Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide
Contents bout the College 1 What is CME? 1 Who must do CME? 1 Use of the RNZCGP endorsed event logo 4 Using the online system 4 uestions and answers 5 What is endorsement? 1 What types of endorsement are there? 1 Which endorsement should I apply for? 2 The College s quality standard for CME 3 The College s policy on ethical standards for CME provision 3 ppendices 1. RNZCGP CME uality Standard: Criteria and Indicators 7 2. RNZCGP Policy on Ethical Standards for Continuing Medical Education (CME) Provision 9 3. Sponsorship 10 Disclosure of conflicts of interest 4 pplication process 4 Resources 4 Marketing your courses 4 RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 2
bout the College The College is a not-for-profit organisation that includes among its objectives the intention to: > > promote high standards in general practice in New Zealand > > sustain and improve the professional competence of members of the medical profession who are engaged in general practice in New Zealand > > conduct, direct, encourage, support and provide for continuing education of general practitioners. More information about the College can be found on our website at www.rnzcgp.org.nz. What is CME? The term continuing medical education (CME) is used to describe medical education activities designed to enhance practitioners knowledge, skills, attitudes and professional judgment. These activities include workshops, events and courses, conferences, e-learning and online education activities, among other things. Who must do CME? The College s membership includes both Fellows of the College and registrars in training for Fellowship (GPEP programme). ll members must fulfil continuing professional development requirements, which include requirements to undertake continuing medical education (CME) activities. Doctors in the College s continuing professional development programmes are required to spend a minimum of 10 hours a year in the triennium programme or 20 hours a year in the annual programme undertaking CME activities, and typically will spend many more hours than this in these activities. What is endorsement? The College recognises particular CME activities as endorsed activities for the professional development of its members. This endorsed status signals that the CME event, programme or provider has been reviewed by the College, or has had College input during its development, to ensure that College quality criteria are met. Participation in endorsed CME is encouraged and promoted by the College. What types of endorsement are there? There are three endorsement routes available for general CME providers. These are: > > registered provider status > > regular event provider status > > single event endorsement > > e-learning programme endorsement. There are also specific routes for endorsement for e-learning and resuscitation skills course providers. For further information on these, visit our website at www.rnzcgp.org.nz. ll endorsement routes are based on the same quality standard, with minor differences to the criteria associated with the standard. The following box shows the differences between the different endorsement routes. RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 1
Which endorsement should I apply for? Registered provider status Regular event provider status Endorsed event status You may be eligible to apply, or may be invited to apply, for registered provider status if you are: > > offering events across a broad range of topics > > offering events on a regular basis > > offering events to doctors in a specific area (region or field of practice) > > able to provide the administration necessary for maintaining records and recording doctor attendance details online > > willing to collaborate and share experience with other providers and able to fund attendance at an annual CME workshop > > willing to enter into a partnership (memorandum of agreement) with the College to ensure that the quality of CME provided to general practitioners is of the highest possible standard. You will be required to provide an annual report of your activities. The Registered Provider application form is available on the College website. You should apply for endorsement as a regular event provider if you are: > > offering regular events or a single event repeated any number of times during the course of the year > > offering events either locally or nationally > > primarily offering events within a single content area (special interest area) > > unable or do not wish to become a member of the College s registered provider network. You will need to provide details of the events you are intending to run and, if successful, will be endorsed for a fixed period of time (usually one year), following which you will need to re-apply for endorsement. The reapplication process will ask for details of previous events held and the quality process in place (changes made as a result of evaluation feedback). You will be able, but are not required, to enter details online for doctors. If you are unable to enter these details online, you must provide attendees with certificates of attendance, preferably in electronic form. If you are offering a once-off, annual or very infrequent event, you should apply for endorsement of the event itself. The endorsement provided is for a specific occurrence of the event (date and location). You are not required to report back to the College, but must provide attendees with certificates of attendance, preferably in electronic form. The CME Endorsed Event application form is available on the College website. The CME Regular Event application form is available on the College website. RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 2
