Lisa H. Lancaster, MD - The Power of Interprofessional Teams in SSc-ILD: From Diagnosis Through Management

Go online to PeerView.com/TDE860 to view the activity, download slides and practice aids, and complete the post-test to earn credit. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) or scleroderma is a rare, often fatal connective tissue disease that affects multiple organ systems. Pulmonary involvement, particularly interstitial lung disease (ILD), occurs in the majority of patients with SSc and is now the number one cause of death in SSc. Early diagnosis is key and relies on evaluation of signs and symptoms, pulmonary function tests, and high-resolution computed tomography. Until recently, therapy for SSc-ILD has been limited to supportive care and immunosuppressants. Fortunately, antifibrotic agents approved for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have either received approval, or are in development, for SSc-ILD. Because SSc-ILD affects multiple organ systems and has many comorbidities, interprofessional management is essential from diagnosis throughout the disease course. In this expert-led activity, you will be able to self-assess your baseline levels of understanding, skill, and confidence, resulting in a tailored educational experience focused on the areas where you need it most. Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to: Diagnose SSc-ILD promptly and conduct comprehensive interprofessional assessments using clinical signs and symptoms, and guideline-directed testing, Use recent trial data and guidelines to guide the use of existing and emerging agents to treat SSc-ILD in an interprofessional care team, Leverage the interprofessional care team to manage the risk factors and comorbidities of SSc-ILD.