Multiple Sclerosis
Course #98593 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a relatively uncommon disease, but the effects can be devastating for patients with this disease. A cure is elusive, and the cause is still unknown. Different MS subtypes are being described, and healthcare providers should stay abreast of the different clinical presentations, effective management, and progression of the disease. This comprehensive overview will serve as a refresher and an update on the clinical management of multiple sclerosis.
This course is designed for physicians, primary care providers, and nurses who may intervene to improve the lives of patients with multiple sclerosis.
This course provides physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers with a review of the pathogenesis, clinical expression, diagnosis, and management of multiple sclerosis. Clinical care topics include treatment of acute exacerbations, therapeutic options for disease modification, and management of common symptoms and complications. The purpose of this course is to address knowledge gaps, enhance clinical skills, and improve quality of care and treatment outcomes for patients with multiple sclerosis.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Describe the risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS).
- Define the etiology and pathophysiology of MS.
- Identify common signs and symptoms of MS.
- Distinguish between the various MS disease courses, including relapsing-remitting, primary progressive, and secondary progressive subtypes.
- Compare and contrast early-onset and late-onset MS.
- Apply diagnostic criteria and select appropriate tests used to confirm the diagnosis of MS.
- Assess the conditions that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of MS.
- Select an appropriate treatment regimen for acute exacerbations of MS.
- Discuss the role of disease-modifying therapy in the management of MS, including the expected benefit, mode of action, and selection of options available.
- Anticipate and manage the various symptoms common to patients with active MS.
- Devise a management plan for the patient with MS who is, or wishes to become, pregnant.
John M. Leonard, MD, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, completed his post-graduate clinical training at the Yale and Vanderbilt University Medical Centers before joining the Vanderbilt faculty in 1974. He is a clinician-educator and for many years served as director of residency training and student educational programs for the Vanderbilt University Department of Medicine. Over a career span of 40 years, Dr. Leonard conducted an active practice of general internal medicine and an inpatient consulting practice of infectious diseases.
Contributing faculty, John M. Leonard, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
John V. Jurica, MD, MPH
Jane C. Norman, RN, MSN, CNE, PhD
The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.