Target Audience
This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of primary care, family physicians, internists, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and other clinicians who treat asthma across the US. Pediatricians, allergists, and pulmonologists may also benefit from this program.



Statement of Need
Although the NHLBI's Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma was released in 2007, its implementation will take many years. It is critical to translate these guidelines into routine clinical practice, especially the six core recommendations of the NAEPP's Guideline Implementation Panel (GIP) by educating clinicians who may not be able to regularly refer to these guidelines or have not yet developed implementation strategies for their practice. It is critical for clinicians to understand the new guideline recommendations, including those regarding allergy testing and trigger identification for patients identified with asthma. This activity will familiarize clinicians with the core recommendations of the GIP and provide actionable strategies to implement these recommendations in the practice setting.



Educational Objectives
After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

• Describe clinical actions recommended by the NAEPP EPR-3 Asthma Guidelines and the GIP
• Recognize the role of allergy in asthma and the association with negative health outcomes
• Develop strategies for implementing testing for patients who may have allergies or irritants as a component of their asthma
• Identify strategies consistent with GIP recommendations that will be successfully implemented in practice for treating patients with asthma
• Discuss possible ways to improve patient-clinician communications and the possible positive implications these have
• Implement simple and practical practice ways to educate patients about allergy triggers for improves asthma control

Faculty
Michael S. Blaiss, MD
Secretary/Treasurer, Respiratory & Allergic Disease Foundation
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine
Division of Immunology and Allergy
University of Tennessee
Health Science Center
Memphis, Tennessee

Don A. Bukstein, MD
Director of Allergy & Asthma Research
Dean Medical Center
Madison, Wisconsin

Thomas B. Casale, MD
Vice President, Respiratory & Allergic Disease Foundation
Executive Vice President, American Academy of Allergy,
Asthma & Immunology
Professor and Associate Chair
Department of Medicine
Chief, Allergy/Immunology
Creighton University School of Medicine
Omaha, Nebraska

Mark L. Corbett, MD
Allergy Care
Louisville, Kentucky

Alan B. Goldsobel, MD
Allergy and Asthma Associates of Northern California
San Jose, California
Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Stanford University Medical Center
Palo Alto, California
Clinical Professor of Medicine
University of California at San Francisco
San Francisco, California

Phillip Lieberman, MD
Clinical Professor
Medicine and Pediatrics
Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Divisions of Allergy and Immunology
University of Tennessee College of Medicine
Memphis, TN

Gary S. Rachelefsky, MD
President, Respiratory & Allergic Disease Foundation
Director, Executive Center for Asthma, Allergy, and Respiratory Diseases
Professor, Allergy and Immunology
Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Los Angeles, California

Jeffrey R. Stokes, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Creighton University
Omaha, Nebraska


Physician Continuing Medical Education
Accreditation Statement
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 Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM), the Respiratory & Allergic Disease Foundation, and Cadenza Health. PIM is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.


Pharmacist Continuing Education
Accreditation Statement

Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

Credit Designation
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this continuing education activity for 2.0 contact hour(s) (0.20 CEUs) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. (Universal Activity Number - 0809-9999-10-178-H01-P)

Type of Activity: Knowledge-Based

Nursing Continuing Education
Accreditation Statement
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Credit Designation
This educational activity for 2.0 contact hours is provided by Postgraduate Institute for Medicine.





Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) assesses conflict of interest with its instructors, planners, managers, and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of CME activities. All relevant conflicts of interest that are identified are thoroughly vetted by PIM for fair balance, scientific objectivity of studies utilized in this activity, and patient care recommendations. PIM is committed to providing its learners with high-quality CME activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of a commercial interest.

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

Name of Faculty or Presenter	Reported Financial Relationship
Michael S. Blaiss, MD	Consulting: ISTA, Nycomed, Sepracor Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Alcon Laboratories, and Proctor and Gamble. Fees for Non-CME Services Received Directly From a Commercial Interest or Their Agents: AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., Inc., ISTA, Sanofi-Avetis, Genentech, Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Nycomed, Sepracor Inc., and GlaxoSmithKline.
Don A. Bukstein, MD	Fees for Non-CME Services Received Directly From a Commercial Interest or Their Agents: AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Schering-Plough Corporation, and GlaxoSmithKline. Contracted Research: GlaxoSmithKline.
Thomas B. Casale, MD	Consulting: Roche, KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and MedImmune. Contracted Research: All grants to Creighton University: Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Allergy Therapeutics, Amgen Inc., Genentech, Inc., Greer Laboratories, Inc., MedImmune, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., National Institutes of Health, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Pfizer Inc., Schering-Plough Corporation, ZLB, Capnia, Stallergenes, Boeringher Ingelheim, and the State of Nebraska.
Mark L. Corbett, MD	Consulting: ISTA. Fees for Non-CME Services Received Directly From a Commercial Interest or Their Agents: AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., Inc., Alcon Laboratories, Inc., ISTA, and GlaxoSmithKline.
Alan B. Goldsobel, MD	Has no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report.
Phillip Lieberman, MD	Consulting: Genentech, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Meda Pharmaceuticals, and Dey Pharmaceuticals.
Gary S. Rachelefsky, MD	Consulting: Merck & Co., Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA. Fees for Non-CME Services Received Directly From a Commercial Interest or Their Agents: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA.
Jeffrey R. Stokes, MD	Has no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report.

The planners and managers reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CME activity:

Name of Planner or Manager	Reported Financial Relationship
PIM Clinical Reviewers: Jan Hixon, RN, BSN, MA, Trace Hutchison, PharmD, Julia Kimball, RN, BSN, Samantha Mattiucci, PharmD, Jan Schultz, RN, MSN, CCMEP, and Patricia Staples, MSN, NP-C, CCRN	Have no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report.
Cadenza Health Communications: Bart Zoni, Executive Director; Tara Larkin, Director	Have no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report.
Nurse Reviewer: Marcia Johnston, NP	Has no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report.

Method of Participation
There are no fees for participating and receiving CME credit for this activity. During the period November 1, 2010 through November 1, 2011, participants must 1) read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures; 2) study the educational activity; 3) complete the posttest by recording the best answer to each question in the answer key on the evaluation form; 4) complete the evaluation form; and 5) mail or fax the evaluation form with answer key to Postgraduate Institute for Medicine.

A statement of credit will be issued only upon receipt of a completed activity evaluation form and a completed posttest with a score of 70% or better. Your statement of credit will be mailed to you within 3 weeks.


Media
Internet


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. Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM), Respiratory & Allergic Disease Foundation (RAD), Cadenza Health Communications, and Genentech-Novartis do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of PIM, RAD, Cadenza Health Communications, and Genentech-Novartis. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.


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 on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.


Commercial Support
This activity is supported by an educational grant from Genentech-Novartis.



Joint Sponsors
Jointly sponsored by Postgraduate Institute for Medicine,Respiratory & Allergic Disease Foundation, and Cadenza Health Communications.