- Email: [email protected]
American College of Cardiology membership survey
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY NEWS
American College of Cardiology Membership Survey In May 198 1, every member of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) residing in the United States received one of two forms of a membership survey comprised of three sections: ( 7) items recording a demographic profile, (2) items seeking members ‘opinions about ACC continuing education activities, and (3) items seeking members’ opinions about participation in general continuing medical education (CME) activities. The number of respondents (25 percent of the total sample) was sufficient to validly represent the total sample. Respondents evaluated favorably five types of continuing education activities of the ACC. Intrinsic motivations, such as improved competence and service to patients and pleasure of learning, were reported as being most likely to account for CME participation.
Background and Survey Development The 1980-8 1 Executive Committee of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), in reviewing the ACC goals and objectives, judged a survey of members’ current needs to be useful. Since the last survey of members’ needs, conducted in 1968, continuing education programs of the College had been extended and expanded. As noted by ACC President Robert 0. Brandenburg, the current period of “increasing economic constrictions, associated with burgeoning and increasingly expensive and competitive educational programs . . .‘I signaled the need for such a membership survey by the ACC officers and staff.’ Variables associated with current and future educational activities of the College were identified, and comparable surveys’ by other professional organizations were reviewed. Survey questions were written, reviewed by staff, then answered by ACC officers and committee chairmen as part of a pilot trial. Items were revised on the basis of pilot trial data, then grouped to create two forms of the survey (forms A and B). Each form was comprised of three sections: (1) items recording a respondent demographic profile, (2) items seeking members’ opinions about specific ACC continuing education activities, and (3) items seeking members’ opinions about
topics grams B; the items form.
for future ACC-sponsored prowere common to both forms A and remaining items in section 2 and all in section 3 were unique to each
Survey Method Each of the 9,561 members of the ACC residing in the United States received a membership survey questionnaire. Oddnumbered entries on the ACGmailing list were sent form A; even-numbered entries were sent form B. The surveys were mailed in May 1981, and members were asked to return their completed questionnaires by June 11. One follow-up reminder was sent in mid July to all ACC members who received the initial survey. A total of 1,2 17 persons returned form A, and 1,218 returned form B. The combined group of respondents comprised 25 percent of the total membership who received the survey. A comparison of respondents to total membership in relation to the demographic variables suggested that respondents did not differ significantly from the total membership in any observable way. Although the percentage of respondents was somewhat low, the number of respondents for each form was sufficient to consider their opinions a valid representation of those of the total population of ACC members.
Survey Results
general continuing medical education (CM) activities. Items in the demographic profile section and a list of suggested
Demographic Profile The practice
settings
of survey re-
spondents were diverse. The largest group (25 percent) were engaged in solo practice, followed closely by those (23 percent) who were members of a cardiology group practice. The next largest groups of respondents served as members of a medical school or university faculty (16 percent) or were members of a multi-specialty group practice (14 percent). A clear majority (74 percent) listed adult cardiology as the primary area of professional practice, with the remaining respondents about equally divided among those listing internal medicine (10 percent), pediatric cardiology (6 percent) or cardiovascular surgery (6 percent). Nearly all respondents (96 percent) were male, and most (93 percent) were between the ages of 25 and 60 years. The average age of respondents was 45 years. Notably younger were those respondents in fellowship training (average age 31 years) and those who were Affiliates of the ACC (average age 37 years). Notably older were those respondents in internal medicine (average age 55 years). Approximately half the respondents (52 percent) were graduated from medical school before 1964. COnfinUing Education ActAWes of the ACC Members’ opinions were sought concerning five specific continuing education activities of the ACC: (1) ACCEL, the American College of Cardiology Extended Learning journal and supplements, (2) the
Address for reprints: William D. Nelligan, CAE, American College of Cardiology, 9111 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.
