TARGET AUDIENCE

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners in primary care whose patients present with symptoms of one of several common ocular or ophthalmic problems.

Original Release Date: November 2009
Expiration Date: November 30, 2010
Estimated Time to Complete this Activity/CNE: 1.5 hours
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 several common ocular/ophthalmic problems, how they are diagnosed and managed, and when they require referral to an eye specialist.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

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

• Outline key elements of the ocular history and eye exam for the primary care patient.
• Describe management of patients who present with symptoms of corneal abrasion.
• Distinguish among bacterial, viral, and allergic conjunctivitis in terms of diagnosis and treatment.
• Explain management of several conditions that are manifested by flashes and floaters.
• Detail collaborative management of hyphema by the primary care clinician and the ophthalmologist.

FACULTY

Adam Lloyd, MHS, RPA-C, practices in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Albany Medical Center in New York, where he is also Clinical Instructor in the Center for Physician Assistant Studies. Gregory L. Pinto, MD, practices in ophthalmology in Saratoga Springs, New York.

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 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. 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: Adam Lloyd, MHS, RPA-C, and Gregory L. Pinto, MD, 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 November 2009 through November 30, 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.