| Target Professions: | DO, MD, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Associate/Assistant |
| Target Specialties: | Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Neurology |
| Credits Available: | 3.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ |
The recent development and approval of blood-based biomarker tests (BBMs) for detecting neuropathologic changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can enhance the care of patients by facilitating earlier diagnosis in both primary care and specialty settings. BBMs offer an accessible and more cost-effective method for detecting these neuropathologic changes compared with traditional tests (ie, cerebrospinal fluid tests and imaging), but how can these new biomarker tests be integrated within routine clinical practice? This curriculum will provide you with the education you need in both primary care and general neurology settings to know who to test, when to test, which test to use, and how to interpret the results.
Answer the following questions to assess your baseline knowledge of strategies for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease.
This module presents an overview of the clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and the stages of clinical and neuropathologic progression of the disease.
This module reviews strategies for cognitive evaluation and brief cognitive testing in routine clinical practice.
This module reviews traditional testing methods (imaging and cerebrospinal fluid) and novel blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) for detecting Alzheimer’s disease pathology and provides guidance for selecting the best test for your patients.
This module reviews collaborative, multidisciplinary processes and workflows that you can apply in your own practice to improve the care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Now that you have reviewed the self-study modules, answer the following questions to assess your knowledge of strategies for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease.
This Live Group Discussion will focus on a case of a a 77-year-old retired history professor who reports no concerns about memory, but her daughter reports worsening forgetfulness that she first noticed 2 years ago. We will also address any questions you may have regarding the baseline and final assessments and the self-study modules.
Gayle is a 75-year-old woman with signs of cognitive decline. This case proceeds through the diagnostic process including patient history, cognitive evaluation, and imaging/biomarker testing.
Gayle is a 75‑year‑old woman with gradually worsening forgetfulness who was referred to neurology after a primary care evaluation, including brief cognitive testing and routine laboratory studies, showed normal results despite continued decline.
Please share an action plan that you will implement to improve the integration of Alzheimer’s disease blood-based biomarker testing in clinical practice.
This Live Group Discussion will focus on a case of a a 67-year-old man who initially presented to his primary care provider and shared concerns about his memory. We will also review your submissions on the Patient Case Challenge and Action Plans.
