Outcomes Analysis In CME: 4 Important Things For Medical Writers To Know
Why medical writers should pay attention to outcomes analysis when creating CME/CE content
Begin with the end in mind. This is an adage that applies to many different aspects of life, but also to medical writing. Understanding the role of outcomes analysis in Continuing Medical Education / Continuing Education for Health Professionals (CME/CE) can guide you in creating more effective materials. By aligning your writing with the intended goals and objectives of the educational activity, you’ll be able to map out your content more efficiently from the very start.
What Role Does Outcomes Analysis Play in CME?
Outcomes analysis provides:
A way to analyze whether the educational activity has served its purpose; and
Feedback on the effectiveness of the educational activity and its impact on health outcomes.
Taken together, this information can be used to improve future activities. Understanding outcomes assessments and frameworks hence allows medical writers who specialize in CME/CE to develop appropriately aligned needs assessments, content for education activities, and outcomes reports.
In this article, we explore some important things for medical writers to know about outcomes analysis in CME.
Special thanks to Angelique Vinther CHCP for sharing her insights on the outcomes analysis and reporting in CME/CE on a Write Medicine podcast episode, which contributed to this article.
Design CME Content with Outcome Analysis in Mind
As a medical writer in CME/CE, you may be tasked with creating reports that offer insights on the impact of educational activities on knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as how learning can be applied to clinical practice and improve patient outcomes.
CME providers consider a variety of elements when they design effective education activities.
First, they conduct a needs assessment to identify the educational needs of the target audience. Writers are often hired to develop needs assessments. (Interested in learning how to craft high-quality needs assessments that your clients will love? Join the 2023 Fall cohort of Next Level Needs Assessments.)
Next, providers must identify learning objectives and clearly define the intended outcomes — what participants should know or be able to do after successfully completing the educational activity. (You’ll learn to craft actionable learning objectives in the Next Level Needs Assessments cohort.)
Next up — selecting appropriate instructional methods. These need to be aligned with the learning objectives while being able to engage participants.
The final stage of the education design process is to develop an outcomes analysis framework and relevant assessment tools that measure the effectiveness of the CME/CE activity.
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In CME/CE, educational providers commonly use Moore’s Expanded Outcomes Framework for Assessing Learners and Evaluating Instructional Activities. This framework, best visualized as a pyramid, evaluates outcomes on different levels from participation and satisfaction to learning, competence, and performance, to patient and community health.
Used by many different CME providers, Moore’s Outcomes Framework offers a starting point for comparing the effectiveness of educational interventions.
Know the Different Methods of Outcomes Analysis in CME/CE
Education providers use various methods to conduct outcomes analysis in CME/CE.
Pre- and post-tests are often used to measure changes in knowledge before and after the educational intervention.
Self-assessments involve self-evaluation and reporting of the participant’s competence or performance.
Chart audits, where changes in clinical practice are assessed by reviewing patient charts.
Surveys are also commonly used to gather feedback from participants about their experience of the educational activity or as a tool for measurement in health outcomes research.
Qualitative Data in CME/CE
Qualitative data is another rich source of outcomes analysis in CME. It provides additional context and nuance to learner evaluations of the educational activity they participated in and potentially offers a deeper understanding of the participant’s perspective on the learning experience.
However, once qualitative data is gathered, often via post-activity interviews or responses to open-ended questions in evaluation surveys, CME/CE educators must process this data. Parsing qualitative data requires more effort and resources than gathering data from multiple-choice or check-all-that-apply type questions. Read my articles in the Alliance Almanac for an overview of qualitative data opportunities in CME/CE and how to use ChatGPT in qualitative analysis in ways that preserve content integrity.
As we strive to create more effective educational interventions, medical writers need to be consciously leveraging relevant qualitative data that can be used for future improvements. This data can also be used to present more visually stimulating outcomes analysis while telling a more comprehensive story about the journey of the learners.
Follow These Best Practices for CME Outcomes Reports
As a medical writer, there are a few key aspects to consider when writing outcomes reports for CME/CE.
1. Understand the purpose of the outcomes report
Start by consulting with the original creators of the educational activity. Oftentimes, in the process of the creation, administration, and evaluation of CME/CE activities, the initial objectives may have become obscured. By collaborating with the people who initiated the activity, you will get more context about the intentions of the activity as well as the objectives and desired outcomes it was meant to produce. Working from this premise, you will be able to prepare an outcomes report that shows the effectiveness of the educational intervention.
2. Familiarize yourself with outcome measures
Different outcome measures can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of different CME activities on different levels (see: Moore’s Outcomes Framework). Being familiar with the different methods to assess effectiveness such as knowledge tests, surveys, self-assessments, and performance evaluations will serve you well in being able to capture and present the relevant data.
3. Build knowledge of statistical analysis
Basic statistical concepts and methods are indispensable accessories in a medical writer’s toolkit if you are working on outcomes reports. Some of the things that would serve you well to understand include measures of central tendency, variability, and significance testing. When you can interpret outcomes data using these measures, you will be able to present better insights and more comprehensive information in your outcomes reports.
4. Clear and concise reporting
In any data collection exercise, there is bound to be an abundance of information. When writing outcomes reports, you should be able to present the results of the outcome measures clearly and concisely. Use appropriate tables, graphs, and other visual aids to present the data in a meaningful way that can be easily understood and digested. You should also be able to provide a summary of the findings and their implications for future CME activities.
Check out episode 39 of the Write Medicine podcast where Andy Bowser shares more insights on outcomes reports.
Remember that Outcomes Analysis Is Just One Aspect of CME Writing
As important as outcomes analysis is to the field of CME/CE, it’s only one aspect of specialized CME/CE medical writing. As a medical writer, you may be tasked with other writing, such as needs assessments, activity content, patient cases, assessment test questions, and more. Each area requires specific skills to master, and you can hone those skills with WriteCME Pro.
WriteCME Pro is designed for CME writers by a CME writer who transitioned from academia and clinical care to building a sustainable CME writing business. Discover how WriteCME Pro can help your medical writing journey. Unsure? Schedule a time to talk with Alex, our founder, about what’s next for your career.
If you are keen on honing your CME/CE writing skills and becoming a better medical writer, consider getting support from an expert guide. Here are some resources that can support you as you embark on your career as a CME writer:
→ Join WriteCME Pro, a CME-specific, skills-based membership for CME writers who are ready to create CME content with confidence.
→ Listen to the Write Medicine podcast or watch our YouTube channel for weekly best practices in creating content that connects with and educates health professionals.
→ Subscribe to the Write Medicine newsletter for tips, tools, and tactics to help you create CME/CE content with confidence