Measuring continuing medical education outcomes: a pilot study of effect size of three CME interventions at an SGIM annual meeting.
BACKGROUND
The ACCME is phasing in new criteria for accreditation from 2008 to 2012. These criteria require CME providers to assess the impact of their interventions.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the feasibility of measuring outcomes at a national meeting, the SGIM evaluation committee conducted a pilot assessment of two workshops and one precourse.


METHODS
Session coordinators prepared a five-item questionnaire to assess the knowledge and confidence of participants. The questionnaire was administered pre, immediately post, and 9 months after the educational sessions.


METHODS
Changes in performance were calculated as a standardized difference, or effect size.


RESULTS
All three sessions demonstrated initial knowledge acquisition with effect sizes ranging from 0.39 (small) to 0.99 (large) immediately after the sessions. One session demonstrated sustainment of knowledge over the subsequent 9 months while the other two demonstrated decay. Confidence levels decreased following one of the sessions with an effect size of -0.72 (modest effect).


CONCLUSIONS
Effect size measurement of sessions provides quantitative information about their impact on learning and is one way to achieve ACCME compliance. The method, however, poses methodological and logistical challenges that raise questions about the feasibility of tracking learning and retention following a national meeting.
Weiner
Saul J
SJ
Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Veterans Affairs Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care, 840 South Wood Street, M/C 718, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. sweiner@uic.edu
Jackson
Jeffrey L
JL
Garten
Sarajane
S
D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects