Dyspnea in Patients with Serious Illness
What You’ll Learn
After completing this course, learners will have the tools they need to manage dyspnea, including the physical causes of shortness of breath and the emotional impact on the patient.
Learning outcomes for this course include:
- Describe the clinical presentation of dyspnea
- Discuss the physical and emotional impact of dyspnea on patients with serious illness and their caregivers
- List the four possible mechanisms of dyspnea
- Identify two non-pharmacologic and one pharmacologic strategy for managing dyspnea
- Detail the treatment approach for treating dyspnea with cough
- Discuss the evidence for other dyspnea treatments including sustained release opioids, nebulized furosemide, nebulized opioids, supplemental oxygen, and pleural catheters and thoracentesis.
What You’ll Earn
Only CAPC members who are logged in can earn the following free Continuing Education Credits:
- 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- Case Management: 1.25 CE
- Nursing: 1.00 CNE, 0.40 Pharmacotherapy
- Social Work: 1.00 CE (NYSED)
- Social Work: 1.00 CE (NASW)
To take this course, log in. Or, check here to see if your organization is a member.
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Tools & Resources
Guidance on prevention, diagnosis, and management of COPD. Updated 2020.
Medicare criteria for lung volume reduction surgery in COPD.
Medicare criteria for pulmonary rehabilitation services in COPD.
Etiology, assessment, and treatment of dyspnea at the end of life.
Key terms related to symptom management. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2023.
Course citations. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2023.
Accreditations and Disclosures
Physicians
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
CME Released: 2/15/2024; Valid for credit through 2/15/2026.
Estimated Time of Completion for CME: 60 minutes
ABIM MOC Recognition Statement
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn 1.0 MOC credit in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC credits equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for this activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
Physician Assistants
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai designates this enduring material with 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ as specified, which can be applied to the continuing education of Physician Assistants. Physician Assistants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurses (Registered Nurses, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, Licensed Nurses)
This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by Connecticut Nurses’ Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
CNE Released: 3/11/2023; Valid for credit through 3/11/2025.
Estimated Time of Completion / CNE Contact Hours: 60 minutes / Contact Hours 1.0
This course offers 0.40 Pharmacotherapeutic Contact Hours for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses as required for maintenance of national certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) for nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists.
Social Workers
This program is approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Approval # 886437049-3917) for 1.0 continuing education contact hours effective 2/20/2024 - 2/28/2025.
Center to Advance Palliative Care SW CPE #0257 is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers effective 7/31/2024 - 7/31/27. This program has been approved for 1.0 continuing education contact hours.
Certified Case Managers
This program is approved by The Commission for Case Manager Certification (Approval # 240000554) to provide 1.25 continuing education credits to CCM® board certified case managers.
Released: 3/13/2024; Valid for credit through 3/13/2025.
Verification of Attendance (VOA)
All users that are not eligible for continuing education will receive a Verification of Attendance certificate upon completion of the course.
Faculty Disclosure Policy
It is the policy of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) to ensure objectivity, balance, independence, transparency, and scientific rigor in all CME-accredited educational activities. All faculty participating in the planning or implementation of an activity accredited by ISMMS are expected to disclose all of their financial relationships with ineligible companies existing within the prior 24 months. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated and disclosed to learners before the activity takes place. Presenters must also make a meaningful disclosure to the audience of their discussion of unlabeled or unapproved drugs or devices. This information will be available as part of the course material.
Course Media Instructions
Software Requirements: CAPC’s online curriculum, tools and technical assistance are designed to be fully compatible through multiple platforms: computer, smartphone (iOS or Android) or tablet running the following web browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.
Content: Each course is comprised of interactive learning components (articles, tools, or supporting materials), video and audio. The learner will be expected to complete various interactive processes such as matching, simulated clinical decision-making, fill in the blanks, and highlighting content.
To successfully earn credit, participants must complete the activity online, receive a minimum score of 80% on the post-test, and complete the course evaluation. A printable certificate of completion or a continuing award document specific to the discipline will be awarded.
Target Audience: Each program is developed for chaplains/spiritual counselors, nurses, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, case managers, palliative care program leaders, and healthcare leaders (hospital, health system and community care).
Activity Description/Statement of Needs: CAPC’s online curriculum provides training in two critical areas. Technical assistance courses are designed to help palliative care program leaders address key challenges such as implementing palliative care in community health care settings. Clinical coursework provides fundamental training in pain and symptom management, communication, and other key skills needed to work with patients with serious illness.
Disclaimers: The opinions expressed in the courses are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the sponsor, the educational partner, or the supporter. Please review complete prescribing information of specific drugs or combination of drugs, including indications, contraindications, warnings, and adverse effects before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.
Activities do not contain information on commercial products/devices that are unlabeled for use or investigational uses of products not yet approved.
Copyright Information: All rights reserved by the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). No materials may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.
Privacy Information: To read CAPC’s privacy policy, click here.
Course Faculty
Sean M. Marks, MD. Associate Professor, Medical College of Wisconsin.
Brittany Chambers, MPH, MCHES. Associate Director of Education, Center to Advance Palliative Care.
Brynne Hunter, MSIT. Education Technology Project Manager, Center to Advance Palliative Care.
Drew Rosielle, MD, FAAHPM. Palliative Care, Fairview Health Services, University of Minnesota Medical School.
Lolita Melhado, MSN, ARNP, FNP-BC. Family Nurse Practitioner/Palliative Care, Gulf Coast Medical Center - Lee Memorial Health System.
Philip Higgins, PhD, LICSW. President, Lighthouse Counseling of Salem, Inc.
Peer Reviewers
Karl Bezak, MD. Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, University of Pittsburgh (UPMC).*
Nora Brennan, RN. Cardiology, University of Pennsylvania Hospital System.
Dara Duncan, RN. Hospice and Palliative Care Registered Nurse, Wiener Family Palliative Care Unit
Mount Sinai Hospital.
Gabrielle Langmann, MD. Clinical Instructor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Master’s of Science in Medical Education Candidate, University of Pittsburgh.*
Ayla Pelleg, MD. Assistant Professor, Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
*indicates ABIM Peer Reviewer
Contact information: For answers to frequently asked questions about CAPC courses, read the Online Course FAQ. For technical questions about course activity, email [email protected]. For questions about continuing education credits, contact 201-957-0077.
Provided by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
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