This activity has expired. CME/CE credit is no longer available and the following content may not be available or may not be up-to-date. For a list of current activities that offer CME/CE credit, click here.

		Start the program at the bottom of this page

Battling MRSA Infections in Older Adults Release Date: January-30-12 Credit Expiration Date: January-29-13 UAN: 0203-9999-12-021-H01-P Senior care pharmacists and others interested in the care of older patients with MRSA. Pharmacists: 0.75 Contact Hour (0.075 CEU) Online Presentation Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are potentially life threatening and cause a variety of illnesses including skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), bacteremia and endocarditis, pneumonia, bone and joint infections, and central nervous system (CNS) infections. An estimated 2.5 million people in the United States are carriers of MRSA, and a study at one hospital found 56% of postoperative infections were MRSA infections. MRSA is widespread in skilled nursing facilities as well, with as many as 25% of patients colonized upon arrival and an additional 10% who may acquire MRSA while in residence. In fact, the incidence and mortality associated with MRSA infection is highest among adults age 65 and over. All the while, MRSA infection is also a significant and increasing problem in the community at large. But senior care pharmacists have the opportunity to reduce the burden of MRSA infection in older adults in both healthcare and community settings. The goal of this continuing medical education activity is to expand the ability of senior care pharmacists to practice optimal approaches for the identification and treatment of MRSA infection in older adults, ultimately reducing the burden of MRSA infection in older adults. Upon completion of this educational activity, the participant should be able to: 1. List 2 ways to improve existing infection control policies and procedures to prevent the spread of MRSA infections in the LTC setting. 2. Describe 2 ways to improve the identification of MRSA infection in the LTC setting. 3. Outline the application of the updated IDSA guidelines for the management of MRSA infections in older adults. 4. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of various antimicrobial agents for treatment of MRSA infection. Charles A. Cefalu, MD, MS Professor and Chief, Section of Geriatric Medicine Department of Medicine Louisiana State University School of Medicine New Orleans, LA Nancy L. Losben, RPh, CCP, FASCP, CG Chief Quality Officer Omnicare, Inc. Moorestown, NJ It is the policy of the ASCP to ensure balance, independence, objectivity and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities including those which are sponsored and cosponsored. All faculty are expected to disclose any significant financial interest or other relationship with the manufacturer(s) of any commercial product(s) and/or provider(s) of commercial services discussed in an educational presentation. The intent of this disclosure is not to prevent a presenter with significant financial interest or other relationship from making the presentation, but rather to provide the audience with information with which they can make their own judgments. It remains for the audience to determine whether the speaker's interests or relationships may influence the presentation with regard to exposition or conclusion. Faculty are also expected to openly disclose any off-label, experimental, or investigational use of drugs or devices in their presentations. Dr. Cefalu has no relevant financial conflicts to disclose. Ms. Losben has no relevant financial conflicts to disclose. MCM: Dr. Joseph Kim has no relevant financial conflicts to disclose. Dr. Agnes Yang has no relevant financial conflicts to disclose. This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of pharmaceutical agents. Some uses of these agents may not have been approved by the FDA. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings. The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This knowledge-based activity, ACPE Universal Activity #0203-9999-12-021-H01-P has been assigned 0.75 Contact Hour (0.075 CEU). Participants must view the activity in its entirety, successfully complete the post-test, and submit an evaluation to receive continuing pharmacy education credit. Credit will be awarded for a score of 75% or better, and a statement may be printed immediately after passing the post-test. There is no fee to participate in this educational activity. This activity is supported by an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. Minimum System Requirements: • Pentium III, 600 MHz or Equivalent Processor • 512 MB of RAM • Windows XP, Vista, or 7 • Mac OS X • 800x600 Monitor Resolution • 16-bit Color • 16 bit Sound Card with Speakers 1. Please turn off all pop-up blockers to assure access to the educational activity. 2. Click on the "Start program" icon at the bottom of this page. If you are not already registered as a user of this website, this will bring you to the login/registration page where you will be able to register as a new CMEcorner.com member or check existing registration information. When ready, click on the "Continue to Program" icon at the bottom of the screen. 3. The next screen will permit you to check for or download the Flash player required to run this program and to begin the program presentation. The activity will take approximately 45 minutes to complete. 4. After the activity has finished, click on the "Post-test" button. 5. Instructions for completing and submitting the post-test and evaluation are provided on the post-test screen. $0.00 © 2012, Medical Communications Media, Inc. All rights reserved. None of the contents may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or recommendations of their affiliated institutions, the publisher, and ASCP. Any medications, diagnostic procedures, or treatments discussed by the faculty should not be used by clinicians or other health care professionals without first evaluating their patients’ conditions, considering possible contraindications or risks, reviewing any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparing any therapeutic approach with the recommendations of other authorities.

By clicking START PROGRAM I acknowledge that I have read the CME/CE information above.