The Journal of continuing education in the health professions
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2008
Evaluating conflicts of interest in research presented in CME venues.
There is much in the literature regarding the potential for commercial bias in clinical research and in continuing medical education (CME), but no studies were found regarding the potential for bias in reporting original research in CME venues. This pilot study investigated the presence of perceived bias in oral and print content of research findings presented in certified CME activities. ⋯ While limited, by study design, this research detected subjectivity and variability in perceiving commercial bias within research findings presented in CME venues. Further study of these questions is required to guide the resolution of conflicts of interest in research and CME.
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2008
Journal clubs and case conferences: from academic tradition to communities of practice.
As small group learning sessions, Journal Clubs (JCs) and Case Conferences (CCs), if structured interactively, have potential as educational formats that can change practice. However, the degree to which these formats, as currently typically structured, lead to practice change is unknown. ⋯ JCs and CCs can be structured with explicit intent to articulate learnings and facilitate implementation of learnings in practice. Further work is needed to validate the learning and barrier categories we identified, objectively verify short- and longer-term practice outcomes, explore the role of JCs and CCs in addressing barriers to learning, and facilitate sustainability of learning in practice.
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2008
An interactive educational workshop to improve end of life communication skills.
An understanding of legal, ethical, and cultural concerns and an ability to communicate when faced with clinical dilemmas are integral to the end of life decision-making process. Yet teaching practicing clinicians these important skills in addressing conflict situations is not strongly emphasized. ⋯ An interactive workshop can be a valuable educational intervention for building capacity and confidence in end of life communication skills and ethical and legal knowledge for health care providers; further physician involvement is required to extrapolate results to this population.
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2008
Self-assessment of practice performance: development of the ABIM Practice Improvement Module (PIM).
Quality measurement and improvement in practice are requirements for Maintenance of Certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties boards and a component of many pay for performance programs. ⋯ The Preventive Cardiology PIM successfully provides a self-assessment of practice performance and provides guidance in helping physicians initiate a cycle of quality improvement in their practices.
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2008
Team- and case-based learning to activate participants and enhance knowledge: an evaluation of seminars in Germany.
There is a strong need for high-quality continuing medical education (CME) in Germany. To maintain a medical license, physicians are required to participate in regular training. Although evidence suggests that compared to lectures interactive methods can impart sustainable knowledge and a high degree of satisfaction, few interactive CME courses are offered. ⋯ An interactive, case-based design of a CME course following the team-based learning concept leads to a significant gain in the participants' knowledge with an identified preknowledge level. Participants' expectations seemed fulfilled by a CME course design, which combines small group discussions in the lecture hall with didactic lectures and intensive discussion.