Course Director Support

Before thinking about the specific design of any single CME activity, we have to ensure that all continuing medical education activity meets the ACCME's standards for integrity and independence: that education is fair and balanced and any clinical content  presented supports safe, effective patient care.

Before any other decisions about structure and design are made, please ask yourself these questions:

• Are recommendations for patient care based on current science, evidence, and clinical reasoning, while giving a fair and balanced view of diagnostic and therapeutic options
• Does all scientific research referred to, reported, or used in this educational activity in support or justification of a patient care recommendation conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation?
• Are new and evolving topics for which there is a lower (or absent) evidence base, clearly identified as such within the education and individual presentations?
• Does the educational activity avoid advocating for, or promoting, practices that are not, or not yet, adequately based on current science, evidence, and clinical reasoning?
• Does the activity exclude any advocacy for, or promotion of, unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or recommendations, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients?