Community Practice Connections™: Medical Crossfire®: Are You Up to Date on Vaccinations? Incorporating Guideline-Based Care to Ensure Shingles Prevention in Your Patients

Release Date: December 18, 2020
Expiration Date: December 18, 2021

Activity Overview

The lifetime incidence of shingles is 10% to 20%, and incidence rises with advancing age. While shingles has a relatively short disease duration, the risk of transmitting the varicella-zoster virus and causing chickenpox in household contacts and the risk of developing complications, such as postherpetic pain, add to the disease burden. In the primary care setting, it is important to recognize risk factors for the development of shingles to provide therapeutic plans based on patient age, comorbidities, and vaccination options.

This Community Practice Connection™ program provides an in-depth review of some of the key highlights from the virtual symposium at the Family Medicine Experience (FMX) American Academy of Family Physician’s annual meeting held October 13-17, 2020. This unique and engaging multi-media activity is ideal for the community-based clinician and focuses on the practical aspects of the prevention of herpes zoster and puts recent clinical trial data into clinical context. The program is designed for those who did not attend the live meeting and to help reinforce learnings for those who did.

Acknowledgement of Commercial Support

This activity is supported by an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.

Target Audience

This educational program is directed toward all attendees of Family Medicine Experience (FMX) 2020. Other health care providers who may be vaccinating patients for shingles will also be invited to participate in the online enduring program.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this activity, you should be better prepared to:

• Recognize the disease burden, cost of care, and long-term sequelae associated with herpes zoster infection
• Review the administration characteristics, composition, and features of available shingles vaccines
• Evaluate the efficacy data associated with available shingles vaccines
• Develop therapeutic plans for administration of shingles vaccines in appropriate patient groups

Faculty, Staff, and Planners’ Disclosures

In accordance with ACCME Guidelines, PER^® has identified and resolved all COI for faculty, staff, and planners prior to the start of this activity by using a multistep process.

Faculty

Paul P. Doghramji, MD, FAAFP
Senior Attending Physician, Collegeville Family Practice
Medical Director, Health Services, Ursinus College
Collegeville, PA

Disclosures: Consultant: Eisai, Harmony Biosciences, Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

Brian Koffman, MDCM (retired), MS Ed
Cofounder, Executive VP, and Chief Medical Officer
CLL Society, Inc
Claremont, CA

Disclosures: Consultant: Janssen, Novartis, Verastem Oncology; Speakers Bureau: Bristol Myers Squibb, TG Therapeutics; Shareholder: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Gilead Sciences, Johnson & Johnson, MEI Pharma, miRagen Therapeutics, Portola Pharmaceuticals, Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, TG Therapeutics.

Louis Kuritzky, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor Emeritus
Department of Community Health and Family Medicine
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

Disclosures: Louis Kuritzky, MD, has no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Wendy L. Wright, DNP, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, FNAP
Adult/Family Nurse Practitioner
Owner – Wright & Associates Family Healthcare
Concord and Amherst, NH

Disclosures: Consultant: GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co, Pfizer, Sanofi–Vaccines, OA/Pain; Speakers Bureau: Allergan, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co, Pfizer, Sanofi–Vaccines.

The staff of Physicians' Education Resource^®, LLC (PER^®) have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Off-Label Disclosure and Disclaimer

This activity may or may not discuss investigational, unapproved, or off-label use of drugs. Learners are advised to consult prescribing information for any products discussed. The information provided in this accredited activity is for continuing education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent clinical judgment of a healthcare professional relative to diagnostic, treatment, or management options for a specific patient’s medical condition. The opinions expressed in the content are solely those of the individual faculty members and do not reflect those of PER^® or any company that provided commercial support for this activity.