The College s quality standard for CME The criteria for the quality standard are given below. The indicators associated with each of these criteria are listed in full in ppendix 1 on page 7 8 of this document. 1. The content of the CME provided is relevant and useful to general practitioners in New Zealand. 2. The content of the programme is accurate, up to date and based on evidence of best practice. 3. The provider ensures all endorsed CME events conducted provide a balanced coverage of issues and contain no professional or commercial bias. Events offered meet the criteria set out in the College s policy on ethical standards for CME provision. 4. ctivities and events are developed according to sound educational principles. 5. The provider has a system for monitoring the success of individual events, and of the programme as a whole, and for gaining feedback that can be used to improve future offerings. 6. The provider has a system for recording and certifying event participation. The College s policy on ethical standards for CME provision The College does not endorse programmes that contain commercial, professional or scientific bias, or education sessions run by pharmaceutical companies or medical device companies. ll CME sessions must meet the following criteria: 1. CME sessions do not promote products, brands or incentives. 2. CME sessions give a balanced view of all therapeutic options available for good-quality patient management. 3. CME sessions do not promote modes of treatment in areas of practice where accepted management standards are lacking and a balanced argument is not provided. 4. CME sessions do not advocate for experimental treatments and methods that have not been fully evaluated by intervention research, nor for theories and techniques not supported by scientific evidence or generally accepted by the medical profession. 5. No patient referrals are solicited at CME sessions. 6. CME sessions are governed by the principles of full transparency and disclosure of any conflicts of interest, including financial interests (see below). 7. ny sponsorship of a CME session is publicly acknowledged and is at arm s length from the session content, with no influence on the speaker or topics. The full text of the policy is given in ppendix 2 on pages 9 of this document. RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 3
Disclosure of conflicts of interest Presenters and members of CME-organising committees must disclose to participants before an event is held the following potential conflicts of interest: > > If you are a member of an advisory committee or equivalent of a commercial organisation. > > If you have received any payments, including gifts, grants, honorariums or payments in kind, from a commercial organisation. > > If you have a commercial interest in a product referred to in the CME event. > > If you are employed by, or hold investments in, a pharmaceutical organisation, medical devices company or communications firm. For commercial entities, such as private clinics or any other for-profit entity, a statement of disclosure should be made in advance of the session of the fact that the session is being hosted by a commercial entity, and that the intention of the session is not to promote products or solicit patient referrals in any way. pplication process pplication forms for the different endorsement routes can be found on the College website or can be obtained from the College CME dvisor at cpd@rnzcgp.org.nz. We suggest that you send your application to the College at least six weeks before the date your CME event is going to be offered. While the College aims to process applications within two weeks of receipt, the six-week period will allow you sufficient time to advertise your event once it has been endorsed. Resources The College has a range of resources available for providers. These include guidelines on: > > conducting a learning needs survey > > writing learning objectives > > promoting reflective practice > > effective teaching and learning strategies > > feedback and evaluation strategies. These resources are available on the website for registered providers, and can be mailed out on request to other event providers. Marketing your courses The College provides a free listing for endorsed events on the events page of its website. Providers are encouraged to make use of this service. Use of the RNZCGP endorsed event logo Providers who have received endorsement are able to use the RNZCGP endorsed event logo on their marketing and certification. There are specific regulations for logo use, which will be provided to you on approval of your endorsement. Using the online system ll endorsed registered providers and regular event providers will have access to the College s online system for uploading doctor attendance lists. system log-on and full details of how to use the system will be provided to you on approval of your endorsement. RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 4
uestions and answers We typically only run one or two CME events per year. Should we apply for registered provider status? Unless you are providing regular events, there is little purpose to carrying registered provider status. Rather, you should apply to the College for endorsement of your specific events. If the same event is being run a number of times within the period of up to a year, regular event provider endorsement may be appropriate. Our organisation provides events only in a specialised subject area. Is there a different application process for this? The application process for CME providers is the same regardless of whether you are providing events on a range of topics or in a specialised subject area. In most cases, providers offering events in a specialised area would apply for regular event provider status. If I have endorsed status for my events, can I offer resuscitation skills courses also? s a provider, are we able to endorse courses if approached by someone outside our organisation wishing to have their course endorsed? No, providers are not able to endorse the educational offerings of other groups. The group should be encouraged to approach the College directly for endorsement of its activity. lternatively, you may wish to work with the other group to provide a joint session. In this case, full responsibility for the administration and quality of the session must reside with the endorsed provider. pharmaceutical company wants to sponsor a session on a particular topic. What should I do? Refer to the College s ethics policy for CME events (see page 9) on pharmaceutical industry involvement. There should be a disclosure of interests of any involvement by a commercial entity. lthough sponsorship of events is acceptable, there should be no commercial bias or product endorsement in the presentation. Events that do not meet this standard should not be promoted as RNZCGP-endorsed activities. Even if you are an endorsed provider, you must apply separately for endorsement of any resuscitation course you are offering. Please see the College website for further information. If I gain endorsement, am I able to use the College logo on my event marketing material? We have endorsed provider status with the RCGP. Do we need to apply to the New Zealand College for this status also? The general College logo is not available for use by registered providers. However, the College has a specific endorsed activity logo that can be used to promote your events. The College has a reciprocal arrangement with the RCGP whereby we recognise any activity that is offered in ustralia and has been endorsed by them. If the event is to be offered in New Zealand, you should apply to us for event endorsement. RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 5
How long does my endorsed status last for? For registered providers, the memorandum of agreement (Mo) is an indefinite agreement that continues until you notify us that you no longer wish to continue as a provider, provided you continue to meet your Mo obligations. The agreement is for a fixed term and can be terminated by either party with two months notice. The online programme is not accepting credits for a particular doctor. Why? This may be because you have entered an incorrect number for the doctor or the doctor is not registered as a College member. Contact the College CME dvisor for help at cpd@rnzcgp.org.nz. The endorsement for regular event providers is typically one year (exceptions may be determined on application). Other events are endorsed for a specific date and venue only. I have been granted endorsed provider status, but I have lost my user name and/or password. What do I do? Contact the CME dvisor at the College at cpd@rnzcgp.org.nz. The CME online programme is not working. What do I do? Instructions for using the online system and questions about access or use of the system can be found on the College website. If you are having any difficulties, contact the CME dvisor at the College at cpd@rnzcgp.org.nz. s a registered provider, am I able to enter peer review or clinical audit credits for doctors? These activities are not included in your endorsement; however, it is possible for you to enter peer group meeting details on behalf of your doctors. We have changed administrators and/or contact person. Do we need to advise the College? Yes, you must advise the College of any change in contact or administrative staff. RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 6
PPENDIX 1: RNZCGP CME uality Standard: Criteria and Indicators 1 1 2 The The content of the CME provided is relevant and useful to general practitioners in New Zealand. vocationally registered general practitioner (FRNZCGP) who understands the needs of the target audience has been involved during overall programme planning. In the case of registered providers, regular steps are taken to establish the learning needs of general practitioners linked to the provider and to identify potential learning topics (eg an annual survey). Where possible, session content is related to doctors existing knowledge about the topic. Except in the case of special interest providers, over time, the programme should contain topics covering the domains of the general practice curriculum. Where possible, a general practitioner is involved in CME presentation. content of the programme is accurate, up to date and based on evidence of best practice. 3 The 4 ctivities provider ensures all endorsed CME events conducted provide a balanced coverage of issues and contain no professional or commercial bias. Events offered meet the criteria set out in the College s ethics policy for CME provision. The content of educational events contains no product endorsements or material that can be construed to promote one product over any other. ny sponsorship of the programme or any event in the programme is publicly acknowledged and is at arm s length from the content of the programme. ny potential conflicts of interest held by the programme staff or presenters about its content are clearly declared in the application submission and in publicity material. and events are developed according to sound educational principles. Realistic learning objectives for each event are jointly determined by the provider and the session presenter and are communicated to the participants. Presenters are suitably qualified, independent, recognised authorities on the subject matter. The programme for each event is coherently designed to enable achievement of the learning objectives. Research evidence has been consulted in the development of the content and sources are acknowledged. References to further resources on the topic are provided. Session presenters are given appropriate guidance to ensure the educational value of the session is maximised. This should include specific information about the audience, as well as general guidance on appropriate presentation skills. 1 essential desirable RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 7
The environment in which events are offered is appropriate for learning. Sessions are interactive and participant engagement is encouraged. Learning materials encourage reflection on how learning can be implemented. 6 The provider has a system for recording and certifying participation. Measures are in place to record participation in each event offered. Credits granted are a realistic estimate of learning time. 5 Specific suggestions are made for possible follow-up activities, including suggested audit cycles, that can be undertaken by the doctor. The provider has a system for monitoring the success of individual events, and of the programme as a whole, and for gaining feedback that can be used to improve future offerings. The provider has a mechanism for feedback from individual events. Certificates that state the number of credits the activity has been endorsed for are made available to participants who fulfil the attendance requirements (electronic certificates are preferred), and/or credits are entered into the CPD Online programme for each participant at each event. Records are maintained and there are systems in place to ensure the security of information in the event of a system crash. Where relevant, issues identified through feedback are addressed before the event is repeated. Where relevant, the provider has a mechanism for evaluation of the programme as a whole. This should include issues related to programme administration and session topics, as well as to longer-term impact and effectiveness of the programme. RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 8
