Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions



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CURRENT ISSUE BACK ISSUES SUBSCRIBE ADVERTISE ABOUT JCEHP FOR AUTHORS JCEHP AWARD SEARCH (Members only) FULL-TEXT		Volume 31 (3) Volume 31, Issue 3, Summer 2011 J Contin Educ Health Prof 2011; 31(3):207-214 FORUM Integrating essential components of quality improvement into a new paradigm for continuing education Thomas J. Van Hoof, Thomas P. Meehan A b s t r a c t Continuing education (CE) that strives to improve patient care in a complex health care system requires a different paradigm than CE that seeks to improve clinician knowledge and competence in an educational setting. A new paradigm for CE is necessary in order to change clinician behavior and to improve patient outcomes in an increasingly patient-centered, quality-oriented care context. The authors assert that a new paradigm should focus attention on an expanded and prioritized list of educational outcomes, starting with those that directly affect patients. Other important components of the paradigm should provide educational leaders with guidance about what interventions work, reasons why interventions work, and what contextual factors may influence the impact of interventions. Once fully developed, a new paradigm will be helpful to educators in designing and implementing more effective CE, an essential component of quality improvement efforts, and in supporting policy trends and in promoting CE scholarship. The purpose of this article is to rekindle interest in CE theory and to suggest key components of a new paradigm. Lessons For Practice Quality patient care, rather than clinician knowledge/competence, should be the primary guiding force for continuing education. Educational leaders should view continuing education as intervening in complex systems with the goal of improving community or patient health. Data to understand how a system is performing and changing as a result of efforts in continuing education to improve it are critically important. Clinicians participating in educational activities should receive an explanation of the rationale for choices made in developing an educational activity. Planning and evaluation efforts should anticipate and identify important contextual factors of practice and continuing education.
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