Program Overview

Activity Description Objectives

Target Audience Method of Participation

Term of Approval Acknowledgement of Support

Activity Description

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder of repeated collapse and obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. Affected individuals may experience reduced airflow (hypopnea) or complete airflow cessation (apnea), oxygen desaturation, and arousals from sleep. A number of serious adverse clinical outcomes are associated with OSA, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In clinical settings, OSA has been characterized by uncertainty regarding optimal criteria and instruments for screening and diagnosis; in addition, ongoing debates center on appropriate treatments for the condition. In July 2011, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) published a comparative effectiveness review of diagnostic instruments and treatments for OSA in adults. The review indicated that (1) portable monitors and questionnaires may be effective screening tools; (2) continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is highly effective in improving clinical outcomes; (3) oral devices are also effective, although not as effective as CPAP; and (4) other interventions, including those to improve patient adherence, have not been adequately tested.

This video guides clinicians through best practices in talking with patients about their options for diagnostic methods and treatments for OSA. The program highlights how to apply the findings from the AHRQ comparative effectiveness review in informed and shared decision making. This summary is intended to provide evidence to guide clinicians, health care payers, and policy makers in reaching decisions about effective methods for screening, diagnosing, and treating patients with OSA.

Core Competencies:

• Patient Care
• Interpersonal Skills and Communication
• Medical Knowledge

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

• Summarize evidence on the comparative utility of available tests for diagnosing sleep apnea in adults with symptoms suggestive of disordered sleep
• Compare the benefits and risks of various surgical, pharmacological, and nonpharmacological treatments for obstructive sleep apnea
• Apply relevant findings from the review to making shared and informed diagnostic and treatment decisions and to helping patients adhere to appropriate therapy regimens

Target Audience

This CME activity is designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, nurses, case managers, health educators and medical assistants.

Method of Participation

To receive a certificate for this activity, you should:

• Complete the learner assessment pretest
• View the entire activity online (Hardware/Software Requirements: Broadband & Flash Player or HTML5 browser)
• Complete an online evaluation & post-test
• Print your certificate online

The estimated time to complete this activity, including review of the materials, is 1.0 hour.

Term of Approval

October 31, 2011 through September 30, 2013. Original release date: October 31, 2011

Acknowledgement of Support

There is no fee for this CME/CE activity. This activity is sponsored by PRIME Education, Inc (PRIME^®) and funded under contract HHSA290201000006G from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Faculty Biographies and Disclosures

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Accreditation/Credit Designation

Physician Credit Designation Statement

PRIME Education, Inc. (PRIME^®) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

PRIME^® designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physician Assistant Accreditation Statement

AAPA accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME. Physician assistants may receive a maximum of 1.0 hours of Category I credit for completing this program.

Nurse Practitioner Accreditation Statement

PRIME Education, Inc (PRIME^®) is approved as a provider of Nurse Practitioner Continuing Education by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Provider number: 060815. This program is accredited for 1.0 contact hour. Program ID# CER16.

This program was planned in accordance with AANP CE Standards and Policies and AANP Commercial Support Standards.

Pharmacist Accreditation Statement

This curriculum has been approved for 1.0 contact hour (0.1 CEUs) by PRIME^®. PRIME^® is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. The Universal Activity Number for this program is 0255-0000-11-027-H01-P. This learning activity is Knowledge-Based.

Nurse Accreditation Statement

PRIME Education, Inc. (PRIME^®) is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

PRIME^® designates this activity for 1.0 contact hour.

Case Manager Accreditation Statement

The Commission for Case Manager Certification designates this educational activity for 1.0 contact hour for certified case managers.

Medical Assistant Accreditation Statement

This program has been granted prior approval by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) for 1.0 Continuing Education unit. Approval #123637. Granting approval in no way constitutes endorsement by the AAMA of the program content or the program's sponsor.

Certified Health Education Specialist Accreditation Statement

Sponsored by PRIME Education, Inc. (PRIME^®), a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) to receive up to 1.0 Category I contact hours in health education.

CHES Provider Number: MEP3774

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Faculty Disclosures

Disclosure Policy

PRIME Education Inc (PRIME^®) endorses the standards of the ACCME, as well as those of the AANP, ANCC and ACPE, that require everyone in a position to control the content of a CME/CE activity to disclose all financial relationships with commercial interests that are related to the content of the CME/CE activity. CME/CE activities must be balanced, independent of commercial bias and promote improvements or quality in healthcare. All recommendations involving clinical medicine must be based on evidence accepted within the medical profession.

A conflict of interest is created when individuals in a position to control the content of CME/CE have a relevant financial relationship with a commercial interest which therefore may bias his/her opinion and teaching. This may include receiving a salary, royalty, intellectual property rights, consulting fee, honoraria, stocks or other financial benefits.

PRIME^® willidentify, review and resolve all conflicts of interest that speakers, authors, course directors, planners, peer reviewers, or relevant staff disclose prior to an educational activity being delivered to learners. Disclosure of a relationship is not intended to suggest or condone bias in any presentation but is made to provide participants with information that might be of potential importance to their evaluation of a presentation. Disclosure information for speakers, authors, course directors, planners, peer reviewers, and/or relevant staff are provided with this activity.

Presentations that provide information in whole or in part related to non FDA approved uses of drugs and/or devices will disclose the unlabeled indications or the investigational nature of their proposed uses to the audience. Participants should refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications and warnings. Participants should verify all information and data before treating patients or employing any therapies prescribed in this educational activity. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the presenting faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of PRIME^®, the ACCME, AANP, ACPE, ANCC and other relevant accreditation bodies.

Content validation methods are consistently utilized by PRIME^® to ensure that all program content is evidence-based, fair-balanced, and developed with scientific rigor and integrity. All clinical recommendations are based on evidence accepted within the medical profession. All scientific research referred to, reported or used to support a clinical recommendation conforms to accepted standards of experimental design, data collection and analysis. In addition to review of content by course directors and expert faculty, content is also validated through independent peer reviewers selected for their expertise in the content area, as well as their experience in the intended audience. All peer reviewers, planners, course directors, faculty and relevant staff utilized by PRIME^® complete disclosures which are related to their role in the educational activity.

Accessibility

PRIME^®is committed to providing access to our CME programs for individuals with disabilities as identified in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act for all web-based programs. This website is 508 compliant.

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Post-Test & Evaluation

You must access the activity before receiving credit!

Clinician & Consumer Summaries on Sleep Apnea

Download these free summaries for your reference and/or patient handouts. You may also order bulk copies free of charge from the AHRQ Publication Clearinghouse below.