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• CME PG Alzheimer's

CME PG Alzheimer's

Go to APA Online CME to access the course.

Earn up to 5 AMA PRA Category 1 credits™.

Readers of APA Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, Second Edition who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ (up to 5 hours) may do so by reading the guideline and answering the CME questions in the CME Self-Test section of the online course.  After each question is answered, the course program will confirm or correct it and provide a link to the section of the text where relevant recommendations are discussed. A rationale for the correct answer is also provided.

APA members, log in to the course using your APA username and password; these are set in the member's corner section of the APA website.  CME credit for this guideline course and for all the APA practice guideline courses is awarded to APA members free of charge.  After completing the program, APA members will be provided with an opportunity to print an official CME certificate showing the date of completion and hours earned.

For those who are not APA members who wish to earn CME credit for this practice guideline course, the CME processing fee is $60.00. Certificates are mailed following receipt of payment.

The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) has reviewed the APA Practice Guidelines Program and approved this course as part of a comprehensive lifelong learning and self-assessment program, which is mandated by the American Board Of Medical Specialties as a necessary component of maintenance of certification. ABPN approval of this individual practice guideline CME course began January 2008 and ends January 2011.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

• To acquaint physicians with the APA Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, Second Edition.
• To improve care of patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias by incorporating the principles of this guideline into individual practices.

ACCREDITATION

The CME activity was planned and produced in accordance with the Essentials of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

The APA is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The APA designates this educational activity for a maximum of 5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

The Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, Second Edition consists of three parts (Parts A, B, and C).

Part A, "Treatment Recommendations" contains general and specific treatment recommendations. Section I summarizes the key recommendations of the guideline and codes each recommendation according to the degree of clinical confidence with which the recommendation is made. Section II is a guide to the formulation and implementation of a treatment plan for the individual patient. Section III, "Specific Clinical Features Influencing the Treatment Plan," discusses a range of clinical considerations that could alter the general recommendations discussed in Section I.

Part B, "Background Information and Review of Available Evidence" provides an overview of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including general information on natural history, course, and epidemiology. It also provides a structured review and synthesis of the evidence that underlies the recommendations made in Part A.

Part C, "Future Research Needs" draws from the previous sections and summarizes areas for which more research data are needed to guide clinical decisions.

Course Contents 

STATEMENT OF INTENT

OVERVIEW OF GUIDELINE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

GUIDE TO USING THIS PRACTICE GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

PART A: TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
I. Executive Summary

II. FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A TREATMENT PLAN
A. Determining the Site of Treatment and Frequency of Visits
B. Psychiatric Management
C. Development and Implementation of a Stage-Specific Treatment Plan

III. SPECIFIC CLINICAL FEATURES INFLUENCING THE TREATMENT PLAN
A. Demographic and Social Factors
B. Co-occurring Conditions and Other Dementias
C. Site-Specific Issues

Part B: BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND REVIEW OF AVAILABLE EVIDENCE

IV. DISEASE DEFINITION, NATURAL HISTORY, AND EPIDEMIOLOGY
A. Definition of Dementia
B. Associated Features
C. Differential Diagnosis
D. Prevalence and Course
E. Staging of Dementia
F. Specific Dementias

V. REVIEW OF AVAILABLE EVIDENCE
A. Specific Psychotherapies/Psychosocial Treatments
B. Somatic Treatments

INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUBMITTED COMMENTS

REFERENCES