From the AOA Quality Guidelines for CME Activities
CME Sponsors shall systematically identify the practice gaps of prospective participants and use that information in planning CME activities.
1. Practice gap analysis must be
a. Conducted on an annual basis for repeated activities.
b. Produced for each topic.
c. Based on current data and analysis.
d. Documented with at least one evidenced-based source.
2. Activities exempt from providing a practice gap analysis include
a. OMM/OMT/OPP.
b. Activities addressing non-clinical core competencies (professionalism, communications,
c. systems-based practice).
d. Faculty development activities.
e. State licensure requirements, such as risk management.
f. Board preparation courses.
g. Topics for which the AOA has specific policy endorsing or encouraging CME (need only refer to the specific policy e.g., Inhalation of Volatile Substances; Teenage Alcohol Abuse; and Training on Extended Release-Long Acting (ER/LA) Opioid Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), and Stimulant Abuse
3. Examples of practice gap analysis tools include
a. Medical Audit (Identifying Needs)
i) Develop criteria for excellence
ii) Collect and summarize data
iii) Analyze and interpret data
b. Pre-Test item analysis (Identified Needs)
c. Self-Assessment (Identified Needs and Physician Perceived Needs)
d. Questionnaire (Physician Perceived Needs)
4. Educational Objectives
CME Sponsors shall develop learning objectives, based on identified gaps in knowledge, for each
CME topic. The objectives shall state what physician knowledge, skills and attitudes are impacted or
mastered by the conclusion of the activity, such as the correction of outdated knowledge and
acquisition of new knowledge in specific areas, the mastering of new skills, or the changing of
attitudes or habits.
CME Sponsors shall use the objectives developed for an educational activity to select the content
and design the educational methods for that activity. Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs list is an
excellent source for writing and developing learning objectives. https://www.tamug.edu/AcademicAffairs/documents/Blooms-Taxonomy-Action-Verbs.pdf
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