EDITORIAL Transfusion CME hits 50
T
his issue of TRANSFUSION features the 50th Continuing Medical Education (CME) exercise since the program began in 2010. As in life, hitting 50 in the Journal calls for reflection on what has been accomplished and what lies ahead. The TRANSFUSION CME Program is offered through Blackwell Futura Media Services, which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). Medical licensing agencies in 45 states and the District of Columbia require physicians to complete CME for licensure and renewal, with a median CME mandate of 25 credits per year (range, 12-50 credits/year).1 Since TRANSFUSION CME first appeared in June 2010, more than 800 participants have completed activities to claim more than 3000 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. On average, 70 participants (range, 50-110) each month access the Wiley Health Learning platform (https://www.wileyhealthlearning.com/trf) to complete the short five-item test, submit an evaluation, and claim their CME certificates. The activities with the most participants have covered transfusion-transmitted cytomegalovirus, platelet and plasma transfusion practices, RhIG for treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, and RBC transfusion therapy in sickle cell disease. A new CME activity is posted at the end of every month and remains available for credit for up to 2 years. Notably, the online platform allows participants to track completion of activities, print transcripts, and retrieve CME certificates, whenever needed for audits or license applications. More than 80% of participants rate the overall activity as “excellent” or “very good” and agree that it was responsive to their educational needs. As part of the evaluation, participants also identified topics of particular interest, such as pediatric transfusion, cellular therapy, hemostasis, blood components, and transfusion practice in trauma and other clinical settings. We will continue to respond to participants’ feedback in developing content for future CME activities and encourage your comments to us about this program. By far, the most common question has been “What about SAMs?” SAMs (Self-Assessment Modules) are a distinct type of Category 1 CME activity with a written self-examination and acceptance criteria for completion, which are now required to maintain certification by the American Board of Pathology or other medical boards. Wiley-Blackwell is not recognized by the American Board
of Pathology as a SAM provider, but AABB has the designation and may be able to support SAMs for TRANSFUSION in their Live Learning Center in the coming years. Another suggestion that we are considering is CME credits for reviewers of TRANSFUSION manuscripts, similar to programs offered by the New England Journal of Medicine and other journals. We will continue to explore whether there is sufficient interest and adequate support for such an accredited CME program for reviewers. As we reflect upon the first 50 TRANSFUSION CME activities, we are grateful for the strong and consistent participation of readers and their constructive feedback, as well as the support from Wiley-Blackwell and AABB that has made the program a success. We invite physicians looking for a convenient and efficient CME program to log onto https://www.wileyhealthlearning.com/trf. We also hope that you will remind your colleagues of the TRANSFUSION CME program, since our readership surveys often suggest that many potential participants are not aware of this growing program. We welcome your comments and suggestions as we continue to develop the TRANSFUSION CME program to meet your educational needs.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest.
Anne F. Eder, MD, PhD1 Associate Editor e-mail: [email protected] Paul M. Ness, MD2 Editor-In-Chief 1 American Red Cross Rockville, MD 2 Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Baltimore, MD
REFERENCE 1. American Medical Association. State Medical Licensure Requirements and Statistics 2014. Continuing Medical Education for Licensure Reregistration. p. 65-6. 2014 [cited 2014 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/ resources/doc/med-ed-products/continuing-medical -education-licensure.pdf
© 2014 AABB TRANSFUSION 2014;54:1447. Volume 54, June 2014
TRANSFUSION
1447
T
his issue of TRANSFUSION features the 50th Continuing Medical Education (CME) exercise since the program began in 2010. As in life, hitting 50 in the Journal calls for reflection on what has been accomplished and what lies ahead. The TRANSFUSION CME Program is offered through Blackwell Futura Media Services, which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). Medical licensing agencies in 45 states and the District of Columbia require physicians to complete CME for licensure and renewal, with a median CME mandate of 25 credits per year (range, 12-50 credits/year).1 Since TRANSFUSION CME first appeared in June 2010, more than 800 participants have completed activities to claim more than 3000 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. On average, 70 participants (range, 50-110) each month access the Wiley Health Learning platform (https://www.wileyhealthlearning.com/trf) to complete the short five-item test, submit an evaluation, and claim their CME certificates. The activities with the most participants have covered transfusion-transmitted cytomegalovirus, platelet and plasma transfusion practices, RhIG for treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, and RBC transfusion therapy in sickle cell disease. A new CME activity is posted at the end of every month and remains available for credit for up to 2 years. Notably, the online platform allows participants to track completion of activities, print transcripts, and retrieve CME certificates, whenever needed for audits or license applications. More than 80% of participants rate the overall activity as “excellent” or “very good” and agree that it was responsive to their educational needs. As part of the evaluation, participants also identified topics of particular interest, such as pediatric transfusion, cellular therapy, hemostasis, blood components, and transfusion practice in trauma and other clinical settings. We will continue to respond to participants’ feedback in developing content for future CME activities and encourage your comments to us about this program. By far, the most common question has been “What about SAMs?” SAMs (Self-Assessment Modules) are a distinct type of Category 1 CME activity with a written self-examination and acceptance criteria for completion, which are now required to maintain certification by the American Board of Pathology or other medical boards. Wiley-Blackwell is not recognized by the American Board
of Pathology as a SAM provider, but AABB has the designation and may be able to support SAMs for TRANSFUSION in their Live Learning Center in the coming years. Another suggestion that we are considering is CME credits for reviewers of TRANSFUSION manuscripts, similar to programs offered by the New England Journal of Medicine and other journals. We will continue to explore whether there is sufficient interest and adequate support for such an accredited CME program for reviewers. As we reflect upon the first 50 TRANSFUSION CME activities, we are grateful for the strong and consistent participation of readers and their constructive feedback, as well as the support from Wiley-Blackwell and AABB that has made the program a success. We invite physicians looking for a convenient and efficient CME program to log onto https://www.wileyhealthlearning.com/trf. We also hope that you will remind your colleagues of the TRANSFUSION CME program, since our readership surveys often suggest that many potential participants are not aware of this growing program. We welcome your comments and suggestions as we continue to develop the TRANSFUSION CME program to meet your educational needs.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest.
Anne F. Eder, MD, PhD1 Associate Editor e-mail: [email protected] Paul M. Ness, MD2 Editor-In-Chief 1 American Red Cross Rockville, MD 2 Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Baltimore, MD
REFERENCE 1. American Medical Association. State Medical Licensure Requirements and Statistics 2014. Continuing Medical Education for Licensure Reregistration. p. 65-6. 2014 [cited 2014 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/ resources/doc/med-ed-products/continuing-medical -education-licensure.pdf
© 2014 AABB TRANSFUSION 2014;54:1447. Volume 54, June 2014
TRANSFUSION
1447