990
March 1982
The American Journal of CARDIOLOGY Volume 49
AMERICAN
annual scientific session, (3) the American Journal of Cardlobgy, (4) Learning Center (Heart House) programs, and (5) extramural programs. In addition, respondents were asked to indicate their degree of interest in each of several possible topics as the subject of future ACCsponsored programs and materials. Specific responses to each activity are discussed in the next sections of this report. ACCEL programs: Only one-quarter of the respondents currently subscribe to the ACCEL audiocassette journal, and nearly half of the respondents had neither used nor subscribed to the ACCEL journal. Usage and subscription rates were particularly low among persons in fellowship training, pediatric cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons. This was anticipated, however, because the content of the ACCEL journal is not intended for members of these groups. Those respondents who had used the ACCEL journal were asked to rate its technical quality, timeliness of content and ease of comprehension. There was agreement among respondents that the technical quality of the journal was usually good, that the content was usually timely, and that it was usually easy to comprehend and learn from the audiocassettes without taking written notes. A clear majority (71 percent) said that the cost of the journal ($90/year) was appropriate. About half of the respondents had used the ACCEL audio supplement tapes, whereas only a few (4 percent) had used the ACCEL video supplement tapes. Those who had used the tapes agreed that their technical quality was good and their content timely. The ACC Annual Scientific Session: About half (57 percent) of the respondents usually or always attended the ACC Annual Scientific Session, and only a few (7 percent) had never attended a session. Slightly lower attendance was reported by persons in fellowship training and by those whose primary area of professional practice was internal medicine. This finding was anticipated because the program is directed chiefly toward those who practice in a cardiovascular specialty area. The respondents were about equally divided between those who did and those who did not attend the 1981 Annual Scientific Session. Among those who did not attend this session, the two most frequently cited reasons were practice demands and the high cost of attending.
Respondents were asked to indicate their degree of interest in each of several types of activities occurring as part of the annual session. These activities, in descending order of interest, were (1) controversies in cardiology (64 percent), (2) core curriculum (60 percent), (3) minicourses (58 percent), (4) major lectureships (50 percent), (5) scientific exhibits (50 percent), (6) symposia (48 percent), (7) commercial exhibits (44 percent), (8) abstract sessions (38 percent), (9) meet the experts (35 percent), (10) luncheon panels (33 percent), (11) fireside panels (27 percent), (12) self-assessment program (23 percent), and (13) social functions not sponsored by the ACC (16 percent). These patterns of interest held for all subgroups with two exceptions: (1) a distinctly lower level of interest in controversies in cardiology was expressed by pediatric cardiologists (34 percent in contrast to 64 percent for the total group), and (2) a markedly higher level of interest in abstract sessions was expressed by medical school faculty members and full-time physicians on a hospital staff (68 percent in contrast to 38 percent for the total group). Given a list of IO possible sites for future annual scientific sessions, respondents selected San Francisco and New Orleans as the most attractive, followed by Washington, D.C. The remaining seven sites (New York City, Anaheim, Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami Beach, Dallas) were only moderately attractive. The American Journal of Cardiology: Most respondents (80 percent) said that they carefully read some articles in each issue of the American Journal of Cardiology(AJC), and skimmed the remainder. An additional 16 percent usually skimmed each issue. Of the 15 types of articles in the AJC, respondents were most likely to read “Clinical Studies” (92 percent) and “Reports on Therapy” (8 1 percent), and least likely to read “Historical Milestones” (19 percent) and “Pediatric Cardiology” (15 percent). Not surprisingly, however, nearly all (99 percent) of the pediatric cardiologists read the “Pediatric Cardiology” articles. Although about half (44 percent) of all respondents usually read articles in the “Diagnostic Shelf” section of the AJC, almost none (4 percent) of the cardiovascular surgeons reported that they usually read this section. It should be noted that this group is more often involved with therapy rather than with diagnosis of cardiovascular conditions.
