Improving Quality of Life Through Innovative Pain and Symptom Management

Pain and other distressing symptoms affect millions of people with serious illnesses, and they often are not well managed, resulting in physiologic, psychosocial, and economic consequences. Palliative care provides an extra layer of support; it is centered on comfort and communication, and pain and symptom management are a central component of comfort. Effective palliative care requires a partnership among the patient, medical specialists, and family members and can help patients achieve the best quality of life possible by enhancing communication and treating the symptoms caused by serious illnesses. As innovative pain treatment solutions have increased, the need has emerged for advanced educational preparation to help clinicians deal with the needs of patients with serious, life-limiting illnesses, whether they be enrolled in hospice programs or receiving palliative care along with disease treatment. During this session, learn the challenges healthcare professionals face when managing pain in patients with life-limiting illnesses, and how to improve patient quality of life with effective pain and symptom management.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to

  1. Identify strategies to increase the awareness of pain and symptom management among patients, family members, and healthcare professionals and how these symptoms can be measured
  2. Differentiate between the direct and indirect improvements on the quality of life in response to pain and symptom management
  3. Identify the challenges faced by healthcare professionals when managing pain
  4. Recognize the impact of palliative care in helping patients achieve the best possible quality of life with an effective pain and symptom management program
  5. Identify available technologies for treatment of advanced pain

Method of Participation
There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this activity.
For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board.

Participants will receive a certificate on successful completion of the activity, which includes the following:

  • Completing the entire activity
  • Completing the Pre- and Post-Activity Assessments, Activity Evaluation, and Application for Certificate of Credit forms

You must be logged in to your account to participate in this activity. Begin by clicking “Begin” and viewing the CE Info; then follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen. At the end of the activity, you will be able to view, save, or print your certificate of participation. The Area of Practice you indicated in your profile corresponds with your certificate type. A complete listing of all of your activities can be found in your profile.

Faculty Listing
Janet L. Abrahm, MD
Division of Adult Palliative Care
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts

Faculty Disclosure
As a provider accredited by the ACCME, OptumHealth Education requires the disclosure of any relevant financial relationship a faculty member has with the manufacturer(s) of any product discussed in this educational presentation.
Dr Abrahm discloses the following financial relationships:
Employee—Up-to-Date;
Financial or Material Support—Johns Hopkins University Press and Knowledge to Practice.
Dr Abrahm does intend to discuss unapproved/investigative use of commercial products/devices.

Activity Planners
Sarah Chart-Hart, RN
Senior Activity Director
OptumHealth Education

Arlene Rome, BSN, RN
Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education

All of the planners reported that they are employees of and own stock in UnitedHealth Group.

Reviewer Disclosures
To ensure fair balance and avoid bias, the content for this activity has been reviewed by an independent medical expert with no relevant financial relationships and has been approved by OptumHealth Education.

Provided By
This activity is provided by OptumHealth Education.

Commercial Support
This activity is supported by Optum Palliative and Hospice Care, formerly Evercare Hospice & Palliative Care.

Method for Calculating CE Credit
CE credit was calculated by the complexity of content.

Hardware/Software Requirements
To view this activity you will need Internet Explorer 7.0+ or Firefox 3.0+ with Windows Media Player 9+, RealPlayer 12+, or Adobe Flash Player 9+. Be sure to disable your pop-up blocking software.

Target Audience

This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, nurses, case managers, social workers, chaplains, and others who have an interest in topics relevant to pain and symptom management.

You must be logged into your account to participate in this activity. Once logged in, begin by clicking “Begin” and viewing the "CE Info"; then follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen.

Activity summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 AMA - Physicians
  • 1.00 ANCC - Nurses
  • 1.00 Attendance - General Attendance
  • 1.00 CCMC - General - Case Managers
  • 1.00 ASWB - Social Workers
Activity opens: 
10/14/2013
Activity expires: 
10/14/2016
Rating: 
0

Available Credit

  • 1.00 AMA - Physicians
  • 1.00 ANCC - Nurses
  • 1.00 Attendance - General Attendance
  • 1.00 CCMC - General - Case Managers
  • 1.00 ASWB - Social Workers
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