Can a specialty society educate its members to think differently about clinical decisions? Results of a randomized trial

Does Continuing Medical Education (CME) Activity Contribute to Learning Gain: An Objective Evaluation

Continuing medical education (CME) and work-shops go a long way to update and refresh medical education of the medical practitioners and help them to stay updated about latest advances in the medical field which helps them to impart latest and better treatment to the patients. This article aims at reporting the evaluation of the effectiveness of the learning in terms of knowledge gained immediately after the workshop and to objectively quantify the knowledge gain from the CME program. Pre- and post-CME survey of knowledge by the way of multiple choice question questionnaire was used to assess the efficacy of the CME and the learning gain of the participants. 42 participants were included in the assessment of the gain in knowledge after the CME. An increase of 17.9% in the scores of the participants was seen at the end of the CME, with a learning gain of 38%. Educational activity like CME can improve the knowledge base of the intended participants. Further research is required to evaluate if education delivered in a short workshop of this nature is retained for any length of time and if it results in any change in practice that affects health outcomes.

Curing neurophobia in medical schools: evidence-based strategies

Medical students often perceive neurology as the most difficult medical specialty. This perception is described as 'neurophobia' in the medical literature. Several studies have cited poor teaching, complex examination, and separation of basic and clinical sciences as major factors in the development of neurophobia. These negative perceptions can have serious implications, such as decreasing the students' desire to consider neurology as a future career and increasing referrals from other specialists to avoid dealing with neurological conditions. Faced with increasing demands of healthcare systems and the global burden of neurological conditions, there is a rising need for further research and innovative strategies to improve students' perceptions of clinical neurology. This review discusses evidence-based recommendations and educational interventions to cure neurophobia in medical education.

Continuing medical education effect on practice performance: effectiveness of continuing medical education: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Educational Guidelines

BACKGROUND

There has been sizable debate and widespread skepticism about the effect of continuing medical education (CME) on the performance of physicians in the practice setting. This portion of the review was undertaken to examine that effect.

METHODS

The guideline panel used data from a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of CME developed by The Johns Hopkins Evidence-based Practice Center, focusing on the effect of CME on clinical performance.

RESULTS

The review found 105 studies, which evaluated the impact of CME on short- and long-term physician practice performance. Nearly 60% met objectives relative to changing clinical performance in prescribing; screening; counseling about smoking cessation, diet, and sexual practices; guideline adherence; and other topics. Single live and multiple media appeared to be generally positive in their effect, print media much less so. Multiple educational techniques were more successful at changing provider performance than single techniques. The amount or frequency of exposure to CME activities appeared to have little effect on behavior change.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, CME, especially using live or multiple media and multiple educational techniques, is generally effective in changing physician performance. More research, however, is needed that focuses on the specific types of media and educational techniques that lead to the greatest improvements in performance.

The reported validity and reliability of methods for evaluating continuing medical education: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To appraise the reported validity and reliability of evaluation methods used in high-quality trials of continuing medical education (CME).

METHOD

The authors conducted a systematic review (1981 to February 2006) by hand-searching key journals and searching electronic databases. Eligible articles studied CME effectiveness using randomized controlled trials or historic/concurrent comparison designs, were conducted in the United States or Canada, were written in English, and involved at least 15 physicians. Sequential double review was conducted for data abstraction, using a traditional approach to validity and reliability.

RESULTS

Of 136 eligible articles, 47 (34.6%) reported the validity or reliability of at least one evaluation method, for a total of 62 methods; 31 methods were drawn from previous sources. The most common targeted outcome was practice behavior (21 methods). Validity was reported for 31 evaluation methods, including content (16), concurrent criterion (8), predictive criterion (1), and construct (5) validity. Reliability was reported for 44 evaluation methods, including internal consistency (20), interrater (16), intrarater (2), equivalence (4), and test-retest (5) reliability. When reported, statistical tests yielded modest evidence of validity and reliability. Translated to the contemporary classification approach, our data indicate that reporting about internal structure validity exceeded reporting about other categories of validity evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence for CME effectiveness is limited by weaknesses in the reported validity and reliability of evaluation methods. Educators should devote more attention to the development and reporting of high-quality CME evaluation methods and to emerging guidelines for establishing the validity of CME evaluation methods.

