Program Description

Diabetes affects 23.6 million persons in the United States—7.8% of the population. Since 2005, nearly 3 million new cases have been diagnosed.1 Reducing blood glucose levels to as near to the nondiabetic range (A1C levels <6%) as possible has been shown to decrease complication rates in patients with diabetes.2 Telemonitoring is a real-time approach to managing patients with diabetes that can provide timely transmission and instantaneous remote interpretation of patients’ data for follow-up and personalized preventive interventions. Because of its demonstrated clinical and economic benefits and ready acceptance by patients,3 telemonitoring is now an option for the management of patients with diabetes across the country.

This 1-hour online CME/CE activity comprises a brief introduction and 2 learning modules. The introductory section updates the statistics on the clinical and economic burden of diabetes. In the core program, module 1 focuses on the state of the art in algorithm-based clinical care for patients with diabetes; module 2 highlights the future of diabetes care using wireless technology for remote monitoring and illustrates strategies for implementing the new technology in clinical practice with case reports.

Target Audience

Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Certified Diabetes Educators, and Primary Care Physicians

Activity Goal

To familiarize nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, certified diabetes educators, and primary care physicians with clinical algorithms for the management of patients with diabetes, new wireless technologies for remote monitoring in diabetes care, and strategies for accomplishing the transition to remote monitoring in clinical practice.

Learning Objectives

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

  • Extrapolate evidence-based algorithms to the clinical care of individual patients
  • Apply principles of algorithm-based clinical care to telemonitoring
  • Select patients for whom telemonitoring offers potential advantages in the management of diabetes
  • Assess the added value of using available technology to provide real-time management of patients with diabetes

Faculty

Davida F. Kruger, MSN, APN-BC, BC-ADM
Certified Nurse Practitioner-Diabetes
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan

Max E. Stachura, MD
Director, Center for Telehealth
Professor of Medicine and Physiology
Medical College of Georgia
Augusta, Georgia

Georgia Research Alliance
Eminent Scholar in Telemedicine


References:
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2007. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/ pubs/pdf/ndfs_2007.pdf. Accessed June 25, 2008.
2. Stratton IM, Adler AI, Neil HA, et al. Association of glycaemia with macrovascular and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 35): prospective observational study. BMJ. 2000;321:405-412.
3. Klonoff DC. Diabetes and telemedicine: is the technology sound, effective, cost-effective, and practical? Diabetes Care. 2003;26:1626-1628.


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Accreditation

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of New York Medical College (NYMC) and Continuing Education Alliance. NYMC is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. NYMC designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

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 1.25 contact hours under ANCC criteria.

Provided for 1.5 contact hours under Iowa Provider #78. Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #13699 for 1.5 contact hours.

This program has been reviewed and is approved for a maximum of 1.25 hours of AAPA Category I CME credit by the Physician Assistant Review Panel. Approval is valid for one year from the issue date of January 5, 2009. 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.

We gratefully acknowledge SymCare Personalized Health Solutions, Inc. for its generous support of this educational activity.

Release date: January 5, 2009
Expiration: January 5, 2010