Psychologic Services for Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Course #66042 -

Overview

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-system, chronic, rare orphan disease that impacts physical and psychologic functioning. It is a complex autoimmune disorder with much greater prevalence among women than men. The course of the disease varies in subpopulations, with ethnic/racial minority women most severely impacted. Mental health professionals providing services to patients with SLE use an eclectic multi-method approach in treatment and evaluation. Psychoeducational and psychotherapeutic interventions are required due to the variability in SLE symptoms and the serious complications of the disease.

Education Category: Psychiatric / Mental Health
Release Date: 05/01/2021
Expiration Date: 04/30/2024

Table of Contents

Audience

This introductory course is designed for psychologists involved in the care of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Accreditations & Approvals

Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

Designations of Credit

NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 2 credit(s).

Course Objective

The purpose of this course is to provide psychologists with the tools necessary to effectively address the psychosocial needs of patients with SLE.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

  1. Outline the epidemiology and pathophysiology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
  2. Discuss the diagnosis and medical treatment of SLE.
  3. Identify components of the psychologic evaluation of patients with SLE.
  4. Describe how to select the appropriate psychologic services and treatment plan for patients with SLE, taking into account potential comorbid psychiatric disorders.

Faculty

Kathleen Holland, PsyD, is a California-licensed psychologist, credentialed school psychologist and licensed educational psychologist, currently in private practice in Sebastopol, California. She obtained a Master’s degree in psychology from San Jose State University and a PsyD from Newport University. Dr. Holland is a member of the American Psychological Association and the American College of Forensic Psychologists. She has written and presented extensively in the areas of psychological evaluation and the provision of psychological services to a variety of patient populations.

Faculty Disclosure

Contributing faculty, Kathleen Holland, PsyD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Division Planner

James Trent, PhD

Division Planner Disclosure

The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Director of Development and Academic Affairs

Sarah Campbell

Director Disclosure Statement

The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

About the Sponsor

The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.

Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.

Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.

Technical Requirements

Supported browsers for Windows include Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 and up, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Supported browsers for Macintosh include Safari, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Other operating systems and browsers that include complete implementations of ECMAScript edition 3 and CSS 2.0 may work, but are not supported. Supported browsers must utilize the TLS encryption protocol v1.1 or v1.2 in order to connect to pages that require a secured HTTPS connection. TLS v1.0 is not supported.

Implicit Bias in Health Care

The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.

Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.