Medical Crossfire®: Progressive Fibrosis-Interstitial Lung Disease (PF-ILD): Navigating the Complex Pathways to Diagnosis, Management, and Emerging Therapies

Medical Crossfire®: Progressive Fibrosis-Interstitial Lung Disease (PF-ILD): Navigating the Complex Pathways to Diagnosis, Management, and Emerging Therapies is organized by Physicians' Education Resource, LLC (PER).

Release Date: June 30, 2019
Expiration Date: June 30, 2020

Target Audience:
This online educational activity is directed toward pulmonologists, rheumatologists, radiologists, clinical immunologists, allergists, specialty nurse practitioners, physician assistants, primary care clinicians and other healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of patients with PF-ILD.

Accreditation/Credit Designation:
Physicians' Education Resource®, LLC, designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physicians' Education Resource®, LLC, is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #16669, for 1.5 Contact Hours.

Activity Overview:
Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are a diffuse group of over 200 lung disorders which are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Most of them are rare but when pulmonary fibrosis predominates, they are particularly difficult to treat and manage and patients bear a severely diminished quality of life. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is considered the classic presentation of the fibrotic interstitial lung diseases but other ILD etiologies exhibit similarities with the presence of worsening pulmonary fibrosis and respiratory symptoms, declining lung function, and resistance to immunomodulatory treatments related to other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis or to environmental exposures and unknown causes.

Early diagnosis and disease intervention are critical for these patients, but lengthy delays and misdiagnoses are common. Typical presenting symptoms are more likely to be an indication of a common respiratory or cardiovascular condition and clinicians will rule out those diagnoses by exposing patients to costly and invasive testing with limited consideration for the possibility of a rare interstitial lung disease. Diagnosis of ILDs is complex and involves careful exclusion of alternative etiologies by a multidisciplinary team integrating findings from clinical, radiologic, and pathologic exam. During this Medical Crossfire®, expert faculty specializing in pulmonology, rheumatology and diagnostic radiology will share their clinical practice insights for making an accurate diagnosis and considering treatment with antifibrotics that can delay disease progression. Faculty will then elaborate on strategies for clinician-patient collaboration to individualize a comprehensive treatment program that addresses comorbidities, patient expectations and best possible quality of life.

Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this educational activity, you should be better prepared to:
• Identify key mechanisms underlying the varied forms of PF-ILD, clinical presentation and management.
• Assess the pathological patterns of fibrosis in PF-ILD and their role in defining disease etiology and subsequent management.
• Examine the role of current and emerging agents in the treatment of patients with PF-ILDs.
• Implement team-based strategies to improve individualization of treatment plans for patients with PF-ILD.