This course is not currently open for enrollment pending review. We anticipate it will reopen soon.

This course is designed to provide the primary care practitioner with a better understanding of the natural history of type 2 diabetes and how to use insulin to treat patients who have not responded to oral agents. It also provides an opportunity for the primary care practitioner to review treatment goals for glycemic control and other cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diabetes and is aimed to help the practising internist understand the mechanism of action of certain oral agents. The case is that of a patient with type 2 diabetes who is no longer adequately controlled on 2 oral antidiabetic agents and provides a practical approach to using insulin to optimize glycemic control. At the same time the participant is exposed to the value of "global risk reduction" and adjunctive medications used to treat other cardiovascular risk factors in these patients.

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 2 hours to complete.

COST: $40.00 for the average learner. Participants living in emerging nations receive a 50% discount or can register for free. See our International Pricing Page for details.

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Understand the natural history of type 2 diabetes
2. Recognize the need for "global risk reduction" in treating type 2 diabetes
3. Understand how to use insulin to treat patients with type 2 diabetes whose glycemic control is suboptimal on oral antidiabetic agents

CLINICAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Know targets for glycemic control and other cardiovascular risk factors
2. Know the different insulins used to treat diabetes and their pharmacodynamic properties
3. Understand how to add insulin to oral agent "failures"
4. Know how to progress patients to basal - bolus therapy when indicated

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION:

Registrants participate in the learning process by answering interactive multiple choice questions that are dispersed throughout the case presentation. You must answer a question correctly in order to continue through the course. If you answer a question incorrectly, you will be prompted to try again.

In order to earn credit, physicians must complete the entire educational activity before the termination date (see above). Non-physicians may register for the course but are not eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Instead, non-physicians will earn a certificate of participation after successfully completing the course before its termination date.

COMBINATION OF MEDIA USED:

This internet enduring material is a case-based, interactive presentation comprised mainly of text, interactive questions, and images. A variety of media, including video clips, audio clips, and Flash animation, may be presented. Links to any necessary plugins are provided when necessary, but no plugins are required for general use of the CME website, and you may skip the multimedia presentation(s) within the course if you choose.

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MARTIN ABRAHAMSON, MD Course Director

Martin J. Abrahamson, MD, is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Medical Director and Senior Vice President of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his medical degree from University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa, and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine and endocrinology at Groote Schuur Hospital, also in Cape Town, where he was a research fellow before joining the faculty of medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital. Dr. Abrahamson was joint head of the endocrine unit in Cape Town before taking up a faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Hospital in 1992. At Joslin Clinic, Dr. Abrahamson is credited with reorganizing the Adult Diabetes Section into multidisciplinary teams comprised of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurse educators, nutritionists, and exercise physiologists. He is spearheading “pathways of care” for patients referred to Joslin (JoslinCare), has co-authored guidelines for both the pharmacological and perioperative management of patients with diabetes and management of hyperglycemic emergencies, and has authored more than 50 papers, review articles and chapters related to diabetes. He co-directs the Joslin – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Diabetes-Heart Program, a joint venture between Joslin Clinic and the Division of Cardiology at BIDMC. At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Dr. Abrahamson also serves as Director of the Division of Continuing Medical Education in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Abrahamson’s research interests include the management of patients with diabetes, and prevalence of silent coronary ischemia in patients with diabetes. Dr. Abrahamson is board certified in internal medicine and in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, and is a Fellow of the College of Physicians of South Africa. He has been cited in Boston Magazine as one of Boston’s top doctors on many occasions. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

