Individualizing Care in Atrial Fibrillation to Improve Patient Outcomes

Credits: 1.00

Fee: None

Accreditor: Med-IQ

Expires: October 14, 2010

Multimedia: Audio/Slides

Because it is important that clinicians “recognize the broad spectrum of AF, assess risk, and tailor therapy accordingly,” This educational activity was created to “assist physicians who treat AF to appropriately use evidence-based algorithms and treatment recommendations in the formulation of optimal management strategies for their patients.”

Intended for clinical cardiologists; the secondary target audience is electrophysiologists, heart rhythm specialists, and other clinicians who play a critical role in the management of patients with atrial fibrillation, this online CME program notes that, rather than “focusing solely on rhythm control, rate control, or thromboembolic prevention,” clinicians need to “individualize treatment by employing an integrated approach based on patient and disease characteristics and the risk-benefit profiles of various therapeutic interventions.”

The program faculty are Joseph S. Alpert, MD, professor of medicine at University of Arizona College of Medicine, and editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Medicine, and Gerald V. Naccarelli, MD, Bernard Trabin Chair in Cardiology, professor of medicine, and chief of the Division of Cardiology at Penn State Heart & Vascular Institute.

This hour-long course explains the clinical consequences of atrial fibrillation (AF), its progressive nature, and the negative effects of the disease on quality of life; explains how to stratify AF patients using risk-assessment criteria to optimize antithrombotic treatment decisions for stroke prophylaxis; and discusses why it is important that clinicians incorporate clinical evidence and specific patient needs into individualized care plans that encompass all areas of AF therapy, including rate control, rhythm control, and thromboembolic prevention.

Click here to visit this third-party website and participate in this CME course.