Optimal Use of Analgesics in the Management of Osteoarthritis Pain

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Program Overview:

Optimal Use of Analgesics in the Management of Osteoarthritis Pain will provide an evidence-based, guideline-based review of treatment options for managing osteoarthritis (OA) pain. The demographics of the osteoarthritic patient will be discussed, including evaluation of risk factors, comorbidities, and concomitant medications. Optimal pain management of osteoarthritis involves challenges in communication between the healthcare provider and the osteoarthritic patient, which should be recognized in order to provide optimal assessment of pain and pain relief. The role of comorbidities in pain perception will be discussed, as well as patient compliance and patient support.

Evidence-based, guideline-based treatment options for management of osteoarthritis pain will be presented, including nonpharmacotherapy options and pharmacotherapy options. The presentation will include a discussion of acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), COX-2 inhibitors, corticosteroids, opioids, and hyaluronate. Pharmacotherapy concerns, such as costs, safety, and overdose, will be reviewed. Video vignette, case-based learning will be used to illustrate education from expert presentations and guidelines.

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, the participant will be able to:

• Implement strategies for patient communication and education for management of OA pain and utilize pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies for pain management according to guideline recommendations
• Describe patient risk factors which could interact with various pain relief medications

Accreditation/Designation Statement

Primary Care Network, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Primary Care Network designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Target Audience:

This activity is targeted to all physicians and other healthcare professionals who treat patients with osteoarthritis.

Release date: February 23, 2009
Expiration date: February 23, 2010

Medium: Podcast

Acknowledgement of Commercial Support:

This activity was developed from the live Best Practices in Primary Care™ program held in Orlando, Florida on June 28, 2008 which was funded by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc.

Method of Participation:

To receive CME credit for this activity, you need to listen to the program. Upon finishing the podcast, complete the post-test and evaluation, and fill out all required personal information. To receive your CME certificate you will need to pass the post-test with 70% accuracy or better.

Post-test and Evaluation:

After completing this activity, click on the Post-test button at the end of the program. If you receive less than 70% on the post-test, you will be returned to the beginning of the activity to review the presentation again. Upon successful completion of the post-test, you will be asked to fill out a program evaluation form and prompted to print your CME certificate.

Statement of Disclosure and Independence:

It is the policy of Primary Care Network, Inc. to ensure all its sponsored educational activities are planned, developed, and conducted in accordance with the ACCME’s Essential Areas and Policies. In accordance with ACCME requirements, Primary Care Network has Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Policies that are designed to ensure that Primary Care Network sponsored educational activities are fair balanced, independent, evidence-based and based on scientific rigor.

Primary Care Network’s Resolution of Personal Conflicts of Interest (COI) Policy aims to ensure that all conflicts are resolved prior to the activity, content is developed and presented free of commercial bias, and is in the interest of promoting improvements or quality in healthcare. All individuals who are in a position to influence and/or control content of a Primary Care Network sponsored activity are required to disclose to the participants any real or apparent conflict of interest related to the activity. The educational content is also reviewed for independence and content validation by an independent external clinical reviewer and internal clinical reviewer. Independence is also monitored through the activity and overall program evaluation process.

The opinions, ideas, recommendations, and perspectives expressed in the accompanying presentations at this Primary Care Education program are those of the program authors and presenting faculty only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, ideas, recommendations or perspectives of their affiliated institutions, Primary Care Network, Primary Care Education, Advisory Boards and Consultants, or the activity’s commercial supporters.

Planning Committee and Disclosures

Louis C. Almekinders, MD
Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery
Duke University
Durham, NC

Dr. Almekinders is a member of the speaker’s bureau for Alpharma Inc.

Mary Beth Caschetta
Medical Writer
Caschetta Consulting
Provincetown, MA

Ms. Caschetta has nothing to disclose.

Mark Fendrick, MD
Professor, Internal Medicine and Health Management & Policy
Codirector, Center for Value-based Insurance Design
Coeditor in Chief, American Journal of Managed Care
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI

Dr. Fendrick is a consultant to Abbott Laboratories, ActiveHealth Management, Inc., AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Hewitt Associates LLC, MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novartis Pharmaceutials, Perrigo Company, Pfizer, Inc., and sanofi-aventis US.

Gerald Johnson, PhD
Vice President, Medical Affairs
Integrity Continuing Education
Tinton Falls, NJ Dr.

Johnson is a former stock shareholder and employee of sanofi-aventis US. His spouse is an employee of Bayer and a former employee of Berlex Inc. and Schering AG.

Faculty and Disclosures

Frank LoVecchio, DO, MPH
Professor
Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
Midwestern University
Glendale, AZ

Dr. LoVecchio receives grant support from the National Institutes of Health.

Michael J. Cawley, PharmD
Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
Philadelphia, PA

Dr. Cawley is a member of the speaker’s bureau for Cubist Pharmaceuticals, serves on the advisory board of Ortho-McNeil, ZymoGenetics, and is a consultant to Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

Review Committee Disclosure

In accordance with our policy, all content is reviewed by external independent peer reviewers for balance, objectivity and commercial bias. The peer reviewers, staff, and other individuals who control content have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Unlabeled Use Declaration:

During their presentation(s), faculty may discuss an unlabeled use or an investigational use not approved for a commercial product. Each faculty member is required to disclose this information to the audience when referring to an unlabeled or investigational use.

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