Physician assessments of the value of therapeutic information delivered via e-mail.
OBJECTIVE
Although e-learning programs are popular and access to electronic knowledge resources has improved, raising awareness about updated therapeutic recommendations in practice continues to be a challenge.


OBJECTIVE
To raise awareness about and document the use of therapeutic recommendations.


METHODS
In 2010, family physicians evaluated e-Therapeutics (e-T) Highlights with a Web-based tool called the Information Assessment Method (IAM). The e-T Highlights consisted of information found in the primary care reference e-Therapeutics+. Each week, family physicians received an e-mail containing a link to 1 Highlight from a different chapter of e-Therapeutics+. Family physicians received continuing medical education credits for each Highlight they rated with the IAM. Of the 5346 participants, 85% of them were full-time or part-time practitioners. A total of 31 429 Highlights ratings were received in 2010 (median of 2 ratings per participant, range 1 to 49). Among participants who rated more than 2 Highlights, the median number of ratings was 7 (mean 11.9). The relevance of the information from individual Highlights varied widely; however, for 90% of the rated Highlights participants indicated total or partial relevance of the information for at least 1 patient. For 41% of rated Highlights, participants expected patient health benefits to result from implementing the recommendation, such as avoiding an unnecessary or inappropriate treatment, or a preventive intervention.


CONCLUSIONS
This continuing medical education program stimulated family physicians to rate therapeutic recommendations that were delivered weekly via e-mail. The process of rating e-T Highlights with the IAM raised awareness about treatment recommendations and documented self-reported use of this information in practice.
Associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University in Montreal, Que roland.grad@mcgill.ca.
Roland
R
Grad
Associate professors in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University in Montreal, Que.
Pierre
P
Pluye
At the time of writing, Editor-in-Chief, at the Canadian Pharmacists Association in Ottawa, Ont.
Carol
C
Repchinsky
At the time of writing, Clinical Editor, at the Canadian Pharmacist Association in Ottawa, Ont.
Barbara
B
Jovaisas
Director of Continuing Professional Development at the College of Family Physicians of Canada in Mississauga, Ont, at the time of this study.
Bernard
B
Marlow
Associate Professor at the University of Campinas in São Paulo, Brazil.
Ivan L
IL
Marques Ricarte
Professor at the University of São Paulo in Brazil.
Maria Cristiane Barbosa
MC
Galvão
Research Associate at the Herzl Family Practice Centre in Montreal.
Michael
M
Shulha
Senior Director of Digital Publishing Solutions at the Canadian Pharmacists Association.
James
J
de Gaspé Bonar
Jonathan L
JL
Moscovici
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002170:Canada; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D034742:Electronic Mail; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D057566:Self Report