A conceptual model of CME to address disparities in depression care

The gap between best practices and actual practice in depression care--the difference between "what should be" and "what is"--is wider for ethnic and racial minorities than for the general population. Education alone is not reducing the gap or improving outcomes. Interventions such as the chronic care model have demonstrated improvements in physician performance and patient health status, both in the general population and among ethnic and racial minorities. Recent reviews of continuing medical education (CME) have shown that it is effective when the planned activities include (1) needs assessment and a focus on higher-level outcomes, (2) multiple ongoing activities that are sequenced for learning, (3) planning that considers the context in which the learned principles will be applied, (4) interactivity, and (5) active learning. The authors describe an approach to planning CME reflecting these five factors and suggest that CME planned in this way be combined with the chronic care model to enhance outcomes further.