Continuing Education

Continuing Education Information

ARTICLE

Oral Mucositis: Addressing the Causes, Challenges, and Clinical Management

Release date: April 28, 2011

Expiration date: April 27, 2012

Estimated time to complete activity: 50 minutes

Accreditation Information

Target Audience

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of oncology advanced practitioners involved in the treatment of patients at risk for or diagnosed with oral mucositis (OM).

Purpose

The goal for this activity is to enhance the clinical competence and performance of oncology advanced practitioners in assessing and treating OM.

Activity Overview

Despite significant advances in the management of patients receiving cancer chemotherapy, many debilitating side effects, including OM, often interrupt therapy and delay recovery. As members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team, oncology advanced practitioners are responsible for initiating OM diagnostic testing and interventions as well as providing the necessary patient education to optimize treatment outcomes. This accredited activity will provide an overview of the underlying mechanisms and pathology of chemotherapy-induced mucositis and describe evidence-based prevention and management strategies. In addition, the expert faculty will discuss the steps involved in a thorough oral cavity assessment, as well as the rationale for using standardized toxicity assessment scales in clinical practice. The first 500 participants will be eligible to receive a free OM toolkit, which includes a penlight, tongue blades, and brief instructions on how to practice and document oral assessment.

Learning Objectives

Explain the risk factors, incidence, and stages of chemotherapy-induced OM
Describe current and emerging evidence on chemotherapy-induced mucositis, including the various treatment options
Perform a thorough OM assessment utilizing evidence-based oral assessment tools and guidelines
Discuss the importance and implications of multidisciplinary team approaches to improving OM patient outcomes

Faculty

Carrie F. Daly, MS, RN, AOCN®, Rush University Medical Center

Annette M. Quinn, MSN, RN, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Accreditation Statement

GNA/ANCC

This educational activity for 0.80 contact hours is provided by the Institute for Medical Education & Research, Inc. (IMER). IMER is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Georgia Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

A statement of credit will be issued only upon receipt of a completed activity evaluation form.

Method of Participation

To receive acknowledgement of participation for this CE-certified activity, you must complete the evaluation and posttest online. Please visit http://www.IMERonline.com/570_jadpro and follow the directions provided. You must have an IMER account or you will be directed to create one. Creating an IMER account and claiming a certificate are free of charge.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

IMER assesses conflict of interest with its instructors, planners, managers, and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of CE activities. All relevant conflicts of interest that are identified are thoroughly vetted by IMER for fair balance, scientific objectivity of studies utilized in this activity, and patient care recommendations. IMER is committed to providing its learners with high quality CE activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of a commercial interest.

The faculty reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CE activity:

Carrie F. Daly, MS, RN, AOCN®, reported a financial interest/relationship or affiliation in the form of: Speakers’ Bureau, Roche Laboratories, Inc.

Annette M. Quinn, MSN, RN, has no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report.

The following IMER planners and managers, Tariqa Ackbarali, MS, Michael Bramwell, Davecia Ragoonath-Cameron, MS, Timothy J. DiChiara, PhD, Madelyn Herzfeld, BSN, RN, OCN®, Heather Lewin, Tamar Sapir, PhD, Libia Scheller, PhD, and Jocelyn Yochum, BS, hereby state that they or their spouse/life partner do not have any financial relationships or relationships to products or devices with any commercial interest related to the content of this activity of any amount during the past 12 months.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. IMER and Allos Therapeutics, Inc. do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of IMER and Allos Therapeutics, Inc. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

Safeguards Against Commercial Bias

IMER affirms that the content and format of its CE activities and related materials promote improvements and quality in healthcare and do not promote a specific proprietary business interest of a commercial entity. To this end, IMER employs several strategies to ensure the absence of commercial bias, including but not limited to review of all planned content for CE activities sponsored by IMER to ensure adherence to the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s criteria and operational requirements and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s content validation statements and resolution of any actual or perceived conflict of interest that exist. We employ three metrics as we review materials:

1. Fair balance

Recommendations or emphasis must fairly represent and be based on a reasonable and valid interpretation of the information available on the subject matter
No single product or service is overrepresented when other equal competing products or services are available for inclusion

2. Scientific objectivity of studies mentioned in the materials or used as the basis for content

3. Appropriateness of patient care recommendations made to learners

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Media

Print/E-Monograph