Overview
The introduction of HPV vaccines in 2006 and the widespread adoption of HPV testing created a need for educating the clinical community about the role of HPV infections in anogenital disease, appropriate clinical usages of HPV testing, and about the potential benefits of vaccination against HPV infections. In response to this need, the ASCCP developed an Educate the Educator II program, which was a series of training courses designed specifically to address confusion in the clinical community after the introduction of cotesting, and the first generation of HPV vaccines - with the greatest challenge being in the smaller and mid-sized communities that lack clinicians who have expertise in this area.
The original Educate the Educators program was designed to train ASCCP members on these topics and provided them with educational materials and comprehensive lecture kits that enabled them to provide education in their own communities. The educators were initially trained by key thought leaders from the ASCCP membership - either through half-day face-to-face seminars or through webinars. In addition to the ASCCP membership, training was also provided to other groups of clinicians focusing on women's health such as at the International Papillomavirus Meeting in Prague. A critical feature of the original program was that after the initial training, the ASCCP reinforced the training by providing clinical updates at regular intervals and by tracking the number of events and audiences that the "educators" trained. The original program was considered highly successful by both the ASCCP and the sponsors with the "educators" giving a variety of educational events ranging from grand rounds to small, informal in-office presentations.
Modeling that highly successful program, the ASCCP and NPWH developed a similar program, Educate the Educators II, to focus on the many recent changes in cervical cancer screening and prevention. The ASCCP and NPWH are optimally suited to partner with industry to fill this need. The ASCCP is a multidisciplinary society that focuses on providing education on the diagnosis and treatment of lower genital tract disorders to obstetricians and gynecologists, gynecologic oncologists, family practice physicians, internists, pathologists, and advance practice clinicians such as nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physicians’ assistants. Its members include almost all of the nationally recognized thought leaders in HPV and cervical cancer prevention. NPWH is a highly regarded and trusted source of information on nurse practitioner education and practice. NPWH is nationally recognized as one of the most reliable sources of primary care information and current women’s health issues.
Need for Program
As a professional society whose mission is to educate and provide important professional services to members and the clinical community, and to improve provider competencies and patient outcomes, the ASCCP and NPWH continually communicate with reliable sources to identify the educational needs of members and other like professionals. Those assessments continuously note that learners are keenly interested in updates and changes in their rapidly evolving field and in relevant clinical guidelines. Examples include knowledge about HPV vaccines, new methods of screening and triage of various disorders of the lower genital tract, new uses for HPV tests including primary screening, vulvar and anal diseases, and management of abnormal screening and diagnostic tests of the cervix and vagina. In response, the ASCCP and NPWH have continued their leadership role in providing objective, high quality education to meet those educational needs.
This program will address the need for:
- Lack of understanding about the biology, immunology, natural history and epidemiology of hrHPV infections and their relationship to conditions of the lower genital tract
- There are now not only consensus guidelines for screening and management of abnormal cervical cancer screening tests and diagnosed cancer precursors, but an FDA approved HPV assay for primary initial cervical cancer screening. Providers need to understand benefits and limitations of current guidance and need to know how to integrate the information to best serve their patients.
- Providers need to understand more clearly the difference between laboratory tests widely validated and licensed for use by the FDA and those that are developed and validated on a limited basis in individual laboratories and the impact of these testing on outcomes.
- There are new updated HPV vaccines approved by the FDA and providers need to understand the differences between the new vaccine and ones available since 2006.
- Since uptake of currently available HPV vaccines has not reached levels expected in the population at risk, providers need to understand the benefits of the vaccines so they can inform their patients and parents of eligible patients.
- Help to dispel misinformation about the HPV vaccine being primarily a preventative for a sexually transmitted infection and understand it as a preventative measure for a whole series of potentially lethal neoplastic conditions.
