Release date: January 1, 2008
Expiration date: December 31, 2008
Credit must be requested no later than February 15, 2009.

Program Overview

Statement of Need

Despite the growing number of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and annual health care costs amounting to more than $100 billion, at least 50% of patients with AD—at both mild and moderate stages—have never been diagnosed with the disease by their primary care physician.¹ Patients and their families lack awareness of the deterioration associated with dementia and fail to acknowledge changes in cognition and increased impairment, attributing symptoms to the process of aging. A failure to diagnose dementia in its early stages and initiate therapy can result in detrimental consequences, not only for the patient but also for the caregiver.

A better understanding of the symptoms and progression of dementia will ensure early recognition in the primary care setting and help patients and their families to become aware of the disease in its earlier stages, so that treatment can be initiated. In addition, effective techniques are necessary to ensure that patients with AD at all stages are properly identified and managed. Such an approach will allow patients more time to prepare for the future, while minimizing caregiver burden and decreasing the health care spending associated with the use of nursing homes, medical personnel, and hospital resources.

The Meet the Experts Interactive Case-Based Web Conferences—an interactive activity supported by expert clinical opinion and evidence-based literature—will provide physicians and other health care professionals with practical techniques for effectively managing AD.

By participating in this educational activity, health care providers will become better equipped to assess and manage patients who present with AD, thereby improving clinical outcomes.

Reference

1. Hebert LE, et al. Arch Neurol. 2003;60:1119-1122.

Target Audience

This activity is designed for the continuing medical education of primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be better able to:

• Screen patients for the signs and symptoms of all stages of AD using available screening techniques and tools
• Diagnose AD using screening tools, diagnostic tests, and interviews with patient and caregiver
• Evaluate overall benefits and risks of pharmacologic therapy for AD and be able to make clinical judgments on efficacy of therapy and communicate therapeutic benefits to the family
• Communicate the benefits and importance of persistent therapy at all stages of AD to the patient’s caregiver and family

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Agenda

Available Programs

The following archived programs are available for you to participate in:

Sharon A. Brangman, MD, FACP, AGSF
Professor of Medicine
Division Chief, Geriatric Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Syracuse, New York

David S. Geldmacher, MD
Associate Professor of Neurology
Medical Director
Memory Disorders Clinic
Adult Neurology Clinic
University of Virginia Health System
Charlottesville, Virginia

David A. Smith, MD
Professor of Family Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center
College of Medicine
College Station, Texas
President
Geriatric Consultants of Central Texas
Brownwood, Texas

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Expert Panel

Sharon A. Brangman, MD, FACP, AGSF
Professor of Medicine
Division Chief, Geriatric Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Syracuse, New York

P. Murali Doraiswamy, MD
Chief
Division of Biological Psychiatry
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina

David S. Geldmacher, MD
Associate Professor of Neurology
Medical Director
Memory Disorders Clinic
Adult Neurology Clinic
University of Virginia Health System
Charlottesville, Virginia

Peter Lin, MD, CCFP
Director
Primary Care Initiatives
Canadian Heart Research Centre
Ontario, Canada

David A. Smith, MD
Professor of Family Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center
College of Medicine
College Station, Texas
President
Geriatric Consultants of Central Texas
Brownwood, Texas

Tulane Faculty Liaison

Anne L. Foundas, MD
Professor of Neurology
Department of Psychiatry and Neurology
Tulane University Health Sciences Center
New Orleans, Louisiana

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CME Accreditation

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of Tulane University Health Sciences Center and Academic Alliances in Medical Education Inc. Tulane University Health Sciences Center is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CME Credit Designation

Tulane University Health Sciences Center designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

To receive the maximum amount of credits, participants must participate in the 1-hour web conference and complete 4 post conference supplemental e-mail assessments.

Tulane University Health Sciences Center presents this activity for educational purposes only and does not endorse any product, content of presentation, or exhibit. Participants are expected to utilize their own expertise and judgment while engaged in the practice of medicine. The content of the presentations is provided solely by presenters who have been selected because of their recognized expertise.

Financial Support

The Center for Continuing Education of Tulane University Health Sciences Center and Academic Alliances in Medical Education Inc gratefully acknowledge the unrestricted educational grant provided by Eisai Inc.

Faculty Disclosure

Disclosures are stated at the beginning of each program. It is the policy of the Center for Continuing Education at Tulane University Health Sciences Center to plan and implement all of its educational activities in accordance with the ACCME’s Essential Areas and Policies to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor. In accordance with the ACCME’s 2004 Standards for Commercial Support, everyone who is in a position to control the content of an educational activity certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM is required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interests within the past 12 months that creates a real or apparent conflict of interest. Individuals who do not disclose are disqualified from participating in a CME activity. Individuals with potential for influence or control of CME content include planners and planning committee members, authors, teachers, educational activity directors, educational partners, and others who participate, eg, facilitators and moderators. This disclosure pertains to relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or other corporations whose products or services are related to the subject matter of the presentation topic. Any real or apparent conflicts of interest related to the content of the presentations must be resolved prior to the educational activity. Disclosure of off-label, experimental, or investigational use of drugs or devices must also be made known to the audience.

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