RICHARD BEASER, MD Course Director

Richard S. Beaser, M.D., is the Medical Executive Director of Professional Education, Joslin Diabetes Center. He is a practicing physician in the Joslin Clinic and holds the position of Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Beaser has been on the staff of the Joslin Diabetes Center since 1982. He has held numerous past positions at Joslin, including Section Chief of the Adult Diabetology Practice, Medical Director of the Diabetes Treatment Unit, Coordinator of the Patient Education Section, and Medical Director of Joslin TrialNet, a clinical trials network. He has been a clinical research investigator, including the landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. Dr. Beaser has authored 4 books: Joslin Diabetes Manual, Outsmarting Diabetes, The Joslin Guide to Diabetes, and Joslin’s Diabetes Deskbook: A Guide for Primary Care Providers. Dr Beaser is a well-known national lecturer on clinical diabetes and its comorbidities. Dr. Beaser is the Medical Executive Director of Professional Education at Joslin Diabetes Center, a department he co-founded with the Executive Director in 1990. The Professional Education Department was incorporated into the Joslin Strategic Initiatives Division in 2000. As Medical Executive Director of this department, Dr. Beaser has overall responsibility for departmental activities. He specifically focuses on development or oversight of all educational content for the department, targeting physicians, other medical professionals, and patients. He is responsible for the business and project development aspects of the department, working collaboratively to conceive, develop, and seek funding for all departmental projects. He serves as the moderator and content developer for the Joslin Professional Education Department television programs, Joslin ClinicalFOCUS (satellite delivered to hospitals) and Joslin ClinicalWATCH (delivered through home cable and satellite TV systems). DISCLOSURE: Clinical advisory board: Amgen, Wyeth, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi Aventis

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JOHN E. GODINE, MD, PHD Reviewer

Dr. Godine is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

GRACE HUANG, MD Reviewer

Grace Huang, MD, is the Director of the Office of Educational Technology at the Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research, a joint venture between HMS and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston. She also works as a hospitalist at BIDMC. She has spent a number of years designing web-based modules on clinical skills, including computer-based case simulations (“virtual patients”), physical diagnosis tutorials, interactive pathophysiology diagrams, and procedure-based instruction. She serves as a consultant to the Association of American Medical Colleges in their initiative to promote scholarship and sharing of educational materials through MedEdPORTAL. Her clinical research interest is in the impact of a formal hospital-based procedure service on complication rates among internal medicine residents. DISCLOSURE: Dr. Huang's spouse works at Pfizer, Inc., and she holds stock options and shares in the same company.

PETER J. ZUROMSKIS, MD Reviewer

Dr. Zuromskis clinical practice in general internal medicine is based in Lexington Center, where he sees 3500 to 4000 patients annually. His focus is on academic quality medicine, and for 2-4 of his sessions weekly, he has resident working under his direction. He maintains an active role in in-patient care. He has served as a member of the Harvard Medical School Admissions Committee, and remains a senior fellow of the Holmes Society where he serves as a designated mentor to 2-3 students. His public health activites involve availability for consultation on matters of nuclear-biologic-chemical warfare/terrorism as a reserve Captain in the US Naval Reserve. He regularly serves as a consultant to Risk Management Foundation as a case reviewer and defense witness. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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SANJIV CHOPRA, MD Planner

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra is Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School and Senior Consultant in Hepatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. In his role as Faculty Dean for Continuing Education, Dr. Chopra provides oversight and leadership of the Department and oversees the academic development of our programs. Dr. Chopra is an experienced clinician, researcher, and educator. In his research roles, he has served both as a principal investigator as well as co-investigator. He has more than 120 publications and five books to his credit, addressing topics in disease states, patient care, and leadership. Dr. Chopra’s teaching experience is extensive, and he has won numerous teaching awards for his work with medical students, residents and physicians. Currently, he directs and speaks at 10 multiday CME courses, nine of which are through HMS. For his full bio, please click here. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

ANDI LONG, EDM Planner

Andi Long directs the Department of Continuing Education’s Distance Learning group, which offers a variety of online continuing medical education programs to health care professionals around the world. Andi develops strategies for new pilot programs and systematically rolls out new distance learning initiatives and has a leadership role in IT planning and other online processes for HMS DCE. She oversees the day-to-day operations of each distance learning activity and ensures ACCME compliance across all enduring programs. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of Harvard Medical School Faculty members to develop high-quality, engaging online programs that physicians in more than 170 countries have taken part in. Andi earned her Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Bridgewater State College, summa cum laude, with a degree in English. Her professional interests focus on teaching and learning with new technologies and online course development. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 2 

The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 2 hours to complete.

Within 2 weeks of completing the course, you will receive your certificate via email.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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