Feedback
We would very much appreciate any thoughts you may have about OpenCME and how it could be made more useful for physicians like you.
CME Activity
Exploring a Treat to Target Strategy in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Incorporating Current Recommendations and Recent Data Into Clinical Practice
Faculty
Allan Gibofsky, MD, JD (Activity Director)
Professor of Medicine and Public Health
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Attending Rheumatologist, Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, New York
John A. Goldman, MD, MACR, FACP, CCD
President, Medical Quarters
Rheumatology Medical Director,
Atlanta Center for Clinical Research
Chief, Rheumatology
St. Joseph's Hospital
Atlanta, Georgia
Accredited by
American Academy of CME
Activity Details
| Release Date: | February 12, 2012 |
| Expiration Date: | February 12, 2013 |
| Credit Types: | CME |
| Credit Amount: | 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ |
| Estimated Time for Completion: | 1.5 hours |
| Registration Required: | Yes |
| Cost: | There are no fees to participate in this activity. |
Activity Description
The treat to target (T2T) approach has been widely adopted in chronic disease settings such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Clinical trials have shown that a T2T strategy that aims for clinical remission/low disease activity can improve signs and symptoms and inhibit structural progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
An international task force recently published ten recommendations to guide physicians using a T2T methodology in their patients with RA.¹ This CME-certified program, hosted by Allan Gibofsky, MD, JD, and John A. Goldman, MD, MACR, FACP, CCD, will review the evidence supporting these recommendations and provide insight for integrating a T2T approach into clinical practice.
- Smolen JS, Aletaha D, Bijlsma JWJ, et al. Treating rheumatoid arthritis to target: recommendations of an international task force. Ann Rheum Dis. 2010;69:631-637.
Learning Objectives
As a result of participating in the activity, learners will be better able to:
- Integrate validated composite measures of disease activity, including joint assessments, to guide treatment decisions in routine clinical practice
- Obtain continuous measurement of disease activity to adjust treatment in order to improve patient outcomes
- Evaluate the role of DMARDs and biologic therapies according to the International Task Force T2T recommendations
- Incorporate a T2T strategy in clinical practice utilizing biologic agents with different mechanisms of action
- Employ strategies to monitor and minimize adverse events associated with RA therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Target Audience
This activity has been designed for rheumatologists and internists who provide care and support to patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Other healthcare professionals involved in the care of these patients may also participate.
Conflict of Interest Policy / Disclosure Statement
According to the disclosure policy of the Academy, all faculty, planning committee members, editors, managers and other individuals who are in a position to control content are required to disclose any relevant relationships with any commercial interests related to this activity. The existence of these interests or relationships is not viewed as implying bias or decreasing the value of the presentation. All educational materials are reviewed for fair balance, scientific objectivity and levels of evidence. Disclosures are as follows:
Allan Gibofsky, MD, JD
| Nature of Relationship | Commercial Entity |
| Advisory Board – for marketing purposes | AstraZeneca, |
| Advisory Board – for scientific purposes | Abbott Laboratories, Amgen, AstraZeneca, |
| Shareholder | Abbott Laboratories, Amgen, |
| Promotional Speakers’ Bureau | Abbott Laboratories, Amgen, |
John A. Goldman, MD, MACR, FACP, CCD
| Nature of Relationship | Commercial Entity |
| Advisory Board – for marketing purposes | Centocor |
| Advisory Board – for scientific purposes | Cypress Bioscience |
| Consultant – for clinical trial design | Centocor (Restart) |
| Shareholder | Amgen, |
| Grant Recipient/Research Support | AstraZeneca, Cephalon, Genentech, Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Centocor), Eli Lilly, Merck & Co., Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, UCB Pharma (funds paid to Atlanta Center for Clinical Research) |
| Promotional Speakers’ Bureau | Amgen, AstraZeneca, Cypress Bioscience, Pfizer, UCB Pharma |
Independent Clinical Peer Reviewer
Rodolfo V. Curiel, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology Fellowship, Program Director, The George Washington University, Washington, DC: No relevant financial relationships with any commercial interests.
