Related Experiment Videos
When to recommend compulsory versus optional CME programs? A study to establish criteria
F Miller1, A Jacques, C Brailovsky
1Centre for Evaluation in the Health Sciences, Laval University (CESSUL), Quebec, Canada. francois.miller@cessul.ulaval.ca
Summary
Determining when continuing medical education (CME) should be compulsory versus optional for family physicians requires specific criteria. A study found substantial agreement among judges when evaluating physician competence using structured oral interviews (SOI).
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Physician Competence Assessment
- Continuing Medical Education
Background:
- Continuing medical education (CME) plays a crucial role in maintaining and improving physician competence.
- Establishing clear criteria for compulsory versus optional remedial CME is essential for effective physician development.
- The College of Physicians of Quebec sought to define these criteria through a structured assessment process.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and test criteria for recommending compulsory or optional remedial continuing medical education (CME) for family physicians.
- To assess the consistency of physician-judge recommendations for remedial CME based on structured oral interview (SOI) reports.
- To validate the decisions made by the College of Physicians of Quebec regarding physician-specific CME interventions.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 14 family physicians who underwent a structured oral interview (SOI).
- SOI reports detailing ten aspects of physician competence were reviewed by 12 external physician-judges.
- Judges linked observed competence aspects to five types of remedial CME programs, ranging from compulsory to optional.
Main Results:
- Substantial agreement was found among judges when differentiating between compulsory and optional CME programs (kappa = 0.63, p < .05).
- Key criteria for optional CME included overall strengths and clinical reasoning quality.
- Compulsory CME recommendations additionally considered physicians' self-awareness of limits, referral management, and prescribing practices.
Conclusions:
- The structured oral interview (SOI) provides unique observational data valuable for assessing physician competence.
- Specific criteria, including self-awareness and clinical judgment, can guide decisions on the type of remedial CME required.
- External judge assessments corroborated the College of Physicians of Quebec's CME recommendations, validating the study's approach.