The Journal of continuing education in the health professions
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2011
Identifying primary care skills and competencies in opioid risk management.
Primary care physicians (PCPs) treat a high proportion of chronic pain patients but often lack training about how to assess and address issues associated with prescribing opioids when they are an appropriate component of therapy. The result may be that they may avoid treating these patients, which can lead to an undertreatment of pain. The objective of this study was to identify which skills and competencies are most critical for PCPs in order to effectively manage opioid risk in patients treated for chronic pain. ⋯ Using a relatively small sample and cost-effective technique (ie, concept mapping), key PCP competencies can be identified for potential inclusion in continuing education and training in opioid risk management.
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2011
Physicians reentering clinical practice: characteristics and clinical abilities.
Limited information exists to describe physicians who return to practice after absences from patient care. The Center for Personalized Education for Physicians (CPEP) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides clinical competency assessment and educational programs for physicians, including those reentering practice. This article studies the medical licensure status, performance, and correlates between physician characteristics and performance on initial assessment. ⋯ Physicians who leave practice are a heterogeneous group. Most participants' performance warranted some formal education; few demonstrated global educational needs. The data from this study justify mandates that physicians demonstrate competence through an objective testing process prior to returning to practice. Emerging patterns regarding the performance of the reentering physician may help guide future policy.
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2011
Teaching tobacco cessation skills to Uruguayan physicians using information and communication technologies.
Since 2004, with the ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Uruguay has implemented a wide range of legal restrictions designed to reduce the devastating impacts of tobacco. This legal process generated an increase in demand for tobacco cessation treatment, which led to the need to train a large number of physicians. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are evolving constantly, creating new opportunities to make online education more interactive. The evolution of ICTs presents an opportunity to develop innovative continuing medical education (CME) experiences to meet the increasing demand for this topic. ⋯ The need to train physicians on tobacco cessation skills can be addressed via ICTs and educational activities that include participant interaction.
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2011
Resilience training for hospital workers in anticipation of an influenza pandemic.
Well before the H1N1 influenza, health care organizations worldwide prepared for a pandemic of unpredictable impact. Planners anticipated the possibility of a pandemic involving high mortality, high health care demands, rates of absenteeism rising up to 20-30% among health care workers, rationing of health care, and extraordinary psychological stress. ⋯ Drawing on what we learned from the impact of SARS on our hospital, we had the opportunity to improve our organization's preparedness for the pandemic. Our results suggest that an evidence-based approach to interventions that target known mediators of distress and meet standards of continuing professional development is not only possible and relevant, but readily supportable by senior hospital administration.
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2011
Can outcome-based continuing medical education improve performance of immigrant physicians?
Immigrant physicians are a valued resource for physician workforces in many countries. Few studies have explored the education and training needs of immigrant physicians and ways to facilitate their integration into the health care system in which they work. Using an educational program developed for immigrant civilian physicians working in military primary care clinics at the Israel Defence Force, we illustrate how an outcome-based CME program can address practicing physicians' needs for military-specific primary care education and improve patient care. ⋯ Our intensive, outcome-based, longitudinal CME program has yielded encouraging results. Other medical educators, facing the challenge of integrating immigrant physicians to fit their health care system, may consider adapting our approach.