CME- Clinician Education Programs

Key Concepts

This page features highlights from currently available Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs that provide accurate, practical information on Sjogren’s.

This list is short because it excludes CME programs that perpetuate major misconceptions. This is a major problem, even among recent offerings.

Patients can share links to the recommended CME program(s) with their rheumatologists and other doctors.

What is Continuing Medical Education (CME)?

CME are programs that help doctors maintain and update their clinical skills as medical knowledge evolves. Multiple pharmaceutical-sponsored CME programs are finally being offered, after years of scarce Sjogren’s education. Unfortunately, some of the new CME courses offer outdated, inaccurate information that reinforces deeply ingrained misconceptions.

Common Misconceptions vs. Reality
While there are numerous Myths About Sjogren’s and Myths About Diagnosis, four major misconceptions cause the most harm. When CME programs do not communicate the true spectrum and burden of the disease, patients do not get the care they need.

It is troubling that each of these four outdated and easily disproven ideas has been perpetuated in various CME programs offered over the past two years. While most programs only repeat one or two of these major misconceptions, the impact on patients is profound. For example, SSA-negative patients are sometimes told they have a mild sicca version of the disease and are therefore not offered comprehensive monitoring and management.

CME providers must do more than just avoid repeating this inaccurate information; they need to actively counter it, as these myths remain deeply ingrained in the medical community.

Major Misconception #1: “Most patients have a 'dryness-only' version of Sjogren’s; only 30–40% develop systemic involvement."
Reality: Sjogren’s is a serious, multisystem disease that is never limited to sicca (dryness). Quality of life and function are often severely affected—primarily due to fatigue and pain, not dryness.

Major Misconception #2: "Sjogren’s is a mild disease; most patients live a normal life."
Reality: Systemic features, including profound fatigue, are found in nearly every patient who is fully evaluated. Often overlooked, they can have a devastating impact on quality of life and daily function, even in patients without major organ involvement.

Major Misconception #3: "SSA-negative Sjogren’s is a mild, non-systemic version of the disease."
Reality: SSA-negative patients can develop the full range of systemic manifestations. While some symptoms are more common in SSA-positive individuals, others are more prevalent in the SSA-negative population. On average, SSA-negative patients experience similar rates of lung disease, higher rates of neurological and joint involvement, and worse fatigue and pain.

Major Misconception #4: "The Classification criteria (CC) must be fulfilled to diagnose Sjogren’s."
Reality: Classification criteria are research tools used for clinical trials; they are not diagnostic criteria. Sjogren's is a big-picture clinical diagnosis. Many people with Sjogren’s do not meet the CC, especially early in the disease. See myths 7A and 7B on the Myths About Diagnosis page for self-advocacy tools.

RECOMMENDED CME PROGRAM(S)

1. Optimizing the Diagnosis and Care of Sjogren’s Disease

Release date: May 15, 2026
Provider: PRIME Inc.
Presenters: Dr. Frederick Vivino and Dr. Thomas Grader-Beck

This program features data from a recent Quality of Life Survey completed by 828 Sjogren’s patients (recruited via Sjogren’s Advocate). Dr. Sarah Schafer of Sjogren’s Advocate consulted on the survey's design and content.

Tips:
To watch the program and download the slide deck, you will need to complete a short pre-test. Don't worry if you do not know the answers. Skip the post-test unless you are a clinician taking the course for professional credit.

You might find it helpful to print slides 1-24 for easy reference.

Program Highlights

A Systemic Model (Slides 7–8):
Sjogren’s was explicitly introduced as a systemic disease rather than a "sicca syndrome". The presenters outlined a wide range of systemic manifestations, including frequently overlooked issues like gastrointestinal (GI) and autonomic nervous system involvement.
Extreme Diagnostic Delays (Slides 13–14):
The survey data revealed a staggering 15-year average from symptom onset to diagnosis, with half of all patients experiencing their first symptoms before age 40.
Severe Functional Impact (Slides 15–17):
The data showed that 70% of patients have 8 or fewer "usable hours" in a day. Dr. Vivino noted that this severe limitation often prevents patients from maintaining gainful employment.
- Note on Slide 17, “Usable Time": The survey defined this as the daily window where a patient has enough physical and mental energy to engage in productive activities beyond basic self-care.
  Multiple past studies show decreased function is primarily caused by fatigue and pain, not dryness.
Limitations of Diagnostic Testing (Slides 21–24):
While reviewing the diagnostic process, Dr. Vivino addressed the limitations of current diagnostic testing. He emphasized that many patients with Sjogren's do not fulfill the strict classification criteria, and that the gold standard for diagnosis remains a clinician’s expert medical opinion.

Hopefully, more CME programs will be added to this page in the coming months.

As of June 2026, all of the currently available CME programs reviewed by Dr. Schafer, with the exception of the PRIME Inc. course listed above, reinforce major misconceptions. This critique applies strictly to medical professional education and does not include the Sjogren's Foundation Patient Conferences, which have provided excellent patient-centered information in recent years.

While the Sjogren’s Foundation State of Sjogren's CME Conferences are usually up-to-date and helpful (the January 2025 presentations beautifully highlighted neurological manifestations, though that program is unfortunately no longer available for viewing), the January 2026 presentation, A New Era for Treatment in Sjögren's, is not included on this page. This is because its primary focus was on therapies that are not yet clinically available. It remains uncertain who will benefit from, or qualify for, these treatments.

Additionally, the January 2026 program reinforced the misconception that classification criteria are essential for diagnosis. It lacked a meaningful discussion on the need to improve research and care for the large subset of patients who are SSA-negative. A clinician viewing this CME could easily come away with the inaccurate impression that SSA-negative Sjogren's is neither important nor serious.

Updated 06-13-2026