title: The impact on medical practice of commitments to change following CME lectures: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Self-reported commitment to change (CTC) could be a potentially valuable method to address the need for continuing medical education (CME) to demonstrate clinical outcomes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study determines: (1) are clinicians who make CTCs more likely to report changes in their medical practices and (2) do these changes persist over time?
  
  
  METHODS
  Intervention participants (N = 80) selected up to three commitments from a predefined list following the lecture, while control participants (N = 64) generated up to three commitments at 7 days post-lecture. At 7 and 30 days post-lecture, participants were queried if any practice change occurred as a result of attending the lecture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 91% of the intervention group reported practice changes consistent with their commitments at 7 days. Only 32% in the control group reported changes (z = 7.32, p < 0.001). At 30 days, more participants in the intervention group relative to the control group reported change (58% vs. 22%, z = 3.74, p < 0.01). Once a participant from either group made a commitment, there were no differences in reported changes (63% vs. 67%, z = <0.00, p = 0.38).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Integration of CTC is an effective method of reinforcing learning and measuring outcomes.
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA. frank.domino@umassmemorial.org
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Domino
authors.forename: Sanjiv
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chopra
authors.forename: Marissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seligman
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Quirk
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires