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  • Comparative Effectiveness Review on Off-label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics
 
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This CME/CE activity is provided by PRIME Education, Inc. (PRIME®) and is accredited for a multi-disciplinary audience of health care practitioners. This activity is supported by contract number HHSA290201000006G from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. User data collected through this activity will reside on PRIME's educational portal for use by AHRQ.

Summary of the Comparative Effectiveness Review on Off-label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics

To Receive a Certificate for This Activity:

Course Image
  1. 1. Read the Program Overview on this page.
  2. 2. Review the Faculty Biographies, Accreditation Statements, and Disclosure tabs.
  3. 3. Access the Activity in full.
  4. 4. Complete the Post-Test & Evaluation.
  5. 5. A printable certificate will be available immediately following the activity.

Program Overview

Activity Description

There are currently nine atypical antipsychotic drugs that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These drugs are being used as off-label (i.e., for indications not approved by FDA) treatments for various psychiatric conditions. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) published a 2006 report examining the off-label uses of atypical antipsychotic medications in anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dementia and severe geriatric agitation, major depressive disorder (MDD), eating disorders, insomnia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), personality disorders, substance abuse, and Tourette's syndrome. The 2011 report updates the previous findings to include important changes and better comprehension of all the risks and benefits connected to off-label use of these medications. The key methods and results from the AHRQ systematic reviews are summarized and discussed in this educational journal supplement.

Learning Objectives

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

  • Summarize the trends and novel uses of off-label applications of atypical antipsychotics
  • Evaluate conclusions regarding the comparative benefits and harms of the therapy options on subpopulations of patients
  • Discuss the efficacy and comparative effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics for off-label indications

Target Audience

This CME activity is designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, psychologists, pharmacists, nurses, and case managers.

Method of Participation

To receive a certificate for this activity, you should:

  • Complete the learner assessment pretest
  • View the entire activity online
  • Complete an online evaluation & post-test
  • Print your certificate online

The estimated time to complete this activity, including review of the materials, is 1.5 hours.

Term of Approval

June 30, 2012 through September 30, 2013. Original release date: June 30, 2012

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

Click faculty name to view full biography.

Planner

M David Rudd, PhD, ABPP
Dean, College of Social & Behavioral Science
University of Utah
Scientific Director
National Center for Veterans Studies
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

Contributing Author

Alicia R Maher, MD
Physician adjunct with the RAND Corporation
Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine
Psychiatrist, Mind-Body Medicine Specialist at the Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine in Santa Monica
Santa Monica, CA

Contributing Author

George Theodore, PhD
Scientific Writer
Medical Education Researcher
PRIME Education, Inc.
Tamarac, FL

Planner

Heidi Wynn Maloni, PhD, ANP-BC
National Clinical Nursing Director
Department of Neurology
Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence, East
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Adjunct Faculty
Trinity Nursing Program School of Professional Studies
Trinity Washington University
Clinical Preceptor and Instructor
Advanced Practice Programs
The Catholic University of America School of Nursing
Washington, DC

Planner

Michele B Kaufman, PharmD, BPharm, RPh
President
PRN Communications, Inc
Clinical Pharmacist
New York Downtown Hospital
New York, NY

Peer Reviewer

Bradley N Gaynes, MD, MPH
Professor of Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Chapel Hill, NC  

Peer Reviewer

Scott A Strassels, PharmD, PhD, BCPS
Assistant Professor of Public Health
The University of
Texas at Austin  
College of Pharmacy  
Division of Pharmacy Practice  
Austin, TX

Peer Reviewer

Kathleen R Roose, RN
Nurse Case Manager
Skyline Ultd.
Raleigh, NC

Begin Activity

Accreditation/Credit Designation

Physician Credit Designation Statement

A C C M E Logo

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 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Psychologist Accreditation Statement

PRIME Education, Inc. (PRIME®) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. PRIME® maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Pharmacist Accreditation StatementA C P E Logo

This curriculum has been approved for 1.5 contact hours (0.15 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 0255-0000-12-025-H01-P. This learning activity is Knowledge-Based.

Nurse Accreditation StatementA N C C Logo

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 1.5 contact hours.

Case Manager Accreditation Statement

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

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Faculty Disclosures

Faculty Name
Advisory Board Consultant Grants / Research Salary / Contractual Supported Promotional Education Stock / Shareholder Other Financial Support
M David Rudd, PhD, ABPP
Planner
None None None None None None None
Alicia R Maher, MD
Planner
None None None None None None None
George Theodore, PhD
Contributor
None None None None None None None
Heidi Wynn Maloni, PhD, ANP-BC
Planner
sanofi-aventis None None None None None None
Michele B Kaufman, PharmD, BPharm, RPh
Planner
None OrthoMcNeil Janssen None None None None None
Bradley N Gaynes, MD, MPH
Reviewer
None None None None None None None
Scott A Strassels, PharmD, PhD, BCPS
Reviewer
None None None None None None None
Kathleen R Roose, RN
Reviewer
None None None None None None None
Chris R Prostko, PhD
Scientific Program Director
NoneNoneNonePRIME®NoneNoneNone
Lynn Goldenberg, RN, BSN
Director of Accreditation & Compliance
NoneNoneNonePRIME®NoneNoneNone

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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Pretest

To access the activity, please complete this brief Pretest.

  • Returning user? Login Here!
  1. Before accessing this educational activity, were you aware of the AHRQ-supported comparative effectiveness research on the off-label use of atypical antipsychotics?

  2. What percentage of antipsychotic medications prescribed to children are atypical?

  3. Atypical antipsychotics are associated with an increased risk for which of the following adverse events?

  4. According to AHRQ’s comparative effectiveness review on the off-label use of atypical antipsychotics, which of the following conclusions is false?

  5. How would you describe your current level of confidence in applying comparative effectiveness research on the off-label use of atypical antipsychotics?

  6. How valuable is comparative effectiveness research on the off-label use of atypical antipsychotics in making patient-centered treatment and management decisions?

  7. If you had a clinician summary/consumer summary on the off-label use of atypical antipsychotics, what would you most likely do?

  8. Many of the disorders discussed in the review impact the elderly population. Over the past decade, prescriptions of antipsychotics have increased in this population. Based on the AHRQ’s updated review, which of the following statements regarding off-label use of antipsychotics for the treatment of elderly patients may result in improved symptoms? (check all that apply)

Post-Test & Evaluation

You must access the activity before receiving credit!

Clinician & Consumer Summaries on Antipsychotics

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.

AHRQ Clearinghouse Bulk Order Form

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  • Alternatively, you can call the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295. Reference the title and product number above.