THREADS ONE
Tackling Delayed Diagnosis and Treatment Escalation ​

Leveling Up COPD Care:
Closing Critical Gaps in Vaccination Guideline Adoption, Improving Clinical Inertia, and Integrating Personalized Approaches to Care

Faculty

ROBERT BURKES, MD, MSCR

Assistant professor of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
West Chester, OH
STEPHANIE CHRISTENSON, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine,
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
FELIX M. REYES, MD

Northwest Medical Center - Houghton,
Clinical Director COPD Program
Tucson, AZ

Program Overview

The management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) presents significant challenges in optimizing patient outcomes, with critical gaps in both the understanding and application of effective treatment strategies. Notably, there is a substantial underutilization of vaccinations, a key preventive measure against exacerbations from acquired infections. Additionally, patient-centered, personalized strategies, including shared decision-making, patient phenotyping of treatable traits for targeted interventions, promoting adherence, and addressing vaccine hesitancy, are not adequately leveraged in current practices.

Further compounding these issues is the delay in the recognition and diagnosis of COPD, often leading to late initiation of treatment and insufficient escalation of therapy following symptomatic events. These gaps in COPD management not only hinder effective patient care but also have a direct negative impact on patient engagement, quality of life, and healthcare utilization.

There is an urgent need to integrate evidence-based recommendations into routine clinical practice, ensuring timely, appropriate, and patient-centric management of COPD. This requires a concerted effort to educate healthcare professionals on the latest guidelines and treatment strategies, emphasizing the importance of vaccinations, personalized care, and early intervention. Bridging these gaps will enhance patient outcomes and optimize the overall management of COPD, particularly in settings where access to specialized care and resources may be limited.

Target Audience

This educational initiative has been designed to meet the educational needs of pulmonologists, infectious disease specialists, primary care providers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists involved in the treatment of COPD.

Learning Objectives

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

  • REVIEW the factors contributing to delays in initiating therapy for COPD and implement measures to minimize such delays, ensuring prompt and effective intervention.
  • DISCUSS the importance of escalating therapy after symptomatic events in COPD management.
  • REVIEW skills to assess and promptly adjust treatment plans when necessary.

Accreditation

Fee Information and Refund/Cancellation Policy

There is no fee for this educational activity.

Contact Information

For information about the accreditation of this program, please contact Global at 303-395-1782 or cme@globaleducationgroup.com

Disclosures

Disclosures of Relevant Financial Relationships

​Global Education Group (Global) adheres to the policies and guidelines, including the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE, set forth to providers by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and all other professional organizations, as applicable, stating those activities where continuing education credits are awarded must be balanced, independent, objective, and scientifically rigorous. All persons in a position to control the content of an accredited continuing education program provided by Global are required to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible company within the past 24 months to Global. All financial relationships reported are identified as relevant and mitigated by Global in accordance with the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE in advance of delivery of the activity to learners. The content of this activity was vetted by Global to assure objectivity and that the activity is free of commercial bias.

All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

The faculty have the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies:

ROBERT BURKES, MD, MSCR
Nothing to Disclose

DR. STEPHANIE CHRISTENSON
Consulting Fee (e.g., Advisory Board): Sanofi, Regeneron, AstraZeneca, GSK, Genentech, Apogee Therapeutics, Axon Advisors, Verona Pharma, Amgen, Devpro Pharma, Kymera Therapeutics
Honoraria: Daedalus Enterprises, Sanofi, Regeneron, GSK, AstraZeneca
Speakers' Bureau: Regeneron and Sanofi

FELIX M. REYES, MD
Nothing to Disclose

The following planners and managers involved in the development of this activity have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

Global
The planners and managers at Global Education Group have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Iridium
The planners and managers at Iridium have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. Global and Iridium do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

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.

Disclaimer
Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of patient conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.
This activity is jointly provided by Global Education Group and Iridium Continuing Education.

SUPPORTER ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This educational activity is supported by an independent educational grant GlaxoSmithKline LLC.

Activity Credit Amount: Non-certified
Credit Type: N/A
Release: October 7, 2024

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