The management of HIV-infected patients has undergone dramatic changes over the past decade with the advent of combination antiretroviral therapy and the introduction of viral load testing and resistance testing in clinical practice. Patients are hospitalized less frequently with opportunistic infections and are living longer. However, with this encouraging news have come important challenges. For patients, they include difficulties in adherence to a complex medical regimen, dealing with its toxicities, and coping with the uncertainty of predicting future health. For health care providers, they include keeping up with a rapidly changing but incomplete knowledge base and addressing the needs of complicated outpatients within time constraints.

This course consists of a case-based tutorial on the management of HIV disease for the primary care provider. It includes instruction on HIV diagnostic testing, initial evaluation of the HIV-infected patient; implementation of antiretroviral therapy, opportunistic infection prophylaxis, relevant health care maintenance issues, and evaluation of new symptoms.

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. Educate clinicians about the management of acute HIV infection
2. Educate clinicans about the management of early HIV disease
3. Educate clinicians about the management of advanced HIV disease
4. Educate clinicians about the use of post-exposure antiretroviral prophylaxis

CLINICAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Provide specific teaching on the following topics:

1. HIV diagnostic testing
2. Initial evaluation of the HIV-infected patient
3. Implementation of antiretroviral therapy
4. Opportunistic infection prophylaxis
5. Relevant health care maintenance issues
6. Evaluation of new symptoms

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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HOWARD LIBMAN, MD Course Co-Director

Howard Libman, MD, is Director of the HIV Program in Healthcare Associates at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has authored numerous manuscripts, review articles, texts, and multimedia resources on HIV disease. He is co-editor of the textbook, HIV, a third edition of which was published by the American College of Physicians in 2007. He is also clinical director of the New England AIDS Education and Training Center. In addition, he directs the Harvard Medical School AIDS Initiative in Vietnam, which trains Vietnamese clinicians in the care of HIV-infected patients. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

PAUL SAX, MD Course Co-Director

Dr Paul E. Sax is Clinical Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the HIV Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston. He has been on the faculty at Harvard Medical School since 1992, where he is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr Sax received his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1987. He served his residency in Internal Medicine at BWH, while continuing his postdoctoral education with a fellowship in the Infectious Disease Unit of Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr Sax is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease. He is the Editor-in-Chief of AIDS Clinical Care, on the Peer Review Board of the HIV Section of UpToDate, and is the HIV Disease Section Editor of Infectious Diseases Special Edition. He is on the faculty of the New England AIDS Education and Training Center and the International AIDS Society – USA, and is a member of the HIV Medicine Association and the American Academy of HIV Medicine. In addition to his clinical and teaching work, Dr Sax is also actively involved in HIV research. Ongoing areas of research interest include clinical trials of new antiretroviral therapies, cost effectiveness of management strategies for HIV, toxicity of antiretroviral treatment, and identification, treatment, and outcome of primary HIV infection. He is presently the principal investigator at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, and is a member of the Cost Effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications Research Group (CEPAC). Dr Sax has authored and co-authored many HIV-related published reports, abstracts, reviews, and clinical communications. He was awarded the Edward H Kass Award in Clinical Excellence in 1993, the Harvard-Longwood Infectious Disease Fellowship Award in Clinical Teaching in 1997, and a Brigham and Women’s Hospital Mentorship Award in 2002. DISCLOSURE: Consultant: Abbott, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Gilead, GSK Honoraria for teaching: Abbott, BMS, Gildead, GSK, Marck Grant support: BMS, GSK, Pfizer

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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.

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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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