eCysticFibrosis Review® Educates Clinicians about Lung Infections, Nutrition, & New Therapies

MANHATTAN, N.Y. - Dec. 21, 2018 - PRLog -- DKBmed, LLC, in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHU SOM), has announced the launch of the eighth volume of eCysticFibrosis Review, one of the longest-running components of the popular eLiterature Review series.

eCysticFibrosis Review Volume 8 has been developed as a new, user-friendly online interactive activity. This new design:

• is intuitive and easier to navigate
• improves comprehension and increases retention of key information
• provides immediate feedback

Advances have been made in the understanding of cystic fibrosis (CF), the design of targeted therapies, and knowledge about the effects of this chronic disease on patients' digestive health — yet many clinicians remain unaware of this new information. Volume 8 of eCysticFibrosis Review, which includes 12 newsletters and podcasts plus a special edition, was created to close these knowledge gaps, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes. More information is available at ecysticfibrosisreview.org (https://www.ecysticfibrosisreview.org/).

The program is designed for the entire CF care team, including pulmonologists, respiratory therapists, dietitians, nurses, physical therapists, and other CF care providers.

The latest volume of eCysticFibrosis Review summarizes the most recent data on important areas of CF care.

Management of chronic lung infections
Nearly three of four patients with cystic fibrosis are chronically infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa by adulthood and require inhaled antibiotics. Small reductions in respiratory function over time may signal the need for alterations in their treatment, but many clinicians are not aware of the latest data on the value of switching agents.

More than a third said they were just somewhat or not at all familiar with clinical trials designed to measure continuous alternating therapy (continuously switching between two or more medications) versus intermittent therapy with one agent (where the patient is on treatment for 28 days and then off for 28 days), resulting in knowledge gaps about scheduling treatments. (Data on File. DKB Survey of Learners. CF. 2016.)

Value of CFTR modulators in clinical practice
Many clinicians are not familiar with real-world and long-term data on CFTR-modifying drugs used to treat CF such as ivacaftor and lumacaftor; new drugs such as tezacaftor; and investigational agents being evaluated in clinical trials. Sixty-six percent of clinicians surveyed indicated they were just somewhat or not at all confident in their ability to apply real-world data to their clinical practice. Only 17% were very knowledgeable about the use of tezacaftor/ivacaftor. (Data on file. DKBmed. Survey Data. CF Modulators Nutrition Survey. January 2018.)

Improving nutrition and digestive health
Along with antibiotic use and airway clearance, maintaining adequate nutrition is an important component of optimal CF management. About one in four patients with CF is underweight, and 85% have pancreatic insufficiency requiring pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). Yet clarity on PERT dosing is lacking: 42% of clinicians reported being somewhat or not at all confident in their ability to manage PERT. (Data on file, DKBmed; Survey Data, CF Modulators Nutrition Survey, January 2018.) Moreover, PERT may have to be adjusted in patients using CFTR modulators; for example, the use of lumacaftor/ivacaftor improves nutritional status (as evidenced by an increased in body mass index) yet 70% of clinicians are not at all or only somewhat familiar with the effects of modulators on nutritional status. (Data on file, DKBmed; Survey Data, CF Modulators Nutrition Survey, January 2018.)

The success of eCysticFibrosis Review
eCysticFibrosis Review recently concluded Volume 7 and now has more than 11,000 subscribers. The podcasts have been downloaded more than 15,000 times, and emails are opened, on average, 61% of the time. There have been 3,276 downloads of the Newsstand app. For Volume 7, there were 21,000 page views and 411 PDF downloads. As a result of completing Volume 7, 82% of participants indicated their knowledge improved and 85% reported changing or intending to change their clinical practice.

Accreditation Statement
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians

Credit Designation Statement
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 10 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Support
Volume 8 is supported by educational grants from Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Gilead Sciences, Inc., AbbVie Inc., and Chiesi.

About DKBmed
DKBmed is an integrated continuing medical education company operated by a team of medical education experts. DKBmed provides health care professionals effective medical education that closes identified knowledge and practice gaps with the goal of improving patient health.

Working with accredited providers, DKBmed develops innovative educational programs and quality improvement initiatives and specializes in bringing new learning methodologies to the CME landscape. DKBmed was an early adopter of case scenarios with recorded and live actors, TED/DKBmed Talks, 3D animation, webcasts, podcasts, e-mail, and smartphone applications for clinicians and patients. These forward-thinking approaches enable health care professionals to learn using state-of-the-art techniques and access educational programs in a manner that is most convenient and appropriate for them.

DKBmed's programs are accessible through the company's web site (www.dkbmed.com). They reach more than 50,000 health care professionals in primary care and in a variety of specialties, including pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, infectious disease, viral hepatitis, dermatology, ophthalmology, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, nephrology, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, depression, eating disorders, and pain management.