MER Primary Care Conferences Internal Medicine for Primary Care Derm Geri Men’s Uro Pulm Apr 27-30, 2026

MER Primary Care Conferences Internal Medicine for Primary Care Derm Geri Men’s Uro Pulm Apr 27-30, 2026

1. Overview

The “Internal Medicine for Primary Care: Dermatology/Geriatrics/Men’s Urology/Pulmonology” is a conference organized by Medical Education Resources (MER), a non-profit organization. The event is scheduled to take place from April 27-30, 2026, at Le Méridien Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain.

2. Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this program, participants should be better able to:

• Diagnose and manage patients with asthma.

• Design treatment strategies reflective of current evidence-based medicine for common respiratory infections.

• Describe the current therapeutic management of COPD.

• Discuss diagnosis and screening strategies as well as treatment plans for lung nodules and lung cancer.

• Differentiate between the presentations and causes of atopic, contact (irritant and allergic), and nummular dermatitis.

• Describe the step-wise approach for the diagnosis and treatment of acne and acneiform eruptions.

• Differentiate benign and malignant skin tumors and employ appropriate interoffice procedures.

• Detect pre-cancerous and cancerous skin lesions.

• Discuss medical management of male sexual health.

• Evaluate and manage sexually-transmitted infections in men.

• Differentiate between benign prostate conditions and prostate cancers.

• Discuss the biology and screening, and treatment options of prostate and testicular cancer.

• Utilize a comprehensive geriatric assessment to identify potential issues in the elderly patient.

• Recognize and manage geriatric depression.

• Diagnose and treat cognitive impairment, dementias, and Alzheimer’s disease.

• Discuss strategies for the management of difficult behaviors in patients with dementia without the use of psychotropic medications.

3. Target Audience

This program is targeted to office-based primary care providers and other health professionals with updates in primary care medicine.

4. Topics

Pulmonology

• Asthma: The medical impact of asthma; fundamental role of inflammation, with possible scarring and irreversible loss of lung function ; practical points of diagnosis; goal setting management based on levels of severity ; risk factors for mortality and treatment in the acute setting; management options for the difficult to control asthmatic patient.

• Controversies in the Treatment of Common Respiratory Infections: Acute and chronic bronchitis; pneumonia (community versus hospital-acquired); role of the Pneumonia Severity Index score in determining indication for hospitalization ; cost-effective use of antibiotics ; clinical significance of drug resistance; guidelines for management.

• COPD: Definition; pathophysiology; early detection and intervention; risk reduction; management update including new modalities (including lung volume reduction surgery) and the role of inhaled corticosteroids and domiciliary oxygen.

• Lung Cancer Screening & Pulmonary Nodules: Appropriate use of the new lung cancer screening recommendations; Fleischner Society guidelines and American College of Chest Physician Lung Cancer guidelines ; approach to definitive evaluation and management strategies.

Dermatology

• Dermatitis: Overview of the causes and forms of skin irritants; Contact, atopic, irritant, nummular, seborrheic and exfoliative; Treatment of blistering, oozing, crusting and flaking; Diagnostic principles and management strategies.

• Acne and Acneiform Eruptions: Identification of noninflammatory open or closed comedones and inflammatory lesions; Determination of treatment therapies based on acne grading scale; Bacterial folliculitis, drug-induced acne, hidradenitis suppurativa, miliaria, perioral dermatitis, pseudofolliculitis barbae, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis; Topical and systemic therapy.

• Benign Skin Tumors: Proper diagnosis and treatment of common benign tumors; Biopsies and histopathologic examination; Nevi, seborrheic keratosis keloids, hemangiomas and miscellaneous tumors; When to refer.

• Premalignant and Malignant Skin Tumors: Recognition of precursors of malignancies; Excisional and punch biopsies; Actinic keratosis, Bowen’s disease, squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, melanoma and other selected tumors; Risk reduction education.

Men’s Urology

• Androgen Replacement and Sexual Function: Treatment algorithm and safety profiles for the treatment of erectile dysfunction; testosterone supplementation for the treatment of ED or hypogonadism.

• Sexually Transmitted Infections in Men: Presenting symptoms, lesions, latencies, diagnostic work-ups and therapies of the common sexually transmitted diseases.

• Benign Male Genitourinary Conditions: Appropriate primary medical management of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) (also known as BPH) as well as identification of patients with complex or refractory cases that warrant referral ; diagnosis and treatment of epididymitis, testicular pain, prostatitis and other benign findings.

• Male Malignancies (Prostate & Testicular): Biology and treatment options using current medical technology of prostate cancer ; evaluation and treatment of testicular cancer and long-term ramifications after cure.

Geriatrics

• Approach to the Geriatric Patient: The demographics of aging and the physiologic changes in the elderly patient; Medication use in the elderly including changes in age-related pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and medication adherence; Review of risky medications often used in elderly patients.

• Depression: Considerations in Older Adults: Overview of depression as a common condition often seen in primary care; The many ways depression negatively impacts other healthcare issues; Simple methods of recognition and managing depression in the primary care setting that can greatly improve the comfort, function, and the quality of life for older adults.

• Alzheimer’s & Other Dementias: Review of normal age-related changes in cognitive function as well as disorders of memory and cognition as part of dementing illness; Mental status exams, including their limitations in evaluating memory; Various types of dementia and the importance of an accurate diagnosis; Current treatment options for various kinds of dementia; Potentially reversible dementias; The responsibilities of healthcare providers in managing patients with dementia.

• Managing Behavior Problems in Dementia Patients: Review of common behavior disorders often seen in patients with dementia; Behavioral techniques which have shown to be effective in managing some of the behavior disorders in patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, focusing on the management of these patients without the use of psychotropic medications; Examples of behavior disturbances along with the behavior management technique which was effective in managing the patient with the behavior problem; Review of the potential adverse effects of the psychotropic medications usually used to manage behavior.