March 1982
COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
NEWS
When asked to select one type of article from the group that was of most interest, a striking majority (53 percent) of the respondents picked “Clinical Studies.” No other type of article was chosen by more than 13 percent of the respondents as being of most interest. Learning Center (Heart House) programs: A minority of respondents (28 percent) had attended a Learning Center program at Heart House in Bethesda, Maryland. This relatively low percentage is not surprising, since Heart House activities were only initiated in the fall of 1977. Among those respondents who had attended Learning Center programs, nearly all (99 percent) said that pre-program publicity usually or always adequately described program content, and that the pacing of the content was appropriate. Likewise, nearly all (99 percent) of the attending respondents indicated that program faculty were usually or always well prepared. While most respondents (91 percent) who had attended Learning Center programs reported that they always or usually found written course material helpful, a few (9 percent) seldom or never found this to be the case. Most attending respondents (86 percent) stated that they usually or always had an opportunity to evaluate their own understanding of content during the program. However, a few (13 percent) did not believe this to be true, despite the availability of Learning Center equipment designed to provide immediate feedback to participants. Most respondents (82 percent) who had attended Learning Center programs believed the cost was reasonable; a few (18 percent) did not believe this to be so. Mean responses on these dimensions suggest that participants in Learning Center programs were reasonably well satisfied on each. The highest levels of satisfaction were with program faculty and preprogram publicity. Slightly lower levels were reported for self-evaluation of understanding and program cost. Extramural programs: The ACC has sponsored extramural activities for more than 20 years. More than half the respondents (61 percent) had attended at least one extramural program. Nearly all of this group believed that pre-program publicity usually or always adequately described program content in extramural programs, that the pacing of content was appropriate, and that program faculty were well prepared. Although most respondents (85 percent) who had attended
The American Journalof CARDIOLOGY Volume 49
891
AMERICAN
COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
NEWS
extramural programs found written course materials usually or always helpful, a few (15 percent) seldom found this to be true. A majority of the respondents (70 percent) believed that they usually or always had an opportunity to evaluate their own understanding of content during extramural programs, but a substantial minority (30 percent) seldom or never felt that such an opportunity existed. This self-evaluation was much more likely to occur during Learning Center programs than during the extramural programs. The cost of extramural programs was rated as always or usually reasonable by 79 percent of the respondents, and seldom or never reasonable by 21 percent. According to mean responses, participants in extramural programs were reasonably well satisfied on the above dimensions, although they expressed slightly less satisfaction than did those who attended Learning Center programs. As with the Learning Center programs, satisfaction was greatest with the faculty and pre-program publicity for extramural programs, and slightly less satisfaction was expressed with the cost and opportunity to evaluate one’s own understanding of the content. When asked to rate the utility of various types of course materials used during ACC-sponsored programs, attending respondents reported lecture outlines and copies of charts, graphs, and statistics as being most useful. Somewhat less useful, but still seen as valuable, were reprints of journal articles, lists of references and bibliographies. Case histories were seen as the least useful type of course materials, with opinions about their usefulness varying widely. Future topics for ACC-sponsored activities: All respondents were asked to indicate their degree of interest in several listed topics for future ACC-sponsored programs and materials. In descending order of interest, the mean ratings among all respondents are given in parentheses after the topic (1 = very interested, 2 = somewhat interested, 3 = not at all interested). These were (1) cardiac arrhythmias (1.4); (2) critical care cardiology (1.4); (3) clinical pharmacology of cardiovascular drugs (1.5); (4) coronary, valvular, hypertensive and myocardial heart diseases (1 S); (5) echocardiography (1.6); (6) cardiac pacing (1.7); (8) electrocardiography (1.8); (9) exercise stress testing (1.8); (10) cardiac rehabilitation (2.0); (11) clinical auscultation of the heart
892
