APA’s Department of Continuing Medical Education has released several new editions in the APA Clinical Highlights program based on industry-supported symposia presented at APA’s 2001 annual meeting in New Orleans. APA produced the publications with funds administered by the American Psychiatric Foundation.
Psychiatrists who specialize in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease will find “Psychosis of Alzheimer’s Disease: New Knowledge, Developing New Treatment Strategies” a good review for topics such as the psychosis of dementia, the efficacy of antipsychotic agents, the effects of psychoactive medications, and practical strategies for treating psychosis due to dementia.
The second program, “Chemical Restraints: Clinical, Research, and Ethical Implications,” describes strategies for preventing psychological trauma following forced medication, long-acting injectable antipsychotics (an alternative to forced medication), historical legal trends and civil liberties related to forced medications, and dealing with the new legal framework for chemical restraints.
Both programs are supported by an unrestricted grant from Janssen Pharmaceutica Products.
Physicians who participate in these programs and wish to receive CME credit can submit a posttest and evaluation form to earn up to one hour of Category 1 credit per course. The CME self-test and evaluation for “Psychosis of Alzheimer’s Disease” must be received by March 31, 2004, and for “Chemical Restraints,” April 30, 2004. There is a $10 fee for members and a $15 fee for nonmembers for submitting the CME posttest and evaluation.
“APA is pleased to be able to provide wide distribution to our members of high-quality presentations from the annual meeting,” said James Thompson, M.D., director of APA’s Division of Education, Minority, and National Programs. “These presentations are among the most popular parts of the meeting and contain a great deal of ‘cutting-edge’ information for the practicing physician. Already, we have received numerous requests for CME credit for these educational materials. We’re very pleased that they’ve been so well received by APA members.”
The Clinical Highlights program makes sure members can access the series through a variety of learning media such as monograph, CD-ROM, Internet, and audiocassette.
The Clinical Highlights program draws on data from APA’s biennial membership needs assessment, as well as annual meeting evaluation data and other CME programs. This is done to ensure that members are getting current and relevant information presented to them in a style that best suits their learning needs.
All editions in the Clinical Highlights series, including the two new ones, are sent to APA members without charge. PDF versions of the Alzheimer’s and chemical restraints programs can be downloaded from the APA CME Web site at www.psych.org/cme. In addition, physicians can download PDFs of other Clinical Highlights editions, which are supported by Cephalon Inc. and Ortho-McNeil. ▪
