569-P: A CME Webcast Series’ Impact on Clinicians’ Knowledge and Competence of Long-Term Obesity Management in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Obesity is one of the main modifiable risk factors for diabetes and adverse cardiovascular events, the latter being the leading cause of mortality in patients with T2D. However, clinicians who treat T2D patients often inadequately address obesity in terms of suboptimal selection of antiglycemic therapies that promote weight loss and fail to recommend comprehensive treatment strategies for long-term obesity management. They also may be unaware of advances in obesity management in high-risk patients. These gaps posed a need for developing activities to educate clinicians regarding the significance of addressing obesity in T2D patients. To address these gaps, we developed and launched a 6-part CME webcast series to assess knowledge/competence changes using pre-/post assessment questions. The series launched in Nov. 2023 with the participation of 7,867 healthcare professionals and 3,538 learners (MD/DO, PAs, RNs, NPs, PharmDs). A Chi-Square test was used to analyze the percentage of correct responses and determine statistical significance (p <0.05). There was a significant increase in knowledge regarding the mechanism of action of novel weight management therapies and key aspects of glycemic management (57% and 59% relative increase in knowledge compared to baseline, p <0.0001). Additionally, a significant increase in competency regarding selecting appropriate treatment for long-term obesity management (52% relative increased to baseline, p<0.0001) was noted. At the post-activity evaluation, an average of 75% of learners indicated that they plan to make changes based on information received, including utilizing patient-first language, encouraging lifestyle modifications, and utilizing weight-neutral /lowering medications to manage glycemic control in their patients.