RAEC Overview

Goal

Rheumatoid Arthritis Educational Challenge (RAEC) is a multi interventional integrated series of CME-accredited educational activities developed to assist rheumatologists, PCP’s and other related providers who manage rheumatoid arthritis and related conditions to overcome barriers and gaps as they pertain to standards of care and patient outcomes.

Overview

The RAEC continuing education initiative seeks to improve the management of RA for healthcare providers based on professional guidelines and evidence from clinical trials and raise awareness of collaboration among healthcare professional to better enhance patient care and outcomes. There is a need to educate healthcare professionals on the benefits of effective patient communication to improve adherence, compliance, and quality of life for their patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). For effective communication to occur between the patient and the physician, education on this skill must be provided to the provider. Additionally, recognizing the importance of clinical measures in assessing disease progression and therapeutic effect, appropriate use of biologic/tumor necrosis factor-a antagonist and understanding how biologic therapy impacts patient care and outcomes is paramount. This education will target changing patients’ health-related behaviors in ways that improve health, adherence and compliance with treatment.

Learning Objectives

Upon the conclusion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

• IDENTIFY the benefits of an aggressive treatment- to-target strategy in the early management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
• APPLY appropriate integrated referral and care pathways for multidiscipline management of patients with RA and comorbid conditions, including atypical cases.
• UTILIZE the risk/benefit profiles and appropriate administration of biologic/tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a antagonist therapies in the management of patients with RA.
• DEMONSTRATE appropriate patient-physician communication skills for discussing the rationale, benefits, and risks of biologic/TNF-a antagonist therapies in RA.

Target Audience

This activity is designed for rheumatologists, primary care physicians, and other physicians who treat RA patients.