Asthma: Disease Characterization
A CME-certified Monograph
Release Date
July 2007
Expiration Date
July 2008
Program Overview
Welcome to the first monograph in our series, Rethinking Asthma Control: Implementing the New Guidelines for Asthma Management. How we think about asthma is changing rapidly, as experts debate the best ways to define the disease, classify it, and ultimately manage it most effectively. In this monograph, we will explore some of the many challenges of asthma—how to diagnose it, why it’s important to understand the nature of its progression, and how to identify which of our patients are most at risk. We will also address the latest recommendations for classifying our asthma patients and discuss some of the tools, both current and in development, for assessing asthma.
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Faculty
Eugene R. Bleecker, MD Thomas H. Davis Professor of Pulmonary Medicine and Public Health Sciences Section Head, Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Immunologic Diseases Co-director, Center for Human Genomics Wake Forest University School of Medicine Winston-Salem, NC |
Learning Objectives
After participating in this activity, learners will be able to:
| • | Accurately diagnose asthma using current criteria |
| • | Address asthma as a persistent disease with significant variability |
| • | Identify the major risk factors associated with asthma |
| • | Apply the shift of focus in asthma management from “severity” to “control” in day-to-day treatment of patients with asthma |
| • | Incorporate currently available tools for asthma control into clinical practice |
Target Audience
This educational activity has been developed for pulmonary and respiratory specialists who treat patients with asthma.
Accreditation Statement
INNOVIA Education Institute, LLC, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Designation Statement
INNOVIA Education Institute designates this educational activity for a maximum of .75 AMA PRA Category 1
Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Disclosure of Financial Relationships and Discussion of Off-label Uses
INNOVIA Education Institute adheres to standards and guidelines of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and all other professional organizations, as applicable, stating that those activities for which continuing education credits are awarded must be balanced, independent, objective, scientifically rigorous, and free from commercial bias. In accordance with the ACCME’s Standards for Commercial Support, INNOVIA Education Institute’s disclosure policy requires disclosure to activity participants of all relevant financial relationships of the planners, presenters, and authors involved in the development of CME content. “Relevant financial relationship” is defined as a financial relationship in any amount that has occurred within the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services are discussed in the CME activity. Information about relevant financial relationships appears below:
Eugene R. Bleecker, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships: He has received grant/research support for clinical trials from Altana, AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Centocor, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Pfizer, and Wyeth. He has served as consultant for Altana, AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Centocor, Critical Therapeutics, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Pfizer, and Wyeth. He is a speaker and lectures for AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Genentech-Novartis, and Merck.
Content collaborators at INNOVIA Education Institute have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
The peer reviewer for this activity, Ryan Nguyen, PharmD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Uses of some pharmaceutical agents, medical devices, and other products identified in this activity may not be the same as those indicated in product labeling approved by the Food and Drug Administration. INNOVIA requires that any discussions of such “off-label” uses be based on scientific research that conforms to generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and data analysis. Dr. Bleecker reports that there will be discussion of “off-label” uses of pharmaceutical or medical device products in their presentations.
INNOVIA Education Institute is committed to the free exchange of medical information in the interest of improvement in the quality and safety of patient care. Opinions, recommendation, and other discussions in this activity, including discussion of off-label uses, represent the independent views of the presenters/authors and not an endorsement by INNOVIA Education Institute.
Acknowledgement of Learners’ Expectations
INNOVIA Education Institute, LLC, recognizes that you are a lifelong learner who has chosen to engage in CME to help maintain, improve, increase, or otherwise enhance your knowledge and skills in the practice of medicine. As part of INNOVIA’s duty to you as a learner, we acknowledge your right to expect that this CME activity includes:
Content that
| • | Addresses stated objectives or purpose |
| • | Is valid, reliable, and accurate |
| • | Is driven by, and based on, educational needs rather than commercial interests |
| • | Is balanced and free of commercial bias for or against a product or service |
| • | Is vetted through a process to resolve any conflicts of interest of planners, presenters, or authors |
| • | Is evaluated for its effectiveness in meeting identified educational needs |
| • | Provides information toward improvements in the quality and safety of health care |
An environment that
| • | Supports learners’ abilities to meet their individual educational needs |
| • | Respects and attends to any special learner needs |
| • | Respects diversity among learners |
| • | Is free of promotional, commercial, and/or sales activities |
Disclosure of
| • | Relevant financial relationships that planners, presenters, or authors have with commercial interests related to the content of the activity |
| • | Commercial support (funding or in-kind resources) for the activity |
We hope that this activity has fulfilled the expectations listed above. If it has not, please respond to that effect on the evaluation form and include specific feedback to assist us with making improvements to future activities. If you have technical difficulties, please contact ExtendMed technical support at (866) 330-7335.
Program Sponsorship
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| Supported by an educational grant from |  |