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(2.0); and, (12) pathology of the heart (2.0). The ratings on these topics were generally similar across all membership subgroups, except that cardiovascular surgeons reported less interest in cardiac arrhythmias, clinical auscultation, echocardiography, electrocardiography and exercise stress testing. Pediatric cardiologists reported less interest in cardiac rehabilitation and coronary, valvular, hypertensive and myocardial heart diseases. General
CME Activities
Both forms of the survey questionnaire contained several items regarding factors thought to influence CME participation. Respondents indicated that they would be most likely to attend CME programs between February and April, with a second preferred period during October and November. Respondents said they would be least likely to attend CME programs scheduled during June to August. Preferred program length is 2 to 3 days, but respondents said most CME programs should not be appreciably shorter or longer. When asked to rate the degree of attractiveness of several types of program sites (big city, resort atmosphere, university medical center, Heart House Learning Center, community hospital), respondents indicated that they found a resort atmosphere particularly attractive; a community hospital was rated as an unattractive program site. There was no clear preference for program sites in any geographic area in the United States. The type of program site appears to be more influential in affecting participation than does the geographic region in which the program is held. Respondents were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of several types of learning formats in meeting their needs during CME programs. The least effective format was reported to be “live patient presentation.” Formal lecture presentations were generally seen as an effective format, perhaps because of respondent familiarity. Aside from formal lectures, however, formats that involve the learner actively in performing new procedures and in discussions were reported to be more effective than those formats in which the learner assumes a more passive role. The single most influential factor affecting respondents’ decisions to attend CME programs were the program topics. The application of content to practice, the
The American Journal of CARDIOLOGY
Volume 49
speakers and faculty, and desirable location were aiso cited as influencing CME participation. Sponsorship and number of credits offered had little reported influence on CME participation. The two most important reasons for attending CME programs were (1) to maintain and improve professional competence and service to patients, and (2) to experience the pleasure of learning new information and procedures. Mandatory CME requirements had little reported influence on CME participation. When asked to choose the mOSt important reason for attending CME programs, respondents’ clear choice was to maintain and improve professional competence and service to patients. Summary and Conclusions It is a primary mission of the American College of Cardiology to provide educational programs for its members. The very positive evaluations of ACC-sponsored programs elicited by the survey suggest that this mission is being well met. Suggestions regarding locale, timing and procedures for future ACC-sponsored programs were also elicited by the survey. All data, including recommendations for changes and future topics, have been shared with ACC committees to guide future planning. Pertinent data have also been forwarded to the editors of the American Journal of Cardiology and the ACCEL programs. In addition to the generally favorable evaluations of ACC programs, a second trend emerged regarding general CME participation. Extrinsic motivators, such as continuing education credits and mandatory CME requirements, have little reported influence on CME participation. Rather, intrinsic motivations, such as improved competence and service to patients and pleasure of learning, are reported as being more likely to account for CME participation. The benefit of periodic surveys of members’ opinions and suggestions is apparent. To be of most value, surveys should be conducted more frequently, using smaller, representative samples of the total membership of the American College of Cardiology. Marcia A. Whitney, PhD Consultant to the American College of Cardiology Reference
. Brandenburg RO. President’s page: long range planning: missions, goals, objectives. Am J Cardiol 1980;46:179-80.
American College of Cardiology Membership Survey In May 198 1, every member of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) residing in the United States received one of two forms of a membership survey comprised of three sections: ( 7) items recording a demographic profile, (2) items seeking members ‘opinions about ACC continuing education activities, and (3) items seeking members’ opinions about participation in general continuing medical education (CME) activities. The number of respondents (25 percent of the total sample) was sufficient to validly represent the total sample. Respondents evaluated favorably five types of continuing education activities of the ACC. Intrinsic motivations, such as improved competence and service to patients and pleasure of learning, were reported as being most likely to account for CME participation.
