OVERVIEW

Current Advances in Ankylosing Spondylitis: Application to Clinical Practice is organized by CME Outfitters, LLC and will be held from Oct 16, 2018 - Oct 16, 2019.

Target Audience
Primary care physicians, internists, rheumatologists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who treat patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Credit Information
CME Credit (Physicians):
CME Outfitters, LLC designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Note to Physician Assistants: AAPA accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM from organizations accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

Statement of Need
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, inflammatory arthritis that effects the axial skeleton. The aging population combined with a declining rheumatology workforce has led to limited access to specialty care, with the condition largely managed in primary care. AS is also challenging to diagnose, having the longest diagnostic delay among other rheumatic diseases. With recent studies showing that patients with shorter disease duration have better response to treatment, this diagnostic delay may cause patients to miss the chance of early appropriate treatment and therefore have poorer prognosis, including disability, limitation of spinal and hip movements, pain, poor quality of life, and poor functional status.

Recognizing key clinical features, classification criteria, and diagnostic tests is critical in reducing diagnosis delays. This CME Outfitters mobile case series is designed to help primary care clinicians increase timely and appropriate treatment initiation for patients with AS.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this CE activity, participants should be able to:
• Apply the current classification criteria for early and accurate diagnosis of AS.
• Integrate targeted therapies of AS to improve patient outcomes.

Additional details will be posted as soon as they are available.