Free CME

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Health disparities are defined as “preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by populations that have been disadvantaged by their social or economic status, geographic location, and environment.” According to the landmark 2002 report by the Institute of Medicine, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, even when access-related factors are accounted for, racial and ethnic minorities receive a lower quality of health care than White patients. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality also releases an annual National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report showing White patients receive a better quality of care and experience better health outcomes compared to non-Whites.

Target Audience:
HCPs including: physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and any other clinician involved in providing patient care.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Thalassemias belong to a group of recessively inherited blood disorders characterized by little or no hemoglobin production and chronic anemia of varying severity. Alpha-thalassemia (AT) is most commonly found in people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian, and North African descent. Worldwide, 5% of people are AT carriers, with a much higher prevalence in certain regions (eg, up to 23% in Southeast Asia). AT is typically caused by deletions of one or more α-globin genes, of which there are 4 in total, leading to reduced or abolished α-globin production; nondeletional forms of AT can also occur and are generally more severe. The loss of functional α-globin disrupts the globin chain equilibrium, leading to excess γ- and β-globin chain formation and causing ineffective erythropoiesis.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: hematologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in hematology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with AT.

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.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) is an ultrarare genetic disease characterized by the buildup of chylomicrons – the largest lipoprotein – as a result of loss of function of one of five genes responsible for lipolysis. Its estimated prevalence is one in one million people and affects patients of all ages. The clinical presentation of FCS varies but includes patients with triglyceride (TG) levels over 10 times and up to a hundred-fold times the upper limit of normal. Complications include eruptive xanthomas on the trunk and extremities, lipemia retinalis, recurrent abdominal pain, hepatosplenomegaly, fatigue, cognitive disorientation, organ failure, necrosis, and pancreatitis, the latter of which is associated with a five- to 30-percent mortality rate in patients affected by FCS. Unfortunately, due in part to the rarity of the condition, patients are commonly undiagnosed, even by endocrinologists.

Target Audience:
HCPs including: endocrinologists, cardiologists, and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and those who otherwise have an interest in or commonly care for or clinically encounter patients with FCS.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in individuals over the age of 50 years. In the early stages of disease, vision may be gray, hazy, or distorted. As the disease progresses, retinal deterioration can lead to irreversible, bilateral loss of central vision. In the US alone, an estimated 18.3 million people are living with early-stage ARMD, and 1.5 million people are living with late-stage AMD, representing 11.6% and 0.9% of all adults older than 40 years, respectively. In addition to the burden of disability caused by blindness, AMD is also associated with substantial societal and economic costs. In the US, vision loss and blindness incur an economic burden of $134 billion annually, of which $36 billion is attributable to indirect costs such as loss of productivity, injury, and unemployment.

Target Audience:
The following HCPs: comprehensive ophthalmologists and retinal specialists; physician assistants, and nurse practitioners who practice in ophthalmology; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with AMD.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR) is a progressive, multisystem, life-threatening disorder characterized by the extracellular deposition of misfolded, insoluble amyloid fibrils. The role of the TTR protein is to transport thyroxine and retinol-binding proteins, and it is vital for cognition, nerve regeneration, and axonal growth. TTR itself is innately amyloidogenic even without the presence of genetic mutations, which may account for wild-type ATTR (wtATTR), while a hereditary form of ATTR (hATTR) may be passed to offspring through autosomal dominant inheritance. Left untreated, the average life expectancy of ATTR is 3 to 15 years from symptom onset.

Target Audience:
The following HCPs: neurologists, cardiologists, and hematologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with ATTR.

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.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is one of the most common infections in the world, affecting approximately 50% of the world’s population and 36% of the U.S. population, with a higher prevalence in Blacks, Hispanics, and those of lower socioeconomic status. Most patients are asymptomatic, but H. pylori is the major cause of gastritis and peptic ulcer disease, and it is a risk factor for duodenal ulcers and gastric cancer. H. pylori may be diagnosed by endoscopy or noninvasive testing, including urea breath testing, stool antigen assay, or H. pylori serology.

Target Audience:
HCPs including: gastroenterologists and primary care providers; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists specializing in gastroenterology; and any other HCPs involved or interested in the treatment of H. pylori infection.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) is an umbrella term for four types of acute porphyria, the most severe of which is acute intermittent porphyria (AIP). An estimated 80% of AHP cases are AIP, which is an inherited autosomal dominant condition that results from mutations of the third enzyme of heme synthesis, porphobilinogen deaminase. In the Western countries, it is estimated that approximately 1 in 2000 individuals are carriers of the relevant mutated genotype, although the majority have latent AIP and are clinically asymptomatic. Acute attacks occur in less than 10% of the at-risk population, reflecting the role of environmental factors, such as alcohol use, infections, and hormonal changes, among others. AHP symptoms are believed to be caused by ALAS1-mediated accumulation of ALA and PBG in the liver and bloodstream, leading to neurotoxicity.

Target Audience:
The following HCPs: hematologists and gastroenterologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in any of the aforementioned areas of specialties; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with AHP.

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.

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.