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Volume 21 (3)

Volume 21, Issue 3, Summer 2001 line
J Contin Educ Health Prof 2001; 21(3):150-157
ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Current state of distance continuing medical education in North America
Carrière MF
Harvey D

A b s t r a c t

BACKGROUND: Every continuing medical education (CME) provider is confronted one day or another with deciding whether to develop distance education programs that may enhance access to CME for health professionals. To make a judicious decision, one needs to understand the features of distance education and the experiences of other providers.
METHODS: Since there was a lack of information in the literature regarding the actual state of distance CME in North America, a Web-based survey aimed at CME providers was conducted including a description of the providers, the users, the activities offered, the technologies employed, and the administration of the systems.
RESULTS: The results from this study indicate that the majority (68%) of CME providers had not developed distance education programs at the time of the survey; 30% of the providers, mainly from private companies, were offering nondegree distance education programs, and 2% of the university providers were offering degree programs. The technologies mainly used to develop distance education programs were printed material (69%), videoconferencing (58%), and, to a lesser degree, videotape. The revenue sources to develop degree programs were government funding, tuition, and fees. Other sources such as commercial support and sales were used for nondegree programs.
IMPLICATIONS: This study revealed that there was considerable interest in distance education, especially from the organizations not offering this type of program. Since distance CME features are now better known, this is a step toward the advancement and development of more and better distance education programs.

Lessons for Practice
  • Printed material probably is the most frequently used distance learning technology.
  • Most CME providers find limited faculty support for distance learning.
  • Since learning and retention through distance education is not well studied, it probably does not represent a priority for many institutions.
MeSH Terms: Education, Distance; Education, Medical, Continuing; Educational Technology
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