Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (and other tickborne diseases) Toolkit for Healthcare Providers with Continuing Education

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Description

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a bacterial disease spread through the bite of an infected tick. Early symptoms include fever, headache, and rash; and prompt treatment with doxycycline is critical to prevent severe and fatal outcome. This activity provides information pertinent to healthcare providers and public health practitioners on the epidemiology, risk factors, clinical characteristics, treatment, and diagnosis of RMSF. The toolkit includes an instructional video and companion learning tools that can be used as references. Through awareness and early recognition, front line providers can reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with RMSF. Many other tickborne diseases are also endemic to the United States, and are important causes of illness, requiring awareness, identification, and proper treatment.

The toolkit includes the following elements (please complete all for full continuing education credit):

  • Training Video: narrated video discussing the clinical signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of RMSF
  • Physician Pocket Card: quick reference of key facts about the clinical diagnosis and treatment of RMSF
  • Clinical Timeline: printable graphic that provides key clinical facts and images to aid in the diagnosis of RMSF
  • Tickborne Diseases of the United States Manual: manual for healthcare providers highlighting transmission, epidemiology, clinical, diagnostic, and treatment features for tickborne diseases throughout the country.
Training Video

Narrated video discussing the clinical signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of RMSF

Physician Pocket Card

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever clinical pocket card. Treat early: RMSF can be rapidly fatal. Treatment is most effective if started within the first 5 days of symptoms. Doxycycline is the treatment of choice in persons of all ages.* Early signs and symptoms: fever, headache, myalgia, fatigue (non-specific and can mimic other illnesses). Later signs and symptoms: petechial rash, multi-organ failure, septic shock, meningoencephalitis, necrosis of digits or limbs, severe thrombocytopenia, hyponatremia. Do not wait for a rash to occur to suspect RMSF. Rash occurs in approximately 90% of cases, however rash does not typically appear until 2-4 days following fever onset. Fewer than 60% of people report history of a tick bite. Treatment is based on clinical suspicion, and should not rely on diagnostic test results or the appearance of rash. RMSF is most commonly confirmed by looking for serum antibodies using paired samples (one taken from the first week of illness and the second 2-4 weeks later).

Quick reference of key facts about the clinical diagnosis and treatment of RMSF

Clinical Timeline

MMWR Diagnosis and Management of Tickborne Rickettsial Diseases: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Other Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses, Ehrlichioses, and Anaplasmosis - United States

Printable graphic that provides key clinical facts and images to aid in the diagnosis of RMSF

Tickborne Diseases of the US Manual

Cover image of Tickborne Diseases of the United States, Fifth Edition. Image shows a general map of the United States and images of the three most common human-biting ticks in the U.S.—Blacklegged tick, lone star tick, and American dog tick

Manual for healthcare providers highlighting transmission, epidemiology, clinical, diagnostic, and treatment features for tickborne diseases throughout the country.

Objectives

At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to:

  1. Identify clinical characteristics associated with early, intermediate, and late presentations of RMSF.
  2. Identify clinical characteristics associated with higher risk of fatal outcome during the three stages of RMSF presentation.
  3. Describe available diagnostic tests for RMSF, advantages and disadvantages of each, and the appropriate time points and specimens for collection.
  4. Identify the epidemiology of RMSF and other tickborne diseases in the United States and vectors associated with transmission.
  5. Describe current treatment principles and recommendations for pediatric and adult patients.
  6. Discuss the differences in the current treatment principles and recommendations for pediatric and adult patients.

Continuing Education

Online Registration and Test:

Origination Date: August 1st, 2018

Renewal Date: August 1st, 2020

Expiration Date: August 2nd, 2022

Instructions for Obtaining Continuing Education (CE)

In order to receive continuing education (CE) for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (and other tickborne diseases) Toolkit for Healthcare Providers please visit TCEO and follow these 9 Simple Steps.

To obtain credit you must:

Continuing Education Units

CME: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designates this enduring material for a maximum of (1.2) AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CNE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is accredited as a provider of Continuing Nursing Education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. This activity provides (1) contact hours.

CEU: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is authorized by IACET to offer (0.1) CEU’s for this program.

CECH: Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES®) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES®) to receive up to (1) total Category I continuing education contact hours. Maximum advanced level continuing education contact hours available are 0. CDC provider number 98614.

AAVSB/RACE:  This program was reviewed and approved by AAVSB RACE program for (1.2) hours of continuing education. Participants should be aware that some boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in certain categories and/or restrictions on certain methods of delivery of continuing education. Please contact the AAVSB RACE program if you have any comments/concerns regarding this program’s validity or relevancy to the veterinary profession.

CPE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

This program is a designated event for pharmacists to receive (0.1) CEUs in pharmacy education. The Universal Activity Number is JA4008229-0000-20-025-H01-P.

Category: This activity has been designated as <Knowledge-Based>

Once credit is claimed, an unofficial statement of credit is immediately available on TCEOnline.  Official credit will be uploaded within 60 days on the NABP/CPE Monitor.

Certified Public Health Professionals (CPH): The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a pre-approved provider of Certified in Public Health (CPH) recertification credits and is authorized to offer (1) CPH recertification credits for this program.

Disclosure

In compliance with continuing education requirements, all presenters must disclose any financial or other associations with the manufacturers of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services, or commercial supporters as well as any use of unlabeled product(s) or product(s) under investigational use.

CDC, our planners, content experts, and their spouses/partners wish to disclose they have no financial interests or other relationships with the manufacturers of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services, or commercial supporters. Planners have reviewed content to ensure there is no bias.

Content will not include any discussion of the unlabeled use of a product or a product under investigational use.

CDC did not accept commercial support for this continuing education activity.

Fees

No fees are charged for CDC’s CE activities.

Page last reviewed: July 31, 2020
Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) , Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD)