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Published on: August 1, 2019
Continuing medical education: the paradigm is changing.
1Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1975 Zonal Avenue, KAM 317, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
Effective continuing medical education (CME) can be greatly expanded through practice data and information technology. This approach identifies knowledge gaps and links education directly to clinical practice for better patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Lifelong learning in medicine extends beyond traditional conferences.
- Continuing Medical Education (CME) holds significant potential for expansion.
- Advances in information technology and practice data are key enablers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the expansion of effective Continuing Medical Education (CME).
- To highlight the role of practice data and information technology in CME.
- To discuss the integration of CME with clinical practice for improved outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing databases from managed care practices to identify information deficits.
- Leveraging advances in information technology, including the Internet and electronic mail.
- Implementing electronic medical records with computerized reminders for point-of-need information delivery.
Main Results:
- National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) standards, including Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) reports, promote practice-linked CME.
- Information technology offers vast resources for physician communication and information access.
- Electronic medical records can deliver clinical information at the point of need, enhancing care.
Conclusions:
- A user-friendly, practice-linked, and self-directed CME model is emerging.
- This evolving CME approach promises to help physicians optimize patient care.
- Further research is needed to determine optimal methods for using practice data to improve clinical outcomes.
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