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The Outcome Tool Survey is now available for "Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Primary Care Setting" participants
A permanent damage to the joints occurs at a very early stage in the disease. Lard and colleagues found that patients who are diagnosed with very early RA and are treated aggressively with disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy earlier have better clinical outcomes than those treated later. Because of the importance of early treatment for RA to reduce joint inflammation, progressive joint destruction - mainly due to bone erosions - and disability, careful assessment of clinical features is critical to making the distinction between RA and other types of chronic polyarthritis. Several other medical conditions, including over 100 different types of rheumatic diseases, can resemble RA, and need to be distinguished from it at the time of diagnosis. The process of diagnosing RA involves several steps, including a medical history, physical examination, and appropriate laboratory and imaging tests.
This program will review the differential diagnosis of RA, including distinguishing RA from Osteoarthritis, Psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, and gout; Laboratory investigation of suspected RA is important to confirm the diagnosis, rule out competing diagnosis, predict disease progression, and monitor disease activity including rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody panels; and review risks.
Target Audience
This program is intended for family practitioners, general internists, advanced nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other healthcare providers.
Program Objectives
- Review the role of primary care in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its comorbidities
- Identify the clinical characteristics of RA and the concept of pattern recognition as it applies to chronic inflammatory arthritis
- Identify histologic, anatomic, and physiologic considerations that contribute to the pathogenesis of RA
- Describe treatment goals and/or outcome measures for managing RA
- Devise strategies for implementing RA therapies to maximize their safety and efficacy
- Apply evidence and best practices to manage the complexities of RA in the primary care setting
- Describe the systemic complications of RA and integrate the treatment of comorbidities into patients' overall treatment plan
Faculty
John J. Cush, MD
Director of Clinical Rheumatology
Baylor Research Institute
Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology
Baylor University Medical Center
Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas
Dorothy D. Sherwood, MD, FACP
Private Practice
Internal Medicine & Geriatrics
HealthCore Physicians Group
Chief
Department of Geriatrics
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Release and Termination Dates
Release: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM ET
Termination: Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Accreditation
Physician
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nursing
The Camenae Group, Inc, is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Texas Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. This activity meets Type I criteria for mandatory continuing education requirements toward relicensure as established by the Board of Nursing.
The Camenae Group, Inc. provides up to 4.5 contact hours for successful completion of this educational activity (0.5 contact hours for each Part).
This activity is supported by educational donations provided by Amgen and Pfizer Inc.
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