CE Activity 11-06B
The Role of the Clinician in Preventing Cancer: Hereditary Cancer Assessment as an Emerging Standard of Practice Accreditation Statement and Post-Test FACULTY: Lee P. Shulman, MD, FACOG, FACMG The Anna Ross Lapham Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology Chief, Division of Clinical Genetics Co-Director, Northwestern Ovarian Cancer Early Detection and Prevention Program Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University, Chicago, IL Karen J. Spielbusch, CFNP Nurse Practitioner New Mexico Gynecology Consultants Albuquerque, NM INTENDED AUDIENCE: This continuing education (CE) activity has been designated to meet the educational needs of nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, registered nurses, health educators, physicians, physician assistants, pharmacists, and other clinicians who provide care to women. CE APPROVAL PERIOD: March 1, 2012 through March 1, 2013 ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETE THIS ACTIVITY: 1.5 hours PROGRAM DESCRIPTION/IDENTIFICATION OF NEED: The material in this program is based on material from a symposium on October 13, 2011, at the 14th Annual NPWH Premier Women's Healthcare Conference, October 12-15, 2011, Austin, Texas. A physician and a nurse practitioner discussed Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) and Lynch syndrome, hereditary cancer testing, how to incorporate testing into practice, and how to manage patients with identified inherited risk of cancer. Case studies were presented to walk the participants through the entire process of identifying risk to counseling, testing, and managing the identified mutation carrier. The educational need for this program was assessed through a comprehensive review of current literature and an assessment of educational gaps demonstrated by past conference attendees. Numerous studies named hereditary cancer syndromes as a critical area of need for primary care provider-targeted continuing medical education. New study data, ACOG committee opinions, discussions surrounding previous research, and ACOG practice bulletins continue to be released in the field of hereditary cancers. Clinicians who work in Ob/Gyn and women’s health practices are viewed by many women as the preventative arm of medicine. In fact, if only the early diagnosis or prevention of cancer is addressed, it is typical for women to be routinely screened for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers at their annual well-woman visit or referred for further screening tests. In addition to their role as prevention specialists they may also have long-term professional relationships that increase their opportunity to counsel, educate, allay anxiety and provide the much needed interventions necessary if a woman is identified as a mutation carrier.