Bridging Gaps: A Quality Improvement Project for the Continuing Medical Education on Stick (CMES) Program.

Autor:	Pelletier J; Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA., Li Y; Center for Information Systems and Technology, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, USA., Cloessner E; Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA., Sistenich V; Emergency Medicine, St. George Hospital, Sydney, AUS., Maxwell N; Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA., Thomas M; Business Management, University of Sydney, Darlington, AUS., Stoner D; Emergency Medicine, Evangelical Community Hospital, Lewisburg, USA., Mwenze B; Emergency Medical Services, Samaritan Health Systems, Kampala, UGA., Manguvo A; Department of Graduate Health Professions in Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, USA.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Cureus [Cureus] 2024 Jun 18; Vol. 16 (6), pp. e62657. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jun 18 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI:	10.7759/cureus.62657
Abstrakt:	Background: Aimed at bridging the gap in continuing medical education (CME) resource availability in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the "Continuing Medical Education on Stick" (CMES) program introduces two technological solutions: a universal serial bus (USB) drive and the CMES-Pi computer facilitating access to monthly updated CME content without data cost. Feedback from users suggests a lack of content on tropical infectious diseases (IDs) and content from a Western perspective, which may be less relevant in LMIC settings. Methods: This quality improvement project was intended to identify areas for improvement of the CMES database to better meet the educational needs of users. We compared the CMES content with the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Exam content outline to identify gaps. The curriculum map of the CMES library, encompassing content from 2019 to 2024, was reviewed. An anonymous survey was conducted among 47 global users to gather feedback on unmet educational needs and suggestions for content improvements. All healthcare workers who were members of the CMES WhatsApp group were eligible to participate in the survey. Results: The curriculum map included 2,572 items categorized into 23 areas. The comparison with the ABEM outline identified gaps in several clinical areas, including procedures, traumatic disorders, and geriatrics, which were represented -5%, -5%, and -4% in the CMES library compared with the ABEM outline, respectively. Free responses from users highlighted a lack of content on practical skills, such as electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation and management of tropical diseases. Respondents identified emergency medical services (EMS)/prehospital care (81%), diagnostic imaging (62%), and toxicology/pharmacology (40%) as the most beneficial areas for clinical practice. In response to feedback from users, new content was added to the CMES platform on the management of sickle cell disease and dermatologic conditions in darkly pigmented skin. Furthermore, a targeted podcast series called "ID for Users of the CMES Program (ID4U)" has been launched, focusing on tropical and locally relevant ID, with episodes now being integrated into the CMES platform. Conclusions: The project pinpointed critical gaps in emergency medicine (EM) content pertinent to LMICs and led to targeted enhancements in the CMES library. Ongoing updates will focus on including more prehospital medicine, diagnostic imaging, and toxicology content. Further engagement with users and education on utilizing the CMES platform will be implemented to maximize its educational impact. Future adaptations will consider local relevance over the ABEM curriculum to better serve the diverse needs of global users. Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work. (Copyright © 2024, Pelletier et al.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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