The effect of continuing professional development on public complaints: a case-control study.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between participation in different types of continuing professional development (CPD), and incidences and types of public complaint against physicians.

Methods: Cases included physicians against whom complaints were made by members of the public to the medical regulatory body in Ontario, Canada, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), during 2008 and 2009. The control cohort included physicians against whom no complaints were documented during the same period.

The relationship between physician participation in continuing professional development programs and physician in-practice peer assessments.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between physicians' performance, as evaluated through in-practice peer assessments, and their participation in continuing professional development (CPD).

Method: The authors examined the predictive effects of participating in the CPD programs of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the College of Family Physicians of Canada one year before in-practice peer assessments conducted by the medical regulatory authority in Ontario, Canada, in 2008-2009. Two multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine whether physicians who reported participating in any CPD and group-based, assessment-based, and/or self-directed CPD activities were more or less likely to receive satisfactory assessments than physicians who had not.

Physician assessments of the value of therapeutic information delivered via e-mail.

Problem Addressed: Although e-learning programs are popular and access to electronic knowledge resources has improved, raising awareness about updated therapeutic recommendations in practice continues to be a challenge.

Objective Of Program: To raise awareness about and document the use of therapeutic recommendations.

Program Description: In 2010, family physicians evaluated e-Therapeutics (e-T) Highlights with a Web-based tool called the Information Assessment Method (IAM).

Number needed to benefit from information (NNBI): proposal from a mixed methods research study with practicing family physicians.

Purpose: We wanted to describe family physicians' use of information from an electronic knowledge resource for answering clinical questions, and their perception of subsequent patient health outcomes; and to estimate the number needed to benefit from information (NNBI), defined as the number of patients for whom clinical information was retrieved for 1 to benefit.

Methods: We undertook a mixed methods research study, combining quantitative longitudinal and qualitative research studies. Participants were 41 family physicians from primary care clinics across Canada.

What do Canadians think about physician-pharmaceutical industry interactions?

Background: Many health professional and regulatory groups have guidelines for identifying, disclosing and managing potential conflicts of interest (COI). The opinions of the Canadian public regarding what constitutes COI are unknown.

Methods: Bilingual telephone survey in all provinces using a validated questionnaire on public opinions on physician-pharmaceutical industry interactions (POPPII).

Feasibility of a knowledge translation CME program: Courriels Cochrane.

Introduction: Systematic literature reviews provide best evidence, but are underused by clinicians. Thus, integrating Cochrane reviews into continuing medical education (CME) is challenging. We designed a pilot CME program where summaries of Cochrane reviews (Courriels Cochrane) were disseminated by e-mail.

Physician self-audit: a scoping review.

Introduction: Self-audit involves self-collection of personal performance data, reflection on gaps between performance and standards, and development and implementation of learning or quality improvement plans by individual care providers. It appears to stimulate learning and quality improvement, but few physicians engage in self-audit. The purpose of this study was to identify how self-audit has been operationalized; factors influencing self-audit conduct and outcomes, including program design; and issues warranting further research.

Do family physicians retrieve synopses of clinical research previously read as email alerts?

Background: A synopsis of new clinical research highlights important aspects of one study in a brief structured format. When delivered as email alerts, synopses enable clinicians to become aware of new developments relevant for practice. Once read, a synopsis can become a known item of clinical information.

Game-based versus traditional case-based learning: comparing effectiveness in stroke continuing medical education.

Objective: To evaluate family physicians' enjoyment of and knowledge gained from game-based learning, compared with traditional case-based learning, in a continuing medical education (CME) event on stroke prevention and management.

Design: An equivalence trial to determine if game-based learning was as effective as case-based learning in terms of attained knowledge levels. Game questions and small group cases were developed.

Evaluation of email alerts in practice: Part 2. Validation of the information assessment method.

Rationale And Objective: The information assessment method (IAM) permits health professionals to systematically document the relevance, cognitive impact, use and health outcomes of information objects delivered by or retrieved from electronic knowledge resources. The companion review paper (Part 1) critically examined the literature, and proposed a 'Push-Pull-Acquisition-Cognition-Application' evaluation framework, which is operationalized by IAM. The purpose of the present paper (Part 2) is to examine the content validity of the IAM cognitive checklist when linked to email alerts.

Self-assessment and continuing professional development: the Canadian perspective.

Introduction: Several recent studies highlight that physicians are not very accurate at assessing their competence in clinical domains when compared to objective measures of knowledge and performance. Instead of continuing to try to train physicians to be more accurate self-assessors, the research suggests that physicians will benefit from learning programs that encourage them to reflect on their clinical practice, continuously seek answers to clinical problems they face, compare their knowledge and skills to clinical practice guidelines and benchmarks, and seek feedback from peers and their health care team.

Methods: This article describes the self-assessment learning activities of the College of Family Physicians of Canada Maintenance of Proficiency program (Mainpro) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Maintenance of Certification program.

Impact of research-based synopses delivered as daily e-mail: a prospective observational study.

We conducted a prospective observational study to (1) determine usage and construct validity of a method to gauge the cognitive impact of information derived from daily e-mail, and (2) describe self-reported impacts of research-based synopses (InfoPOEMs) delivered as e-mail. Ratings of InfoPOEMs using an Impact assessment scale provided (a) data on usage of the impact assessment method, (b) reports of impact by InfoPOEM and by doctor and (c) data for analysis of construct validity of the scale. PARTICIPANTS were family physicians or general practitioners who rated at least five InfoPOEMs delivered on e-mail.

Developing an instrument to measure bias in CME.

Introduction: The pharmaceutical industry, by funding over 60% of programs in the United States and Canada, plays a major role in continuing medical education (CME), but there are concerns about bias in such CME programs. Bias is difficult to define, and currently no tool is available to measure it.

Methods: Representatives from industry and academia collaborated to develop a tool to illuminate and measure bias in CME.

Effects of a distance learning program on physicians' opioid- and benzodiazepine-prescribing skills.

Introduction: Opioid misuse is common among patients with chronic nonmalignant pain. There is a pressing need for physicians to increase their confidence and competence in managing these patients.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial of family physicians (N = 88) attending 1 of 4 continuing medical education events helped to determine the effectiveness of e-mail case discussions in changing physician behavior.

Build-a-case: a brand new continuing medical education technique that is peculiarly familiar.

An observation at a problem-based learning, case-building meeting prompted the realization that building cases might itself be an effective educational intervention. We developed a process for a new continuing medical education technique that is peculiarly familiar that we call "build-a-case." Build-a-case has now been used for teaching and learning in many clinical situations and with several kinds of health professionals.

Educationally influential physicians: the need for construct validation.

Introduction: Educationally influential physicians may be a valuable resource in continuing medical education. Although the idea driving this research--informal learning--converges with research in adult education, organizational learning, marketing, and knowledge diffusion, the results of interventions have proven inconclusive. To actualize the promise of the educationally influential physician (EIP) construct, it is argued that researchers must return to the "classic" studies in this area and resume the process of validating the meaning of the construct.