Getting to the Heart of the Underdiagnosis and Undertreatment of Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation: Integrating Optimal Screening, Team-Based Care and Digital Health Tools in Primary Care Settings

Getting to the Heart of the Underdiagnosis and Undertreatment of Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation: Integrating Optimal Screening, Team-Based Care and Digital Health Tools in Primary Care Settings is organized by CME Outfitters, LLC and will be held from Sep 27, 2018 - Sep 27, 2019.

Target Audience
Primary care physicians, cardiologists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who treat patients with non-vascular atrial fibrillation.

Credit Information
CME Credit (Physicians):
CME Outfitters, LLC, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

CME Outfitters, LLC, designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CNE Credit (Nurses):
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP 15510, for 1.5 contact hours. 

Note to Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Specialists: the content of this activity pertains to pharmacology. Earn up to 1.5 contact hours of pharmacotherapeutic contact hours. 

Note to Nurse Practitioners: Nurse Practitioners can apply for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). AANP will accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Nurse practitioners can also apply for credit through their state boards.

CPE Credit (Pharmacists):
ACPE CME Outfitters, LLC, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. 1.5 contact hours (0.15 CEUs) 

Statement of Need
With the increasing age of the U.S. population, the "perceived" incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) - the most common arrhythmia in clinical practice and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality - is increasing. However, patients may not notice symptoms that warrant care-seeking, which leads to physicians not having an index of suspicion relative to those at high risk for AF. Because AF is a major risk factor for thromboembolic disease and can lead to an increased risk for stroke, increased screening and use of anticoagulation treatment can help high-risk patients avoid these events. 

However, as 20% or more of patients who have an AF-related stroke are not diagnosed until the time of stroke or shortly thereafter, screening and appropriate use of anticoagulants are suboptimal, and clinicians face challenges in understanding the tools available and strategies for implementing opportunistic and systematic screening in order to detect non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). 

Given these challenges, expert faculty in this live, interactive CME Outfitters webcast address the impact of undiagnosed NVAF, the benefit and use of screening tools for early detection, appropriate implementation of oral anticoagulant therapy, and the use of digital health technologies to foster shared decision-making and collaborative care.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this CE activity, participants should be able to:
• Examine the significance of identifying patients at high risk for NVAF in the primary care setting who might benefit from anticoagulant therapy.
• Increase the rate of detection of NVAF by implementing both opportunistic and systematic screening in primary care settings to reduce the risk of stroke and death.
• Implement guideline-directed therapy for the appropriate use of oral anticoagulants in patients with NVAF to mitigate the risk of stroke.
The following learning objectives pertain only to those requesting CNE or CPE credit:
• Explain the significance of identifying patients at high risk for NVAF in the primary care setting who might benefit from anticoagulant therapy.
• Describe how NVAF screening in the primary care setting can reduce the risk of stroke and death.
• Identify guideline-directed therapy for the appropriate use of oral anticoagulants in patients with NVAF that will mitigate the risk of stroke.

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