title: Personalized, assessment-based, and tiered medical education curriculum integrating treatment guidelines for atrial fibrillation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This continuing medical education (CME) curriculum utilizes the Learner Assessment Platform (LAP), providing learners with personalized educational pathways related to atrial fibrillation treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  There are improvements in knowledge among physician learners after CME, especially among LAP learners.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this LAP-based curriculum, an evaluation of learner deficits on designated learning objectives was conducted in tier 1 and used to direct learners to individualized tier 2 activities. Performance was assessed across learner tracks from baseline to learners' final intervention. Retention data were measured by the postcurriculum assessment, completed 8 weeks after the learners last intervention. Additionally, each activity included a unique matched set of pretest and post-test questions assessing the 4 learner domains: knowledge, competence, confidence, and practice patterns.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant learner improvement was measured across the curriculum over all 4 learner-domains: 48% (P < 0.0005), 78% (P < 0.0005), 21% (P < 0.0005), and 20% (P < 0.0005) improvements for knowledge, competence, confidence, and practice, respectively. Significant gains in participant performance scores (28% increase, P < 0.0005) by the final activity was observed. Learners who participated in the LAP (N = 989) demonstrated greater improvement in performance from baseline compared to non-LAP learners (41% increase for LAP vs 23% and 26% increase for non-LAP learners who completed 1 (N = 1899) or ≥2 (N = 533) activities, respectively, P = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The participant population (N = 3421) achieved statistically significant improvement across the curriculum, with LAP learners showing greater performance gains compared to non-LAP learners. These findings support the value of the LAP methodology in providing a cumulative and individualized CME experience.
authors.affiliation: Horizon CME, Clackamas, Oregon.
authors.forename: Brian C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: RealCME, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Karyn D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Cordell
authors.affiliation: RealCME, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Haimowitz
authors.affiliation: Horizon CME, Clackamas, Oregon.
authors.forename: Cara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Piedmont Heart Institute, Cardiac Electrophysiology, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Bruce S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Stambler
authors.affiliation: Sanofi US, Senior National Education Manager, Independent Medical Education (IME), Bridgewater, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Anthia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mandarakas
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000628:therapy*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D003479:Curriculum; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007396:Internship and Residency; D059032:Learning Curve; D010820:Physicians / Q000592:standards
keywords: atrial fibrillation; continuing medical education; personalized education