Popis: |
We have long believed that the best needs-assessment for continuing education for physicians derives from practice analysis. Our lengthy interviews with practicing physicians have yielded a number of effective methods used to study individual practices and profit maximally from experience. Many used index cards and ledgers to note patient problems seen, treatments prescribed, and outcomes obtained; some recorded lessons learned from puzzling patients; and others studied their mistakes. All were dedicated physicians who developed methods to advance their learning from their clinical experience. The concepts they related continue to be valid and important today, although the computer has now replaced pen and paper for the recording and manipulation of data. Whether physicians view data electronically tallied and presented on a computer screen or manually recorded, sorted, and stacked on index cards, the information allows physicians to use their clinical experience to improve patient care. In fact, physicians developing such analytic methods should probably lay out their approach with pen and paper before selecting appropriate software. |