Fourth Volume of eHIV Review Aims to Expand Knowledge of When to Switch Antiretroviral Regimens

MANHATTAN, N.Y. - Dec. 13, 2018 - PRLog -- DKBmed has announced the launch of Volume 4 of eHIV Review, a component of the highly successful eLiterature Review series that focuses on advances in the care of people who have or are at risk for infection with HIV.

eHIV Review Volume 4 is developed as a new, user-friendly online interactive activity. This new design:

• Is intuitive and easier to navigate
• Improves comprehension and increases retention of key information
• Provides immediate feedback

This volume focuses on the importance of switching virologically suppressed patients to newer HIV therapies to reduce side effects, minimize drug interactions, and improve outcomes. The publication also stresses the importance of identifying and screening high-risk populations and linking them to appropriate care. For more information and to subscribe, visit eHIVreview.org.

"The success of antiretroviral regimens has lengthened the life expectancies of people infected with HIV, and we now have newer, less toxic drugs," explained Justin D. Alves, RN, ACRN, CARN of Infectious Disease Associates at Massachusetts General Hospital and an eHIV Review program director. "Yet clinicians as well as patients who have achieved successful viral suppression on an older regimen may be reluctant to switch to a new one with a better side effect profile, even though evidence shows they can maintain viral suppression on the new medication. This volume of eHIV Review helps expand health care providers' knowledge about new regimens so they can help their patients make better-informed drug choices."

For example, only half of clinicians surveyed indicated they are very familiar with the bone and kidney toxicities associated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), and most are not aware of the reduced toxicity associated with the more recently approved tenofovir alafenamide (TAF). (Survey Data. HIV. July 2017. DKBmed.) In addition, clinicians are not adequately screening persons who inject drugs (PWID) for HIV infection, leading to potential undiagnosed and untreated infection in high-risk individuals and potential for further transmission of HIV. Roughly 40% of new HIV infections in the United States are transmitted by people who are unaware that they are infected with HIV. (MMWR. Vital Signs: Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing and Diagnosis Delays — United States. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6647e1.htm?s_cid.... Accessed November 29, 2017)

Physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurses who care for people with and are at risk for HIV will benefit from six eHIV Review newsletters, featuring expert summaries and commentaries on the most relevant HIV literature, and six podcasts with these experts translating the findings from the literature into clinical situations to model practice change.

Topics that will be covered in Volume 4 include:

· How emerging therapies, including long-acting ART, may provide improved adherence and better resistance profiles
· Identifying and linking high-risk patients (young PWID, MSM) to appropriate treatment
· Switching to therapies to limit comorbidities, including renal and bone toxicities
· Real-world safety and efficacy data of new HIV medications
· PrEP and U=U (Undetectable=Untransmittable)
· Adherence improvement techniques

The other program directors for Volume 4 of eHIV Review are infectious disease specialists Alysse Wurcel, MD, assistant professor, Tufts Medical Center Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseses; and Allison L. Agwu, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and adult infectious diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

"eHIV Review condenses the latest research findings about the care of people with HIV and emerging antiretroviral therapies to help doctors make the most effective treatment choices for their patients, as well as identify those who should be screened," said Dr. Wurcel.

The Success of Volume 3

eHIV Review has nearly 4,000 subscribers. Volume 3 included four newsletters and four podcasts. Subscribers who participated in Volumes 2 and 3 listened to 806 podcasts, downloaded 983 instances of the Newsstand app, and attended 11,777 web sessions. Seventy-one percent of clinicians agreed that the program improved their knowledge and 60% indicated they have changed or intend to change practice as a result of this program.

Credits and Support

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine designates Volume 4 of eHIV Review for a maximum of 9.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™/CE credit hours for all 12 activities. Volume 4 is supported by educational grants from Gilead Sciences, Inc., and Merck & Co., Inc.

About DKBmed

DKBmed is an integrated continuing medical education company operated by a team of medical education experts. DKBmed provides health care professionals effective medical education that closes identified knowledge and practice gaps with the goal of improving patient health.

Working with accredited providers, DKBmed develops innovative educational programs and quality improvement initiatives and specializes in bringing new learning methodologies to the CME landscape. DKBmed was an early adopter of case scenarios with recorded and live actors, TED/DKBmed Talks, 3D animation, webcasts, podcasts, e-mail, and mobile phone applications for clinicians and patients. These forward-thinking approaches enable health care professionals to learn using state-of-the-art techniques and access educational programs in a manner that is most convenient and appropriate for them.

DKBmed's programs are accessible through the company's web site (www.dkbmed.com). They reach more than 50,000 health care professionals in primary care and in a variety of specialties, including pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, infectious disease, viral hepatitis, dermatology, ophthalmology, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, nephrology, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, depression, eating disorders, and pain management.