Target Audience
This series is intended for those in the United States. The audience will include a variety of disciplines like:
- Obstetrics Gynecology
- Gynecological Oncology
- Family Medicine
- Pathology
- Advanced Practice Clinicians (Women’s Health Care Professionals, Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Midwives, Physician’s Assistants, etc.)
- Epidemiologists
- Laboratory Scientists
- Residency Directors
- Specialists in training (Obstetrics/Gynecology, Family Medicine and Pathology)
- Other Health Care Activity Fields
Educational Objectives
At the conclusion of this program, learners will be able to:
Describe important elements of the biology, epidemiology, and natural history of HPV infections and their relationship to the development of precancers and cancers of the lower genital tract including those of the cervix, vagina, vulva, anus and perianal areas.
- Identify the immune response to HPV infection, and the cost of HPV infections to the individual and society.
- Identify the content (genotypes) of available FDA licensed HPV vaccines, and understand important elements of vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy.
- Discuss recommendations for use of the HPV vaccine and the limitations of the effectiveness of HPV vaccines.
- Appropriately counsel patients, parents of patients and clinicians about the use of HPV vaccines.
- Discuss important elements of current US cervical cancer screening guidelines.
- Describe the different types of HPV testing methods currently available and their relative strengths and limitations.
- Discuss the accepted clinical uses of HPV assays in screening, triage and management of HPV-associated conditions for the general population, specific age groups, and populations with unusual risk profiles.
- Understand consensus screening and management guidelines and the new interim guidance for primary HPV screening and how to apply them in a clinical setting.
- Apply HPV testing and relevant diagnostic tests to clinical practice in a directed, evidence-based and cost-effective manner.
Program Format
- Speaker’s live training course – participants will receive access to online speaker lectures kits prepared by ASCCP/NPWH leadership and will be trained at half-day training programs
- Speaker Support Center – support for those who participated in the Educate the Educators II speaker training program. The speakers’ support center, on request, will provide additional teaching resources, updated slides, and up-to-date literature reviews to training program participants.
- An online webinar for participants who are unable to attend the live training program.
Topics:
The program will be composed of subject matter experts presenting varying evidenced-based perspectives on the following topics:
- HPV Vaccines
- Cervical cancer screening guidelines
- HPV Testing
- Giving Effective Presentations
Continuting Medical Education
ASCCP is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
*Note: Unless otherwise stated, CME is offered for ETE sessions directly sponsored by the ASCCP. If the ETE session is co-provided, the ASCCP does not offer CME.
Educational Objectives
At the conclusion of this program, learners will be able to:
Describe important elements of the biology, epidemiology, and natural history of HPV infections and their relationship to the development of precancers and cancers of the lower genital tract including those of the cervix, vagina, vulva, anus and perianal areas.
- Identify the immune response to HPV infection, and the cost of HPV infections to the individual and society.
- Identify the content (genotypes) of available FDA licensed HPV vaccines, and understand important elements of vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy.
- Discuss recommendations for use of the HPV vaccine and the limitations of the effectiveness of HPV vaccines.
- Appropriately counsel patients, parents of patients and clinicians about the use of HPV vaccines.
- Discuss important elements of current US cervical cancer screening guidelines.
- Describe the different types of HPV testing methods currently available and their relative strengths and limitations.
- Discuss the accepted clinical uses of HPV assays in screening, triage and management of HPV-associated conditions for the general population, specific age groups, and populations with unusual risk profiles.
- Interpret consensus screening and management guidelines and the new interim guidance for primary HPV screening and how to apply them in a clinical setting.
- Apply HPV testing and relevant diagnostic tests to clinical practice in a directed, evidence-based and cost-effective manner.
Sponsors
ASCCP thanks the following companies for their generous educational grant support for the Educate the Educators II (ETE II). ETE II was planned and produced in accordance with the ACCME Essentials Areas and Elements and the Updated Criteria. ASCCP also states that all decisions relating to the development and production activities of each lecture were made independent of any commercial interest.