OVERVIEW

Community Practice Connections™: IPF Best Practice: Evolving Paradigms in the Management of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Optimizing Outcomes Through a Team Approach is organized by Physicians' Education Resource, LLC (PER). This Conference has been approved for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Release Date: October 31, 2018
Expiration Date: October 31, 2019

Target Audience:
This program is directed toward pulmonologists, radiologists, primary care physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, other healthcare providers interested in IPF.

Activity Overview:
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and fatal disease with a complicated and challenging diagnosis. This rare interstitial lung disease occurs mostly in individuals ≥ 50 years of age with a mortality rate of nearly 50% in the first 2.5- to 3.5 years, a prognosis worse than most common cancers. Many barriers to early, accurate diagnosis exist, including overlapping symptoms with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure (CHF), and underestimation of symptoms by both clinicians and patients.

In this Community Practice Connections™ expert faculty will review the updated international guidelines for diagnosis and treatment, including advances in the pharmacological management of IPF. Practical strategies that can be implemented to improve the quality of care will be discussed with a special emphasis on tertiary treatment centers and the role of pulmonary rehabilitation.

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this activity, you should be better prepared to:
• IDENTIFY the diagnostic criteria that differentiates IPF from other interstitial lung diseases
• EXPLAIN how to apply current guidelines and new clinical evidence to develop an appropriate management plan for patients with IPF.
• DESCRIBE components of an individualized treatment plan for patients with IPF