PPENDIX 2: RNZCGP Policy on Ethical Standards for Continuing Medical Education (CME) Provision The RNZCGP does not endorse programmes that contain commercial, professional or scientific bias. Commercial bias refers to the influence that industry has over CME content in a variety of ways, such as sponsorship of events by way of food, venue, accommodation and transport. It includes pharmaceutical companies, instrument device manufacturers, and private hospitals and clinics where referral patterns may be influenced. The term commercial broadly refers to the full range of forprofit enterprises associated with health care. Professional bias refers to the influence that professionals may have over CME content. This may occur in a variety of ways, such as discouraging debate and the sharing of differing opinions, presenting opinion rather than evidencebased content, or not being explicit about the source of the information being presented. Scientific bias refers to content not derived from the best available research evidence or content that is not supported by the medical community. ll CME sessions must meet the following criteria: 1. CME sessions do not promote products, brands or incentives. 2. CME sessions give a balanced view of all therapeutic options available for good-quality patient management. 3. CME sessions do not promote modes of treatment in areas of practice where accepted management standards are lacking and a balanced argument is not provided. 5. No patient referrals are solicited at CME sessions. 6. CME sessions are governed by the principles of full transparency and disclosure of any conflicts of interest, including financial interests. 7. ny sponsorship of a CME session is publicly acknowledged and is at arm s length from the session content, with no influence on the speaker or topics. Disclosure of conflicts of interest Presenters, members of CME-organising committees and organisational CME hosts must disclose to participants before the event is held the following potential conflicts of interest: > > If you are a commercial organisation, or are a member of an advisory committee or equivalent of a commercial organisation. > > If you have received any payments, including gifts, grants, honorariums or payments in kind, from a commercial organisation. > > If you have a commercial interest in a product referred to in the CME event. > > If you are employed by or hold investments in a pharmaceutical organisation, medical devices company or communications firm. For commercial entities, such as private clinics or any other for-profit entity, a statement of disclosure should be made in advance of the session of the fact that the session is being hosted by a commercial entity, and a statement that the intention of the session is not to promote products or solicit patient referrals in any way. 4. CME sessions do not advocate for experimental treatments and methods that have not been evaluated by intervention research, nor for theories and techniques that are not supported by scientific evidence or generally accepted by the medical profession. RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 9
PPENDIX 3: Sponsorship rm s-length sponsorship of CME events is permissible provided that: > > the choice of speaker and content is not influenced by the sponsor > > GPs are advised in advance of the event of the sponsorship arrangements, and that the speaker and content have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way > > there is no specific product promotion; if a particular product is used in demonstration, GPs should be advised of alternate suppliers of the products used > > there is no direct solicitation of patients from doctors at the event > > travel, accommodation, social events and venues for sponsored events should be in keeping with arrangements that would normally be made without sponsorship, ie should not be too lavish. cceptable sponsorship arrangements > > Payment for a speaker, provided that payment is made via the CME provider and not directly to the speaker. > > Payment for venue, satchels, food, etc., but such support must be made clear on all invitations and publicity for the meeting. > > small display is appropriate, but should be outside the room where the educational session is taking place. Unacceptable sponsorship arrangements > > The sponsor influencing the content of the session. > > The sponsor choosing the speaker. > > The sponsor speaking at the session. > > Payment for meals or social events for family members. > > The topic of the talk focusing on the pharmaceutical product being promoted. Pharmaceutical industry involvement The pharmaceutical industry is a major contributor to financing medical education, but its goals are different from those of general practice. The pharmaceutical industry is concerned with producing and marketing drugs, whereas the GP s role is to provide appropriate care for each patient. Research shows that interaction between the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession can influence patient care. doctor who accepts gifts or inducements from a pharmaceutical company is often subconsciously influenced and it may impact on the doctor s choice of patient treatment. The RNZCGP does not endorse education sessions run by pharmaceutical companies or medical device companies. However, the College accepts that there are situations when it would be appropriate for pharmaceutical companies to be involved in sponsorship of CME events, provided care is taken to ensure this involvement does not influence the content of the session. The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, New Zealand, 2013, 2018. The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners owns the copyright of this work and has exclusive rights in accordance with the Copyright ct 1994. In particular, prior written permission must be obtained from The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners for others (including business entities) to: copy the work issue copies of the work, whether by sale or otherwise show the work in public make an adaptation of the work as defined by the Copyright ct 1994. RNZCZGP Continuing Medical Education (CME) Endorsement pplication Guide JULY 2018 10