S1039 Enhancing Awareness of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) Among General/Family Practitioners to Improve Early Recognition and Intervention: Measuring the Impact of Continuing Medical Education

Introduction: The prevalence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is increasing, however, delays in diagnosis continue to negatively impact patient quality of life. General/family practitioners play a key role in supporting early recognition and management of EoE. To increase awareness of EoE among general/family practitioners, we developed a continued medical education (CME) program aimed at improving their knowledge and competence related to why it is important to recognize the early signs/symptoms of EoE, when to suspect EoE and refer patients to specialists, and how to be involved in long-term patient management. Methods: A 60-minute, CME-certified, interactive symposium titled “Eosinophilic Esophagitis From Symptom Recognition to Long-Term Management: A Comprehensive Plan for Primary Care,” was presented by 2 gastroenterologists and a patient with EoE at Family Medicine Experience (FMX) Annual Meeting 2024. Learners could participate in 3 different ways: in person, by attending virtually, or by watching the online (enduring) highlights following the live event. Changes in knowledge and competence were measured using pre- and post-test learner analysis. Intent to change practice and potential patient impact were also measured. Data collection is ongoing. Results: As of May 29, 2025, a total of 4,315 learners participated in the education, with the leading learner specialties being general/family practitioners (84%). A subset of learners (N = 799) completed pre- and post-test assessments. Baseline knowledge was lowest regarding multidisciplinary management and available treatment options for EoE. Post-education, learners demonstrated improvements in knowledge/competence related to impact of EoE on quality of life (12%); strategies for early recognition (10%); impact of available treatment modalities (29%); and multidisciplinary strategies to manage EoE (15%). Of the learners, more than 80% intended to make changes to their practice based on the activity. Based on learners’ self-report of the number of patients seen per week, this program potentially impacted 12,391 patient interactions. More than 40% of learners also expressed interest in receiving further education related to EoE signs/symptoms and management. Conclusion: Our interim findings showed that CME was effective in improving general/family practitioners’ awareness related to symptom recognition, treatment options and multidisciplinary management of EoE. It also identified persisting educational needs and interests among learners.