Incorporating Treatment Guidelines and Patient Preference into Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Program Overview
Tight control of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity requires frequent disease monitoring and adjustment of therapy, as often as every 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) recommendations are sometimes not followed in clinical practice, particularly the use of disease activity measures, the application of treat-to-target recommendations, and the implementation of ACR treatment algorithms, leading to suboptimal patient care. This series of patient visit scenarios will allow you to make management decisions, benchmark your scores against those of your peers, and hear from experts in the field.
The target audience for this activity is physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who specialize in rheumatology and internal medicine.
Educational Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:
Incorporate guideline-recommended disease activity measures into clinical practice
Select individualized treatments for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that maximize the opportunity to achieve remission and avoid relapse while minimizing toxicity
Employ a strong patient-provider collaborative approach to managing patients with RA that includes patient education, engagement, and shared decision making
Activity Faculty
Jeffrey R. Curtis, MD, MS, MPH
William J. Koopman Endowed Professor, Rheumatology and Immunology Director, UAB Arthritis Clinical Intervention Program Co-Director, UAB Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics
(CERTS) of Musculoskeletal Disorders Co-Director, UAB PharmacoEpidEmiology and phaRmcoeconomics (PEER) Unit
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology
Birmingham, AL
Martin Jan Bergman, MD, FACR, FACP, FCPP
Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine
Drexel University School of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA
Iris Navarro-Millán MD, MSPH
Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine
Hospital for Special Surgery
Division of Rheumatology
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, NY