Assessing Unperceived Learning Needs in Continuing Medical Education for Primary Care Physicians: A Scoping Review.

Introduction: Assessing needs before developing continuing medical education/continuing professional development (CME/CPD) programs is a crucial step in the education process. A previous systematic literature review described a lack of objective evaluation for learning needs assessments in primary care physicians. This scoping review updates the literature on uses of objective evaluations to assess physicians' unperceived learning needs in CME/CPD.

How do clinicians use implementation tools to apply breast cancer screening guidelines to practice?

Background: Implementation tools (iTools) may enhance uptake of guidelines. However, little evidence exists on their use by primary care clinicians. This study explored which iTools clinicians used and how often; how satisfied clinicians were with the tools; whether tool use was associated with practice changes; and identified mediators for practice change(s) related to breast cancer screening (BCS).

Encouraging Reflection and Change in Clinical Practice: Evolution of a Tool.

This article describes the systematic development and gradual transformation of a tool to guide participants in a continuing medical education program to reflect on their current practices and to make commitments to change. The continuous improvement of this tool was influenced by evolving needs of the program, reviews of relevant educational literature, feedback from periodic program surveys, interviews with group facilitators, and results from educational research studies. As an integral component of the educational process used in the Practice Based Small Group Learning Program, the current tool is designed to help family physicians think about what has been learned during each educational session and examine issues related to the implementation of evidence-based changes into their clinical practice.

Is the Cognitive Complexity of Commitment-to-Change Statements Associated With Change in Clinical Practice? An Application of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Introduction: This study categorizes 4 practice change options, including commitment-to-change (CTC) statements using Bloom's taxonomy to explore the relationship between a hierarchy of CTC statements and implementation of changes in practice. Our hypothesis was that deeper learning would be positively associated with implementation of planned practice changes.

Methods: Thirty-five family physicians were recruited from existing practice-based small learning groups.