ER/LA opioid REMS and accredited education: Survey results provide insight into clinical roles, educational needs, and learner preferences.

Background: The Collaborative for REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) Education (CO*RE) includes 13 organizations that provide REMS Program Companies (RPC) grant-supported accredited education on extended-release and long-acting (ER/LA) opioid therapy. This report summarizes results of a survey designed to investigate the impact of participant criteria and to better understand the roles and preferences of continuing medical education/continuing education (CME/CE) participants.

Methods: In April 2015, the authors made an online survey available to an estimated 10,000 clinicians who had completed a CO*RE CME/CE activity since 2013.

Evaluation of a collaborative program on smoking cessation: translating outcomes framework into practice.

Introduction: Although evaluating at multiple outcome levels has been proposed for continuing education activities and programs, it is a complex undertaking and is not done routinely, especially in collaborative, multicomponent programs. This article reports on strategies used and results obtained in an evaluation project that examined multiple outcomes of a US-based collaborative, multicomponent smoking cessation educational program for clinicians.

Methods: Evaluation was organized conceptually around the 6 levels of an outcomes-based evaluation model and was conducted using registration data, postactivity evaluations, clinical vignettes with questions assessing knowledge and competence in participants and in a comparison group, a commitment to change approach, data from patient charts to assess clinician compliance on 8 performance measures, and tobacco cessation rates.

Developing clinical competencies to assess learning needs and outcomes: the experience of the CS2day initiative.

An outcomes-based education (OBE) approach was desired for the CS2day initiative, and the size and scope of the initiative compelled a consistent and cohesive framework in order to apply such an approach. A series of competency statements were developed to provide that framework. The competency statements were based on current clinical guidelines, and further refined through stakeholder interviews and expert feedback.

Risk factors for early-onset group B streptococcal disease in neonates: a population-based case-control study.

Background: Infection with group B streptococcus (GBS) is a major cause of neonatal illness and death. We examined the antenatal and perinatal risk factors for early-onset GBS disease among neonates.

Methods: We identified cases by population-based surveillance in all microbiology laboratories serving Alberta.

Perinatal antibiotic usage and changes in colonization and resistance rates of group B streptococcus and other pathogens.

Objective: To quantify current antibiotic usage during the perinatal period and impact on vaginal-rectal colonizing organism resistance rates.

Methods: Swabs were obtained for culture of group B streptococcus and other bacteria from a cohort of 1207 pregnant women in Calgary, Alberta, at 36 weeks' gestation. Those women who received antibiotics during labor or after pregnancy and a 10% subset who received no antibiotics had repeat cultures at 6 weeks postpartum.