Measuring continuing medical education effectiveness and its ramification in a community hospital.

Background: Is multi-interventional continuing medical education (CME) effective in changing one or more health care outcomes?

Method: In a noncontrolled study (noncontrolled because of lack of adequate funding and support) of 328 volunteer recruits, a health status questionnaire including measuring serum cholesterol was obtained. After having identified deficiencies in the health status indicators, CME interventions, including didactic lectures to physicians and allied health professionals, announcements of data in physician lounges and departmental meetings, letters to physicians, and patient education, were introduced. Approximately 6 months after the first survey, a second survey was carried out and was compared with the initial data.

Results: Of 1,001 volunteers who were initially surveyed, only 328 returned for follow-up. Among seven relevant variables, the only change was an increase in dietary instruction by physicians and a reduction in serum cholesterol.

Conclusion: In this noncontrolled multi-interventional CME study on the treatment of hyperlipidemia, there were indications of improvement in physician instructions on diet and a reduction in serum cholesterol.