From evidence to action

Despite the availability of vast quantities of evidence from basic biomedical and clinical studies, a gap often exists between the optimal practice suggested by the evidence and actual practice. For many clinical situations, however, evidence is unavailable, of poor quality or contradictory. Out of necessity, clinicians have become accustomed to relying on non-evidence-based tools to make decisions. Out of habit, they rely on these tools even when high-quality evidence becomes available. Growing out of an increasing awareness of this problem, the evidence-based medicine (EBM) movement sought to empower clinicians to find the evidence most relevant to a specific clinical question. Various organizations have used EBM techniques to develop systematic reviews and practice guidelines to aid physicians in making evidence-based decisions. A systematic review follows a process of asking a clinical question, finding the relevant evidence, critically appraising the evidence and formulating conclusions and recommendations. Results are mixed on whether educating physicians about evidence-based recommendations is sufficient to change physician behavior. Barriers to adopting evidence-based best practice remain, including physician skepticism, patient expectations, fear of legal action, and distorted reimbursement systems. Additionally, despite enormous research efforts there remains a lack of high-quality evidence to guide care for many clinical situations.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease differ in Chinese and American patients

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease is similar across ethnic groups. To our knowledge, no comparison of behavioral symptoms has been addressed.

OBJECTIVE

This cross-sectional, retrospective, descriptive study compares neuropsychiatric symptoms of Chinese subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) at tertiary care centers in Taiwan and Hong Kong against Caucasian subjects in Los Angeles, California. We compared the frequency and severity of symptoms and caregiver responses to neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). We hypothesized that Chinese patients do not seek care unless they have high severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms and that Caucasian Americans do not wait for behavioral disturbances to develop before coming to medical attention.

RESULTS

The Caucasian sample had the highest mean educational level and mildest Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale distributions of all four groups. Older age and lower educational levels contributed to higher CDR scale scores, which in turn correlated with higher total NPI scores. Only one of the Chinese samples had a higher frequency of severe neuropsychiatric symptoms than the Caucasian sample. Chinese caregivers reported anxiety and delusions more frequently (58.1%) than Caucasians (37.3% and 39.6%; chi(2), p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). Caucasians reported appetite changes (47.3%) and apathy (59.2%) more frequently than the Chinese samples (chi(2), p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Caregivers at all four centers were distressed by behaviors qualified as severe.

CONCLUSION

We found support for our hypothesis, in that Chinese subjects presented during a more severe stage of dementia than American subjects, but the delay in seeking care could not be correlated with significant differences in neuropsychiatric profiles of the demented subjects. Other barriers to dementia care warrant investigation.

Optimising drug utilisation in long term care

Providing quality long term care for the elderly while containing costs is presenting major challenges for governments and policy makers. Although international variability exists with respect to the number of medications and other factors influencing suboptimal pharmacotherapy, suboptimal pharmacotherapy among elderly persons is common. This international problem requires a creative and multifaceted approach to improve and rationalise prescribing. We outline the non-regulatory efforts and regulatory means to approaching this problem. The recent introduction of a prospective payment system for long-term care in the US has underscored the importance of a regulatory approach to counter-balance the cost containment efforts which bundle the cost of medications into a prospectively set per diem rate. An examination of how US regulatory bodies are considering improving prescribing is provided. Considering the case of coronary heart disease, we provide data regarding the performance of a quality indicator aimed at stimulating quality prescribing for this medical condition. Although the use of regulatory approaches can improve prescribing, it is also recognised that a more holistic approach involving multidisciplinary teams and greater focus on the patient is the ultimate aspiration. This is particularly the case with the elderly in whom appropriate drug therapy can have a major impact on outcomes. A major cultural shift in the way society views and treats the elderly may be required in order to produce dramatic improvements in long term care for older people.

Physician preferences for continuing medical education with a focus on the topic of antimicrobial resistance: Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

OBJECTIVE

To determine the type of media preferred for continuing medical education (CME) and to assess the factors that affect physician preferences for CME in general and on the special topic of antimicrobial resistance.

DESIGN

A voluntary survey of the membership of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, Inc. (SHEA).

METHODS

SHEA, in collaboration with other medical societies and with technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, designed and mailed the survey to its membership. The survey included questions about media used, preferred, and of interest to try for CME delivery in general and on the topic of antimicrobial resistance in specific. The survey also included demographic and general questions, such as work environment, percentage of time in direct patient care, and experience treating patients with antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.

RESULTS

225 SHEA members completed the survey. The majority of physicians were in clinical practice (59%) and worked in a hospital (57%). The median year of graduation from medical school was 1979 (range, 1951-1999). CME subject matter (46%) was ranked as the most important factor affecting media preference. Journal articles (52%) were the most frequently used educational medium; local grand rounds (53%) and regional meetings (53%) were the most preferred media. CD-ROM (56%) and the Internet (46%) were selected as media of greatest interest to try. On the topic of antimicrobial resistance, the most frequently used and the preferred medium was journal articles (67% and 87%, respectively). Most (94%) had received an educational update on current antimicrobial resistance issues within the past year. Stratification of the data by graduation date revealed no significant differences in the medical education media used most (F=0.59, degrees of freedom [dfl=4, P=.6715) or preferred by SHEA members in general or on the topic of antimicrobial resistance (F=1.99, df=4, P=.0982).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides an understanding of how physicians learn, prefer to learn, and implement best practices for optimal patient outcomes in decreasing the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Physician preferences for educational media

BACKGROUND

Although educational media have expanded in variety, information on physicians' preferences for types of educational media remains limited.