Planning Committee
John JD Juchniewicz, MCIS, CCMEP, American Academy of CME, and Deborah Dean, Michelle Yechout, and Wendy Gloffke, PhD, Alliance Medical Communications: No relevant financial relationships with any commercial interests.
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 the American Academy of CME and Alliance Medical Communications. The American Academy of CME is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Method of Participation
There are no fees to participate in the activity. Participants must review the CME information including the learning objectives and disclosure statements, complete the brief (3 question) pre-activity survey, and review the content of the activity. To receive CME credit for your participation, please complete the post-test (achieving a passing grade of 70% or greater) and program evaluation.
Statement of Commercial Support
Support for this activity has been made possible through an educational grant from 
Designation of Credit
The American Academy of CME 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.
Disclaimer Statement
This activity is designed for use by health care professionals for educational purposes only. The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty, and do not represent those of the Academy or Alliance Medical Communications. This activity is intended as a supplement to existing knowledge, published information, and practice guidelines. Learners should appraise the information presented critically, and draw conclusions only after careful consideration of all available scientific information.
In addition, the American Academy of CME requires all faculty/authors to note the level of evidence for any patient care recommendation made during their presentations. For this activity, the American Academy of CME used the Category of Evidence and the Strength of Recommendation classification schemes from the 1999 British Medical Journal : Clinical Guidelines – Developing Guidelines [Shekelle PG et al] for Levels of Evidence.
Classification Schemes
Category of evidence:
Ia—evidence for meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Ib—evidence from at least one randomized controlled trial
IIa—evidence from at least one controlled study without randomization
IIb—evidence from at least one other type of quasi-experimental study
III—evidence from non-experimental descriptive studies, such as comparative studies, correlation studies, and case-control studies
IV—evidence from expert committee reports or opinions or clinical experience of respected authorities, or both
Strength of recommendation:
A—directly based on category I evidence
B—directly based on category II evidence or extrapolated recommendation from category I evidence
C—directly based on category III evidence or extrapolated recommendation from category I or II evidence
D—directly based on category IV evidence or extrapolated recommendation from category I, II or III evidence
Disclosure of Unlabeled Use
This enduring material will not review off-label or investigational use of products.
Contact Information for Questions About the Activity
For any questions, please contact:
John JD Juchniewicz, MCIS, CCMEP
American Academy of CME, Inc.
2275 West County Line Road
Suite 6-329
Jackson, NJ 08527
E-mail: jjuchniewicz@academycme.org
www.academycme.org
Hardware / Software Requirements
To access this activity the hardware and software requirements are noted below.
Windows Requirements:
- Operating system: Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later
- Browser: Internet Explorer 7 or later, Mozilla Firefox 2 or later
- Internet connection: DSL, cable modem, or other high-speed connection
- Flash: Adobe Flash Player 8 or later
Macintosh Requirements:
- Operating system: Mac OSX v10.3 or later
- Browser: Mozilla Firefox 2 or later
- Internet connection: DSL, cable modem, or other high-speed connection
- Flash: Adobe Flash Player 8 or later
Privacy Policy
For more information about the American Academy of CME privacy policy, please access http://www.academycme.org/privacy.htm
Copyright
© 2012. This CME-certified activity is held as copyrighted © by the American Academy of CME and Alliance Medical Communications. Through this notice, the Academy and Alliance Medical Communications grant permission of its use for educational purposes only. These materials may not be used, in whole or in part, for any commercial purposes without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner(s).
I acknowledge that I have read the CME information
Search
Suggest a CME Activity
Please provide below the URL and description of an activity you would like to add to OpenCME. You are welcome to add activities as often as you like. To prevent spam or other abuse, activities are reviewed by our editorial team before appearing on OpenCME.
OpenCME for Publishers
Please use the form below if you would like to offer your website visitors high quality CME content by adding the OpenCME Widget to one or more of your pages.
