You Are Invited to a CME/CE Teleconference
Introduction
The lifelong burden of gout affects an increasing number of patients and often substantially decreases patient quality of life. Primary care clinicians are usually the first and critical point of care. These clinicians need to know how to recognize, act, and educate when facing gout patients to prevent this chronic condition from progressing. Oftentimes, presumptive gout diagnoses are correct, reducing further testing or referral to a small number of patients. Challenges may present when differential diagnoses or a number of comorbid conditions of gout need to be simultaneously addressed.
Targeting the underlying hyperuricemia controls the chronic aspects of gout, although many times, termination of the acute flares remains the only focus of the clinician. Therefore, clinicians must recognize gout as a lifelong, chronic condition, and embrace appropriate long-term management of gout to avoid decreased physical function due to potentially polyarticular and disabling manifestations.
Furthermore, gout treatment can only be successful when patients know about the important therapeutic goals they must achieve. Clinicians can be effective gout educators if they are aware of the patient’s agenda, achieve behavioral changes, and increase and maintain adherence to gout treatment.
This series of educational teleconferences outlines important steps for the clinician to make individual patient-clinician decisions and implement a long-term treatment plan for chronic gout.
Target Audience
This will be a 1-hour activity accredited for nurse practitioners and physician assistants. This activity will consist of a case-based, interactive lecture and question-and-answer periods.