Faculty
    
John G. McGinnity, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA
Clinical Associate Professor
Wayne State University
Eugene Applebaum College of
Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Target audience
Nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in primary care practice

Activity Goal
To raise awareness of national guidelines on the management of AF; identify gaps in patient care; and improve patient risk assessment, education, and treatment adherence.

Introduction
Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects more than 2 million adults in the United States and is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. Many patients with AF do not adhere to their prescribed antiarrhythmic and/or antithrombotic therapy, often because they experience drug-related side effects or do not understand the risks associated with AF and the need for treatment. To help clinicians become aware of their personal practice gaps in the management of patients with AF in relation to national guidelines, Practicing Clinicians Exchange (PCE) developed the AF Practice Improvement Program. This newsletter reviews key aspects in the clinical care of patients with AF and summarizes the findings from this Practice Improvement Program.

Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, participants should be better able to:

• Apply clinical risk assessment tools to determine the risk of thromboembolic events in patients with AF
• Explain the risks of AF and the importance of treatment adherence to patients with AF
• Develop strategies to increase adherence to AF management guidelines based on identified gaps within clinician practice patterns

Accreditation Information
The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing Continuing Nursing Education is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
   
This activity is provided for 1.0 contact hour under ANCC criteria.
   
This program has been reviewed and is approved for a maximum of 1.0 hour of AAPA Category I CME credit by the Physician Assistant Review Panel. Approval is valid for one year from the issue date of December 16, 2011. Participants may submit the self-assessment at any time during that period.
   
This program was planned in accordance with AAPA’s CME Standards for Enduring Material Programs and for Commercial Support of Enduring Material Programs.
   
This activity was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from sanofi-aventis.

How to Receive Credit
Participants wishing to earn CME/CE credit must:
1. Read the newsletter.
2. Relate the content material to the learning objectives.
3. Complete the self-assessment questions and evaluation form online at www.practicingclinicians.com/afibpitest
After login, please enter the code: SAPCE76111
Successful completion of the self-assessment is required to earn CME/CE credit. Successful completion is defined as a cumulative score of at least 70%.
   
The estimated time to complete this activity is 1 hour.
Release date: December 16, 2011
Expiration date: December 16, 2012

Disclosures
All faculty and planners participating in continuing education activities sponsored by the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing Continuing Nursing Education are expected to disclose to the audience any significant support or substantial relationship(s) with providers of commercial products and/or devices discussed in this activity and/or with any commercial supporters of the activity. In addition, all faculty are expected to openly disclose any off-label, experimental, or investigational use of drugs or devices discussed in this activity. The faculty and planning committee have been advised that this activity must be free from commercial bias, and based upon all the available scientifically rigorous data from research that conforms to accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis.
   
Mr McGinnity: honoraria: Boehringer Ingelheim.
   
The Planning Committee for this activity included Catherine A. Bevil, RN, EdD, and Heidi J. Keeler, PhD, RN, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing Continuing Nursing Education; and Ruth Cohen and Christine M. Olsen, PhD, of Continuing Education Alliance. The members of the Planning Committee have no significant relationships to disclose.

Disclaimer
The opinions or views expressed in this continuing education activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or recommendations of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing Continuing Nursing Education, Continuing Education Alliance, Practicing Clinicians Exchange, or sanofi-aventis. Please contact Practicing Clinicians Exchange at pce@practicingclinicians.com for questions regarding this activity.
  
©2011 Practicing Clinicians Exchange SAPCE76111