Description

Release Date: 12/16/2009
Expiration Date: 12/16/2010

Attend this progam to enhance your standard of care in screening and treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) -- the program focuses on changes in behavior and function, co-morbidities, genetic and psychosocial counseling, and more.

AD is a devastating, costly and incurable neurodegenerative condition that affects 5 million+ patients and accounts for $148 billion+ in annual costs in the United States. In the absence of prevention, AD is projected to affect nearly 16 million Americans by 2050 and cause major strain on the national economy. It is estimated that over one-half of those currently affected by AD remain undiagnosed -- this affects patients at all stages of AD and remains a major obstacle to providing necessary care and for positively affecting clinical outcomes and quality of life.

In the primary care setting, lack of proper diagnosis and treatment affects quality and costs of care -- including safety, adherence to medications, treatment planning for co-morbid and other medical conditions, and the prevention of complications. Barriers to diagnosis and treatment include misperceptions about the prevalence of dementia; the benefits of early diagnosis and treatment; potential adverse psychological effects of the diagnosis on the patient and family; and the costs, lack of efficacy and goals of treatments. It also reflects gaps in knowledge and a lack of confidence by primary care clinicians to utilize practical and efficient diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Learning Objectives

After completing this module, participants should be able to:

• Understand the significance of abrupt changes in behavior, cognition, arousal or function in a patient with dementia and AD.
• Identify the particular vulnerabilities and safety considerations that exist in AD, such as falls, as well as medical comorbidities that are associated with AD.
• Recognize the role of genetic counseling and psychosocial counseling and support for patients and families with AD.
• Describe the process neurologists use to select ancillary testing, advanced imaging techniques (e.g. FDG-PET), and spinal fluid analysis in aiding the diagnosis of AD.
  

Faculty

Robert Birnbaum, MD, PhD

Alireza Atri, MD, PhD

Andrew Budson, MD

Accreditation

Release Date: 12/16/2009
Expiration Date: 12/16/2010

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of McLean Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital Academy and Reed Medical Education. McLean Hospital is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.

Credit Designation
McLean Hospital designates this continuing medical educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits(TM). Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Policy on Faculty and Provider Disclosure
It is the policy of McLean Hospital that faculty and providers disclose real or apparent conflicts of interest relating to the topics of this educational activity, and also disclose discussions of unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or devices during their presentation(s). McLean Hospital has established policies in place that identify and resolve all conflicts of interest prior to this educational activity.

Supporters

Our evidence-based curriculum is supported by educational grants from:

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