ABSTRACT
This article describes how the CS2day (Cease Smoking Today) initiative positioned continuing education (CE) in the intersection between medicine and public health. The authors suggest that most CE activities address the medical challenges that clinicians confront, often to the neglect of the public health issues that are key risk factors for the onset and exacerbation of diseases. The authors further suggest that the educational activities of the CS2day initiative functioned as Type III translational science in that it facilitated the use of research-derived practice guidelines in clinical practice and in the community. The article concludes by stating that the successful results of the CS2day initiative illustrate what can happen when continuing education efforts develop from a public health problem rather than just a practice gap identified in a clinical practice setting.
Subject(s)
Education, Continuing/methods , Evidence-Based Practice , Health Personnel/education , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Public Health Practice , Translational Research, Biomedical/methods , Clinical Competence/standards , Humans , Models, Organizational , Organizational Innovation , Point-of-Care Systems , Risk Factors , Smoking Cessation/methods , Tobacco Use Disorder/prevention & controlABSTRACT
The heightened demand for accountability, access, and quality performance from health care professionals has resulted in linkages between continuing education (CE), performance improvement (PI), and outcomes. CE health professionals must also expand their skills and abilities to design, implement, and measure CE activities consistent with these new expectations. In addition to administrative and meeting-planning activities, new competencies associated with educational consultation and performance coaching are needed. This article utilizes the Alliance competencies as the framework for discussion of the competencies of CE professionals and applies it to the unique setting of a collaborative. The CS2day initiative serves as an example of the application of these competencies in this environment. The framework of the Alliance competencies can serve as a guide and a tool for self-assessment, work design, and professional development at individual, organization, and systems levels. Continual reassessment of the Alliance competencies for CE in the health professions will be critical to the continued effectiveness of CE that is linked to performance improvement and outcomes for the CE professional and the health care professionals we serve. A collaborative can provide one option for meeting these new expectations for professional development for CE professionals and the creation of effective educational initiatives.
Subject(s)
Clinical Competence/standards , Cooperative Behavior , Education, Medical, Continuing/organization & administration , Health Care Coalitions/statistics & numerical data , Interinstitutional Relations , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Quality Improvement , Smoking Cessation/methods , Consultants , Health Occupations/education , Humans , Models, Organizational , Staff Development/methods , Staff Development/organization & administrationABSTRACT
Overall, both project participants and project coordinators were very positive about their experiences and the outcomes of the projects. Several projects went beyond expectations, utilizing patient audits to determine outcomes and indicated changes in processes and behaviors to improve patient outcomes in smoking cessation. Many grantees indicated that their project was a catalyst for future programs and other policy changes. Finally, local CME coordinators acknowledged that this type of project with supporting evaluation and content assisted them in providing higher quality CME and meeting the new Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education requirements.
