Study of the factors influencing the stimulus to learning recorded by physicians keeping a learning portfolio

Abstract

While studies in continuing education have identified the information sources most frequently used by physicians for learning, little is known of what stimulates physicians to (p= .17). This study provides evidence related to differences between the activities physicians perceived had stimulated learning and the likelihood that the learning would lead them to make a commitment to change practice. The stimulus code "reviewing the management of more than one patient" was 47% more likely (odds ratio = 1.47, 95% CI, 1.27, 1.71, p < .001) and "audits of a clinical or laboratory practice" 31% more likely (odds ratio = 1.31, 95% CI, 1.04, 1.66, p = .024) to result in a commitment to make a change in practice than reading the medical literature, the most frequently assigned stimulus for learning. The implications of these findings related to models of physician learning and studies of change in continuing medical education are discussed.

Use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in reflection on learning and practice

“…Several studies describe the use of paper diaries and desktop computers as tools for creating portfolios of physicians' continuing medical education activities. [41][42][43] The present study used case study methods. Yin 45 defines case study research as an "empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident"~p.…”

“…assist physicians in recording and reflecting on their learning activities. [41][42][43] Effective January 2002, the Virginia Board of Medicine required by law that physicians complete 60 hours of continuing medical education every 2 years, with 30 hours being reported as type 1 credit. 44 Credit must be offered by an accredited sponsor or organization that is sanctioned by the profession and provides documentation of hours to the practitioner~for example: American Medical Association PRA category 1, American Osteopathic Association category 1, American Academy of Family Physicians Prescribed credit; American Academy of Pediatrics credit hours toward the Pediatrics Review and Education Program~PREP!…”

Assessment of the practicing physician: Challenges and opportunities

“…Several investigators have developed tools to help physicians capture and then reflect on these learning episodes. [25][26] Although the tools are early in their development, experience is growing and a number of organizations, such as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the ABIM, have Web-based tools that can be used for learning and credit toward maintenance of competence and certification.…”

CPD and recertification: improving patient outcomes through focused learning

“…There is limited evidence that knowledge-based tests improve clinical performance, although anecdotally patients like the notion that doctors should be required to sit them. However, there are sufficient data to suggest that doctors' clinical performance is enhanced by re flecting on their professional development and setting out learning objectives supported by methods of achieving them (Campbell 1999;Epstein 2002). The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends that this exercise be performed in peer groups, although there are no studies showing their effectiveness.…”