The Continuing education in the health professions: improving healthcare through lifelong learning report was published in need to focus on continuing education, its developments, financing, and designing effective systems to keep learning in the medical field. The monograph is available free and can be reproduced without permission.The following are "stages of self-directed learning and principles for facilitating physician learning in formal continuing medical education" as pointed out by Moore in his chapter from the above publication. The author also draws attention to how medical professionals should address their continuing learning and as a result presents several principles to effective CME learning . Finally, he assesses effective CME activities.
Moore, DE. How physicians learn and how to design learning experiences for them: an approach based on an interpretive review of evidence.
In : Hager M, Russell S, Fletcher SW, editors. Continuing education in the health professions: improving healthcare through lifelong learning. Bermuda, New York: Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation; 2008. p. 30-62
Stages of learning
1. Recognizing an opportunity for learning
2. Searching for resources for learning
3. Engaging in learning
4. Trying out what was learned
5. Incorporating what was learned
Principles for effective learning in Continuing Medical Education
1. Planners of formal CME should consider physicians' stages of learning
2. Formal CME should focus on clinical problems
3. Formal CME activities should be organized to provide opportunities to obtain knowledge and develop skills
4. Formal CME activities should provide opportunities for learning
5. Effective CME activities are more likely to consist of multiple educational activities that are organized according to a plan
6. Learning is enhanced if content is organized in small units