METHOD

An assessment form was distributed to 14 medical societies evaluating their members' medical education media preferences and society antimicrobial-resistance educational offerings.

RESULTS

These 14 medical societies represent 349,685 physicians. All supported educational offerings, most frequently as professional meetings, followed by audiotapes, computer programs, Internet sites, or print-based self-study materials. Only 5 (36%) societies had measured how many members used their educational offerings. Eight (57%) societies had made antimicrobial resistance an educational priority for their medical societies. Antimicrobial treatment was the most commonly offered educational topic on antimicrobial resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

These 14 medical societies help to educate over one half the practicing US physicians. However, less than one half of the societies knew how many of their members used the educational materials they offered, or how their members would prefer to obtain medical education. Understanding how physicians want to obtain medical information potentially could improve the delivery of medical knowledge to physicians.

Improving adherence to dementia guidelines through education and opinion leaders. A randomized, controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Educational methods that encourage physicians to adopt practice guidelines are needed.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate an educational strategy to increase neurologists' adherence to specialty society-endorsed practice recommendations.

DESIGN

Randomized, controlled trial.

SETTING

Six urban regions in New York State.

PARTICIPANTS

417 neurologists.

INTERVENTION

The educational strategy promoted six recommendations for evaluation and management of dementia. It included a mailed American Academy of Neurology continuing medical education course, practice-based tools, an interactive evidence-based American Academy of Neurology-sponsored seminar led by local opinion leaders, and follow-up mailings.

MEASUREMENTS

Neurologists' adherence to guidelines was measured by using detailed clinical scenarios mailed to a baseline group 3 months before the intervention and to intervention and control groups 6 months after the intervention. In one region, patients' medical records were reviewed to determine concordance between neurologists' scenario responses and their actual care.

RESULTS

Compared with neurologists in the baseline and control groups, neurologists in the intervention group were more adherent to three of the six recommendations: neuroimaging for patients with dementia only when certain criteria are present (odds ratio, 4.1 [95% CI, 1.9 to 8.9]), referral of all patients with dementia and their families to the Alzheimer's Association (odds ratio, 2.8 [CI, 1.7 to 4.8]), and encouragement of all patients and their families to enroll in the Alzheimer's Association Safe Return Program (odds ratio, 10.8 [CI, 3.5 to 33.2]). For the other three recommendations, adherence did not differ between the intervention and the nonintervention groups. Agreement between scenario responses and actual care ranged from 27% to 99% for the six recommendations and was 95% or more for three of the recommendations.

CONCLUSION

A multifaceted educational program can improve physician adoption of practice guidelines.

A randomized trial to implement practice recommendations: design and methods of the Dementia Care Study

The objective of the Dementia Care Study was to design, implement, and evaluate, in a randomized controlled trial a multi-faceted, specialty-society sponsored intervention to encourage neurologists' adoption of practice recommendations. Eligible participants were 417 neurologists in six regions in New York State (NYS) who were identified through the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Membership Database and the NYS Physician Masterfile. An Advisory Panel of experts on dementia, neurologists who were local opinion leaders, and local representatives of the Alzheimer's Association guided the development of the intervention. The intervention included six components: (1) a mailing of six practice recommendations in a course of continuing medical education (CME) sponsored by the AAN; (2) a mailing of supplementary, practice-based tools; (3) follow-up mailings reinforcing the recommendations; (4) an invitation to an AAN-sponsored seminar; (5) endorsement by opinion leaders; and (6) specialty-society sponsorship and endorsement. The primary outcome measure was neurologists' decision-making, as assessed through a mailed survey that used detailed clinical scenarios. Intervention and control neurologists received the survey six months after the intervention, and a baseline group received it three months prior to the intervention. To evaluate the concordance of responses to scenarios with actual processes of care, we reviewed medical records in one study region. Secondary outcome measures included number of patient referrals received by the local Alzheimer's Associations and by the Association's National Safe Return Program. The specialty society, the opinion leaders, the dementia experts, local advocacy groups, and the study investigators achieved a high degree of collaboration. Specialty societies can integrate within their educational programs the capability to design and evaluate the impact of novel strategies to encourage the adoption of practice recommendations that are linked to improved quality of care.