TARGET AUDIENCE

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners in primary care whose patients may report or present with symptoms and signs of transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Original Release Date: October 2009
Expiration Date: October 31, 2010
Estimated Time to Complete this Activity/CNE: 1 hour
Medium: Printed journal and online CME

Sponsored by Postgraduate Institute for Medicine

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The primary objective of this educational initiative is to provide clinicians in primary care with the most up-to-date information regarding TIAs, their prevalence and variable symptomatology, the associated risk of subsequent ischemic stroke, and appropriate management to reduce this risk in affected patients.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

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

• Discuss the incidence of TIA in the US population and the associated risk of subsequent ischemic stroke.
• Describe the pathophysiology of TIA.
• Identify key components of the history and examination that help localize the origin of the TIA.
• Explain use of the ABCD2 score to identify patients at low, moderate, and high risk for subsequent stroke.
• Outline treatment options for TIA as guided by specific symptoms and sources.

FACULTY

Michael P. Halasy, MS, PA-C, is Senior Physician Assistant and Assistant Supervisor of the PA/NP Group in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and is an advocate for the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center.

PHYSICIANS

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) and Quadrant HealthCom Inc. 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 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS

The American Academy of Physician Assistants accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME.

NURSE PRACTITIONERS

This program has been approved by the Nurse Practitioner Association New York State (The NPA) for 1.0 contact hour.

DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) assesses conflict of interest with its instructors, planners, and 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 health care 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: Michael P. Halasy, MS, PA-C, reported no significant financial relationship with any commercial entity related to this activity.

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: Jan Hixon, RN, BSN, MA, Linda Graham, RN, BSN, BA, Trace Hutchison, PharmD, Maura Griffin, and Christine Lukesh reported no significant financial relationship with any commercial entity related to this activity.

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION

The fee for participating and receiving CME credit for this activity is $10.00. During the period October 2009 through October 31, 2010, participants must:

1. read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures;
2. study the educational activity;
3. go to www.clinicianreviews.com, follow links to the posttest for this activity, and provide payment information via our secure server;
4. complete the 15-question posttest by recording the best answer to each question; and
5. record their response to each of the additional evaluation questions.

If you have any questions, call (800) 423-3576 or e-mail evaluations@pimed.com. Upon successful completion of an online posttest, with a score of 70% of better, and the completion of the online activity evaluation form, a statement of credit will be made available immediately.

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), The NPA, and Quadrant HealthCom Inc. do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of PIM, The NPA, or Quadrant HealthCom Inc. 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 patient’s conditions and the possible contraindications or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.