Severe Asthma and the Primary Care Provider: Identifying Patients and Coordinating Multidisciplinary Care

Educational Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be better able to do the following:

-Identify patients with severe asthma based on an understanding of epidemiologic data and ongoing evaluations of symptoms, potential disease phenotypes, and treatment history

-Discuss the mechanisms of action and clinical profiles of cytokine-targeting biologic medications in the treatment of severe asthma

-Coordinate with specialists to personalize therapy for patients with severe asthma based on ongoing symptoms, exacerbation risks, and treatment responses

-Communicate with patients with severe asthma and their caregivers about treatment options, asthma action plans, and adherence

Target Audience
This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of primary care providers (PCPs), including physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and physician assistants (PAs), involved in the management of patients with severe asthma.

Course Description
This CME-accredited Through Your Patient’s Eyes™ program is intended for primary care providers and other clinicians who manage patients with asthma. This educational activity has been designed to highlight issues faced by people living with asthma, including patients’ perspectives on the burdens of severe disease, difficulties related to suboptimal health literacy, and potential hurdles that can arise in busy healthcare practices. Specialist and primary care faculty discuss practical advice on overcoming these challenges, how to best coordinate multidisciplinary care, and actionable recommendations on identifying, comprehensively assessing, and longitudinally managing patients with severe asthma. As a result, clinician learners will be better prepared to engage and educate their patients with severe asthma, while improving long-term outcomes through personalized evidence-based care.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
It is the policy of the Elsevier Office of Continuing Medical Education that all faculty, instructors, and planners disclose any real or apparent conflicts of interest relating to the topics of this educational activity.

The faculty reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouses/life partners have with commercial interests related to the content of this CME activity:

Michael E. Wechsler, MD, MMSc: Consultant/Advisor: AstraZeneca; Boston Scientific Corporation; Genentech, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline plc; Novartis AG; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC; Sentien Biotechnologies, Inc.; Vectura Group plc.

Barbara P. Yawn, MD, MSc, FAAFP: Consultant/Advisor: AstraZeneca; GlaxoSmithKline plc. Employment Affiliation: Editor-in-Chief, Respiratory Medicine Case Reports.

Non-faculty
Rose O’Connor, PhD; Jim Kappler, PhD; Sandy Breslow; Alison Kemp; and Bernard M. Abrams, MD, hereby state that neither they nor their spouses/life partners have any financial relationships to products or devices with any commercial interest related to the content of this activity of any amount during the past 12 months.

Peer Review
This CME activity has been peer-reviewed by The American Journal of Medicine.

Financial Support
This activity has been supported by an independent educational grant from AstraZeneca.

Provider Information
Jointly provided by the Elsevier Office of Continuing Medical Education, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and Integritas Communications.

CME Credit (Physicians)
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Elsevier Office of Continuing Medical Education and Integritas Communications. The Elsevier Office of Continuing Medical Education is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Elsevier Office of Continuing Medical Education designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AANP Credit (Nurses)
This activity is approved 1.0 contact hour(s) of continuing education (which includes 0.5 hours of pharmacology) by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Activity ID 17062704. This activity was planned in accordance with AANP CE Standards and Policies.

CME Inquiries/Special Needs
For all CME inquiries or special needs, please contact elsevierCME@elsevier.com.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The Elsevier Office of Continuing Medical Education, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Integritas Communications, and AstraZeneca do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

Disclaimer
Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patients’ conditions and possible contraindications or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

Course Instructions
In order to claim credit, participants must complete the following:

1. Read the educational objectives, accreditation information, and faculty disclosures at the beginning of this activity.
2. Complete the Pre-Activity Questions.
3. Read or review the activity content.
4. Complete the Post-Activity Test Questions and Evaluation.
5. A physician who achieves a grade of 70% or better on the Post Activity Test and who completes the Evaluation will receive a CME Certificate.
6. Any other participant who achieves a grade of 70% or better on the Post-Activity Test Questions and who completes the Evaluation will receive a Certificate of Participation.