Learning associated with participation in journal-based continuing medical education

Medical journal reading is a standard method of increasing awareness among physicians of evidence-based approaches to medical care. Theories of physician learning and practice change have suggested that journal reading may be more influential at some stages of behavioral change than at others, but it is not clear how journal reading may influence the learning process that can lead to behavioral change.

A random sample of 170 continuing medical education (CME) participants who had read three journal articles and completed a CME evaluation form received a CME credit certificate with a brief survey appended. The survey asked participants to report their stage of learning on each article topic before and after reading the three articles.

Of the 170 CME participants, 138 (81.2%) responded to the survey. Most (106 of 138; 76.8%) reported a progression in stage of learning on the topic of at least one of the three articles read for CME credit. More than one-fourth of the respondents (37 of 138; 26.8%) made a commitment to change practice related to the topic of one or more articles. CME participants were more likely (relative risk 1.14; 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.22) to report a progression in stage of learning if they had recorded a commitment to change practice related to the same article topic on the CME evaluation form.

Journal-based CME activities may be educational at all stages of the learning process, and journal-based learning episodes may result in commitments to change practice.