This e-poster won the People's Choice Award at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEHP)

1. Background
Effective needs assessment is fundamental to
successful program planning for accredited
continuing medical education (CME).1,2 A pilot
study conducted by members of the American
Medical Writers Association in 2011 revealed wide
variability among needs assessments written to
support requests for commercial support. The co-
investigators conducted a nationwide research study
in 2014. The purpose of our study was to
determine best practices for writing and editing
needs assessments, especially with regard to
gathering and presenting evidence of practice gaps.
Methods
A mixed-methods research protocol was followed.
Quantitative data were gathered via online survey.
Qualitative data were gathered via an in-person
focus group and a virtual focus group. Participants
were recruited via social media. Survey data were
analyzed using percentages. A written synopsis of
the dinner focus group was prepared.
• Survey dates: September 3-19, 2014
Promoted via
LinkedIn (Alliance and AMWA groups)
Twitter (followers of @CME_Scout, @BELS_Editors, and
@RuwaidaVakil)
AMWA monthly member email and online forums
Alliance member email
N=110 responses, 6 responses from people who never
wrote an NA (filtered out), 1 person had no responses
therefore final N=103
• Google hangout in October 2014 n=2
• Dinner/focus group in November 2014 n=3
Results (N = 103)
Q1: How long has it been since you wrote your first
CME needs assessment?
Results, cont’d.
Q2: Over the past 6 months, roughly how many
days per week did you spend writing CME needs
assessments?
Q3: In the past 6 months, did you write CME needs
assessments as a staff employee or as a freelancer?
Q4: Which one of the following best describes how
you write needs assessments?
Q5: What sources of information do you use when
identifying professional practice gaps? (Select all
that apply.)
Discussion
Writing and editing CME needs assessments can be
challenging because there is currently no universally
accepted format or peer-reviewed guideline. Survey
results show that the medical literature review
remains the primary source of evidence upon which
today’s NAs are based, followed by evaluation
reports from participants in previous activities, and
surveys of practice patterns among clinicians. Focus
group discussions indicate today’s lit reviews are
shorter and more concise than in previous years.
Many, but not all, NAs contain charts showing
alignment of learning objectives, practice gaps, and
other key components.
Study Limitations
1. We had no way to break out NAs written for
commercial support versus other purposes
(academic, government, hospitals, etc).
2. We did not have a random sample of writers
• Survey was biased toward members of
investigators’ professional networks
• Dinner focus group was biased toward residents
of Philadelphia area
• Google Hangout was biased toward tech-savvy
writers
Future Research
A second survey aimed at further defining best
practices for gathering and presenting evidence is
planned for Sept. 14 to Oct. 9, 2015. All
participants will receive raw results. To participate,
follow @CME_Scout or @RuwaidaVakil on Twitter
or Nathalie Turner, MS, ELS on LinkedIn. A
synopsis of the 2014 focus group proceedings may
be requested from don@hartingcom.com.
References
1. Queeney D. Assessing Needs in Continuing Education. San Francisco,
CA: Jossey-Bass; 1995.
2. ACCME website. Accreditation Criteria. Available at:
http://www.accme.org/sites/default/files/626_20140626_Accre
ditation_Requirements_Document.pdf. Accessed July 17, 2015.
Acknowledgements
The co-investigators wish to thank the American Medical Writers
Association and the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health
Professions for help promoting the survey.
Results, cont’d.
Q6: How do you formulate learning objectives?
(Select all that apply.)
Q7: What type of graphics, if any, do you include in
a typical needs assessment? (Select all that apply.)
Q8: Which types of data would your clients, or
employer, consider essential for inclusion in a first-
rate NA? (Choose top 3.)
Q9: Are the needs assessments you write typically
used for accredited educational activities or for non-
accredited educational activities? (Choose best
answer.)
Survey of Best Practices for Writing and Editing CME Needs Assessments
Donald Harting1 MA, ELS, CHCP and Ruwaida Vakil,2 MS
1Harting Communications LLC and 2ProMed Write LLC
52.4
14.5
3.9
5.8
7.8
1.9
13.6
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
> 5 years
5 years
4 years
3 years
2 years
1 year
<1 year
Never
Percent
12
36
17
16
9
6
4
0 10 20 30 40
None
<1
1 day
2 days
3 days
4 days
≥ 5
Percent
48
35.3
10.8
5.9
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Freelancer
Employee
Not applicable
Some of each
Percent
28.2
27.2
21.4
13.6
7.8
1.9
0 10 20 30
Template I developed myself
Template provided by client
I develop every NA from scratch
Template from employer
Other method
Other template
Percent
98.1
94.2
72.8
33
24.3
22.3
0 20 40 60 80 100
Medical literature search
Clinical practice guidelines
Interview(s) with expert(s)
Practitioner survey
Survey of experts
Other
Percent
87.4
21.4
20.4
14.6
4.9
0 20 40 60 80 100
Look at both professional gaps and
need for education
Learning objectives are predefined by
client
Look at professional gaps
Look at need for education
Other
Percent
48.5
34
28.2
24.3
22.3
17.5
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Chart showing alignment of gaps,
objectives, and outcomes
No charts, tables, or graphs
Chart showing results of clinician survey
Table showing desired outcomes versus
Moore's levels
Table showing statistical effect sizes
Table showing clinical trials
Percent
85.7
61.9
52.4
47.6
38.1
33.3
23.8
19
19
14.3
0 20 40 60 80 100
Medical lit review
Eval reports
Clinician surveys
KOL interviews
Basic epidemiology
Educational lit review
Outcomes data
Environmental scan
Chart audit with PI data
Other
Percent
82.5
9.7
4.9
2.9
0 20 40 60 80 100
Accredited
Both
Not sure
Non-accredited
Percent