title: CME Planning Series: article one of five, conducting a needs assessment.
abstract: Conducting a needs assessment is the first step in the process of planning a CME activity or program. Performing a needs assessment requires a clear sense of one's target audience. Having more than one perspective, with at least one data source being subjective and another being objective, helps educators offer a program that is meaningful and relevant to participants. A root cause analysis represents an additional step of needs assessment that offers critical details about the educational needs of the target audience.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut School of Nursing, Storrs, USA. tom.vanhoof@uconn.edu
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Van Hoof
mesh_terms: D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D020380:Needs Assessment