Purpose

The CME Institute has 3 measurable goals:

1. Identify the educational needs and learning gaps of learners and create and distribute educational programs in a variety of formats to accommodate different learning styles
2. Provide learners with up-to-date, evidence-based, peer-reviewed scientific information about the management of behavioral health and neuropsychiatric disorders
3. Measure the learning that results from the CME activities, either competence or performance, and the application of this information into the practice settings of the physicians we serve

Content Areas

The educational activities of the CME Institute relate to the management of psychiatric disorders and issues of behavioral health. Because psychiatric disorders have profound somatic effects, and medical illnesses have profound effects on the brain, educational activities of the CME Institute will address mental/somatic comorbidities and their effects on health, health outcomes, quality of life, function, and ability to work.

Target Audience

1. Primary audience: psychiatrists in all practice settings and primary care physicians who treat behavioral health and neuropsychiatric disorders—internists, family physicians, pediatricians, and obstetricians/gynecologists—in all practice settings.
2. Secondary audience: residents, psychologists, nurses, pharmacists, and other behavioral health care professionals in need of continuing education relative to the treatment of behavioral health and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Types of Activities Provided

Activities of the CME Institute, which have a worldwide geographic reach, include enduring materials, such as selected journal articles, journal supplements, newsletters, Web-based activities, and multimedia publication.

Expected Results of the Program

The expected direct result of our CME program is to expand the competence and performance of practicing physicians about current clinical practices and new research in behavioral health and neuropsychiatric disorders. The expected indirect result of meeting clinicians’ educational needs is improved patient care; however, because of the nature of our business, we are not in a position at this time to directly measure patient outcomes. Our level of achievement of the expected direct result is assessed by cognitive examinations and evaluation forms that are an integral part of every CME activity. The cognitive examination is used as a mechanism to both verify participation and test understanding of the content, and the evaluation questionnaire is used to assess the quality of the activity and its relevance to the physician’s management of patients. Commitment-to-change procedures are used to provide data on whether our participants are translating the information we provide into their practices, and if not, what are the barriers. Annual program evaluation reports examine data from individual activities and the results assist us in continually improving our program to meet learner needs.