Assessing Asthma Severity: A Self-assessment and Clinical Overview

Pulmonary Disease
Curriculum:
Point of Care Clinical Decisions in Asthma Management
Credits:
1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)
Launch Date:
August 16, 2016
Expiration Date:
The accreditation for this activity has expired.

Primary Audience:

Primary care clinicians, community pulmonologists, allergists, and others involved in the management of patients with asthma.

Relevant Terms:

Asthma, comorbidities, assessing disease severity and control

Michael E. Wechsler, MD, MMSc

​Michael E. Wechsler, MD, MMSc
Director, Asthma Program
Professor of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
Department of Medicine                                            
National Jewish Health
Denver, CO

Dr. Wechsler is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Asthma Program in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at National Jewish Health in Denver. He is board certified in both Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Wechsler’s research focuses on clinical and translational asthma with emphasis on clinical trials in asthma, novel asthma therapies, bronchial thermoplasty, asthma pharmacogenomics, and management of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss Syndrome, CSS). He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts relating to asthma, CSS and eosinophilic lung diseases.
 
Dr. Wechsler is a member of the Steering Committee and site Principal Investigator of the NIH-sponsored Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN, now called AsthmaNet), a multicenter asthma clinical trials consortium. He has served as Principal Investigator of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-sponsored ACRN LARGE trial, Partners Genetics Enters Medicine Initiative-funded GABLE trial and the AHRQ funded Blacks and Exacerbations on LABA or Tiotropium (BELT) trial. He is currently serving as Principal Investigator of an NHLBI sponsored study of asthma therapies in African Americans that examines race-specific differences in response to asthma therapy. He is also leading an NIAID sponsored study exploring anti IL5 in CSS.
 
A member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, Dr. Wechsler has participated in many different task forces related to the study of eosinophilic lung diseases that were sponsored by the NIH, the FDA, the European Respiratory Society and the International Eosinophil Society. Professor Wechsler also serves as Associate Editor of the Journal Allergy and is on the editorial Board of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation. Dr. Wechsler received AB and MMSc degrees from Harvard University in Boston and an MD degree from McGill University in Montreal. 

Monica Kraft, MD

Monica Kraft, MD
Professor of Medicine
Chair, Department of Medicine
The Robert and Irene Flinn Endowed Chair of Medicine
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ

Prior to joining the University of Arizona in 2014, Dr. Monica Kraft, MD, was at Duke University, where she served as chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, as the Charles C. Johnson, MD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, and as director of the Duke Asthma, Allergy and Airway Center. As vice chair for research in the Duke University Department of Medicine from 2009-2013, Dr. Kraft implemented several important initiatives to support the department’s research endeavors and was instrumental in the re-submission and renewal of Duke’s National Institutes of Health-funded Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA). Prior to joining Duke in 2004, Dr. Kraft served as director of the Carl and Hazel Felt Laboratory in Adult Asthma Research and as medical director of the pulmonology physiology unit at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, CO.
1. Follow guideline recommendations for the diagnosis and assessment of asthma.
2. Use spirometry and standardized questionnaires to assess disease severity.
3. Develop guideline-recommended treatment plans for patients with asthma based on disease severity.
4. Provide patients with the education and tools to engage them as active partners in their asthma care.

DISCLOSURES
Michael E Wechsler, MD, MMSc, discloses the following relationships with commercial interests: 
Consultant--Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Teva, Genentech, Theravance, Vectura, Mylan, Regeneron, Boston Scientific, Meda, Tunitas

Monica Kraft, MD, discloses the following relationships with commercial interests: 
Consultant--Teva, AstraZeneca, Genentech
Grant Funding--Roche, Sanofi, Chiesi

Rick Ricer, MD, Physician Reviewer, University of Cincinnati, has no conflicts of interest to disclose. 
Susan P. Tyler, MEd, CMP, CHCP, FACEHP, University of Cincinnati, has no conflicts of interest to disclose. 
Joshua Kilbridge, Medical Writer, has no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Kathleen Hines, Vice President, Editorial Services, MCM Education, has no conflicts of interest to disclose. 
Terry Ann Glauser, MD, MPH, Vice President, Medical Affairs, MCM Education has no conflicts of interest to disclose. 

The University of Cincinnati requires all faculty to disclose any planned discussion of an investigational and/or off-label use of a pharmaceutical product or device within their presentation. Participants should note that the use of products outside FDA-approved labeling should be considered experimental and are advised to consult current prescribing information for approved indications. 

In this educational activity, the faculty reports their presentation will not contain reference to investigational and/or off-label uses.

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization associated with this activity. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

CREDIT STATEMENTS
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the University of Cincinnati and MCM Education. The University of Cincinnati is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The University of Cincinnati designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Release date: August 16, 2016 
Last review date: August 16, 2016 
Expiration date: August 30, 2017

COMMERCIAL SUPPORT STATEMENT
This activity is supported by an educational grant from Novartis.
 
HOW TO RECEIVE CREDIT
To receive credit, users must:
  • Read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures.
  • Participate in the activity.
  • Complete the activity evaluation.
Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who score 80% or higher on the post-test and complete the evaluation will receive CME credit for this activity. All other participants who successfully complete the post-test and evaluation will receive a certificate of participation.
 
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DISCLAIMER
© 2016 MCM Education. All rights reserved. None of the contents may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or recommendations of their affiliated institutions, the publisher, the University of Cincinnati, or Novartis. Any medications, diagnostic procedures, or treatments discussed by the faculty should not be used by clinicians or other health care professionals without first evaluating their patients' conditions, considering possible contraindications or risks, reviewing any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparing any therapeutic approach with the recommendations of other authorities.