Addressing the Burden of Chronic Cough: A Primary Care Primer to Proper Work-up & Management

Release Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Expiration Date: Wednesday, November 1, 2023

EDUCATIONAL OVERVIEW
Chronic cough is associated with increased healthcare utilization as patients typically undergo multiple provider visits, diagnostic testing, and treatment. Patients with chronic cough have diminished quality of life as they experience depression, fatigue, sleep deprivation, stress incontinence, fear of social gatherings, and annoyance of the patients’ support systems. A major challenge in the management of chronic cough is the lack of effective medications that specifically target the cough reflex. With greater understanding of cough physiology and cough hypersensitivity syndrome, there is a need for safe and effective treatment options that specifically target this condition to help improve patient quality of life.

Primary care providers (PCPs) are in an ideal position to help minimize the burden of chronic cough. As front-line healthcare providers, PCPs are most likely to be involved in the initial evaluation and work-up of chronic cough patients and will guide initial management approaches, whether this involves pharmacologic therapy or referral. PCPs can help counsel and educate patients about various etiologies of chronic cough and approaches in prevention and management. This activity reviews the latest recommendations in the work-up and management of chronic cough in primary care and emphasizes the need for PCPs to appreciate the burden of chronic cough on patient lives and the need to offer counseling and education to these patients about the condition.

TARGET AUDIENCE
This activity meets the needs of primary care providers including internists, family medicine physicians, osteopathic physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners who are involved in the evaluation and management of adults with chronic cough.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Recognize the burden of chronic cough on the patient and healthcare systems
Describe the recommended approaches in the initial evaluation and work-up of patients with chronic cough to make a differential diagnosis
Review the current management approaches for chronic cough and how an improved understanding of cough hypersensitivity syndrome can address unmet needs

EDUCATIONAL FORMAT
The Online Presentation, based on a live series at primary care societies, aims to increase understanding and awareness of PCPs in recognizing the burden of chronic cough among their adult patients. The presentation focuses on a number of issues that are pertinent to PCPs in the management of chronic cough, including:

Epidemiology of chronic cough
Burden and complications
Clinical presentation of chronic cough
Physiology of cough and cough hypersensitivity syndrome
Understanding refractory chronic cough (RCC) and unexplained chronic cough (UCC)
Evaluating chronic cough
Identifying red flags
Treatment options available
Emerging treatments on the horizon (e.g., targeting P2X3 and NK-1 receptors)

FACULTY

	Rachel M. Taliercio, DO Vice Chair, Department of Pulmonary Medicine Patient Experience Officer, Respiratory Institute Assistant Professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine Cleveland, OH

Accreditation and Credit Designation Statement

Physicians
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of Center for Independent Healthcare Education (Center) and Vemco MedEd. Center is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Center designates this Enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physician Assistants

AAPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for the PRA from organizations accredited by ACCME.

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioners will receive certificate of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ as this is an ACCME accredited program and its accreditation is recognized by Nurse Practitioner boards.

For questions regarding the accreditation of this activity, please contact us at info@jointsponsor.com.

Method of Participation and Instruction for Credit

Review the entire CME information including target audience, learning objectives, and disclosures.
Review the activity in its entirety.
Complete the Online Post Test, Evaluation, and Credit Application form
Please note that to receive credit you must achieve a score of at least 80%.
Certificate of Credit will be emailed to you within 4 weeks.

Disclosure of Financial Relationships with Ineligible Companies

Center for Independent Healthcare Education and Vemco MedEd fully comply with the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education in development of CME/CPE activities. We require the full disclosure of financial relationships with ineligible companies from all individuals in a position to influence the content of a certified activity, in any amount occurring within the past 24 months. All relevant financial relationship is identified by the provider and mitigated to prevent inserting commercial bias into content. All identified relevant financial relationships are disclosed to the learners prior to the activity. The faculty is further required to disclose discussion of off-label uses in their presentations.

Disclosures

Dr. Rachel Taliercio reported the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies:

• Consultant: Merck & Co., Inc.

Dr. Taliercio discusses the following off-label uses: Neuromodulator therapy in RCC/UCC.

All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.
No (other) speakers, authors, planners or content reviewers have any relevant financial relationships to disclose. Content review confirmed that the content was developed in a fair, balanced manner free from commercial bias. Disclosure of a relationship is not intended to suggest or condone commercial bias in any presentation, but it is made to provide participants with information that might be of potential importance to their evaluation of a presentation.

Fee
There is no fee to participate in this activity.

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Joint Providership
This activity is jointly provided by Center for Independent Healthcare Education and Vemco MedEd.

Commercial Support

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Merck & Co., Inc.

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