expected to disclose to the audience any relevant financial relationships and to assist in resolving any conflict of interest that may arise from the relationship. Presenters must also make a meaningful disclosure to the audience of their discussions of unlabeled or unapproved drugs or devices. This information will be available as part of the course material.

Disclosures

• The course director and faculty, Dr. Yousaf Ali, or a related party, disclose that he has received consulting fees for medico-legal consulting.
• The faculty, Dr. Erhard Haus, or a related party, have no relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose.
• Planners, Lynette C. Bobbitt, Program Coordinator, Continuing Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Angela T. Casey, Editorial Director, PharmaCom Group, Inc, or related parties, have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Hardware/Software Requirements

1. A broadband internet connection
2. Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP or later; Mac OS X 10.4 or later; iOS 5.0 or later
3. Web browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or later; Mozilla Firefox; Google Chrome; Apple Safari; Apple Mobile Safari
4. Adobe Flash Player 9.0 or later (Available at: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/), if running on desktop

Method of Participation

• Review the accreditation information
• Complete the pretest
• Review the entire activity (videos and text)
• Complete the following:
• Posttest. There are 10 questions in the examination and you must achieve a score of 80% or better to earn CME credit.
• Evaluation and CME credit form.
• Following successful completion, your certificate will be immediately available online for printing.

Contact Information

Questions regarding course content may be directed to acasey@pharmacomgroup.com.

If you require technical assistance with completing this course, please contact The Doctor’s Channel at (646) 257-5739 or send e-mail to cme@thedoctorschannel.com.

Policy on Privacy and Confidentiality: Your privacy and security are of paramount importance to our company. Please take a moment to read our policy so you may understand how we use the personal information we ask you provide. If you should have questions or concerns regarding this privacy policy, please contact us directly. Email: info@thedoctorschannel.com Phone: (646) 257-5739. You may review the applicable privacy policies here: http://www.mssm.edu/about-us/privacy-policy and http://www.thedoctorschannel.com/privacy-ethics.

Copyright

This material is subject to copyright ©2013 the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. All rights reserved.