Background and Survey Development The 1980-8 1 Executive Committee of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), in reviewing the ACC goals and objectives, judged a survey of members’ current needs to be useful. Since the last survey of members’ needs, conducted in 1968, continuing education programs of the College had been extended and expanded. As noted by ACC President Robert 0. Brandenburg, the current period of “increasing economic constrictions, associated with burgeoning and increasingly expensive and competitive educational programs . . .‘I signaled the need for such a membership survey by the ACC officers and staff.’ Variables associated with current and future educational activities of the College were identified, and comparable surveys’ by other professional organizations were reviewed. Survey questions were written, reviewed by staff, then answered by ACC officers and committee chairmen as part of a pilot trial. Items were revised on the basis of pilot trial data, then grouped to create two forms of the survey (forms A and B). Each form was comprised of three sections: (1) items recording a respondent demographic profile, (2) items seeking members’ opinions about specific ACC continuing education activities, and (3) items seeking members’ opinions about
topics grams B; the items form.
for future ACC-sponsored prowere common to both forms A and remaining items in section 2 and all in section 3 were unique to each
Survey Method Each of the 9,561 members of the ACC residing in the United States received a membership survey questionnaire. Oddnumbered entries on the ACGmailing list were sent form A; even-numbered entries were sent form B. The surveys were mailed in May 1981, and members were asked to return their completed questionnaires by June 11. One follow-up reminder was sent in mid July to all ACC members who received the initial survey. A total of 1,2 17 persons returned form A, and 1,218 returned form B. The combined group of respondents comprised 25 percent of the total membership who received the survey. A comparison of respondents to total membership in relation to the demographic variables suggested that respondents did not differ significantly from the total membership in any observable way. Although the percentage of respondents was somewhat low, the number of respondents for each form was sufficient to consider their opinions a valid representation of those of the total population of ACC members.
Survey Results
general continuing medical education (CM) activities. Items in the demographic profile section and a list of suggested
Demographic Profile The practice
settings
of survey re-
spondents were diverse. The largest group (25 percent) were engaged in solo practice, followed closely by those (23 percent) who were members of a cardiology group practice. The next largest groups of respondents served as members of a medical school or university faculty (16 percent) or were members of a multi-specialty group practice (14 percent). A clear majority (74 percent) listed adult cardiology as the primary area of professional practice, with the remaining respondents about equally divided among those listing internal medicine (10 percent), pediatric cardiology (6 percent) or cardiovascular surgery (6 percent). Nearly all respondents (96 percent) were male, and most (93 percent) were between the ages of 25 and 60 years. The average age of respondents was 45 years. Notably younger were those respondents in fellowship training (average age 31 years) and those who were Affiliates of the ACC (average age 37 years). Notably older were those respondents in internal medicine (average age 55 years). Approximately half the respondents (52 percent) were graduated from medical school before 1964. COnfinUing Education ActAWes of the ACC Members’ opinions were sought concerning five specific continuing education activities of the ACC: (1) ACCEL, the American College of Cardiology Extended Learning journal and supplements, (2) the
Address for reprints: William D. Nelligan, CAE, American College of Cardiology, 9111 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.
990
March 1982
The American Journal of CARDIOLOGY Volume 49
AMERICAN
annual scientific session, (3) the American Journal of Cardlobgy, (4) Learning Center (Heart House) programs, and (5) extramural programs. In addition, respondents were asked to indicate their degree of interest in each of several possible topics as the subject of future ACCsponsored programs and materials. Specific responses to each activity are discussed in the next sections of this report. ACCEL programs: Only one-quarter of the respondents currently subscribe to the ACCEL audiocassette journal, and nearly half of the respondents had neither used nor subscribed to the ACCEL journal. Usage and subscription rates were particularly low among persons in fellowship training, pediatric cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons. This was anticipated, however, because the content of the ACCEL journal is not intended for members of these groups. Those respondents who had used the ACCEL journal were asked to rate its technical quality, timeliness of content and ease of comprehension. There was agreement among respondents that the technical quality of the journal was usually good, that the content was usually timely, and that it was usually easy to comprehend and learn from the audiocassettes without taking written notes. A clear majority (71 percent) said that the cost of the journal ($90/year) was appropriate. About half of the respondents had used the ACCEL audio supplement tapes, whereas only a few (4 percent) had used the ACCEL video supplement tapes. Those who had used the tapes agreed that their technical quality was good and their content timely. The ACC Annual Scientific Session: About half (57 percent) of the respondents usually or always attended the ACC Annual Scientific Session, and only a few (7 percent) had never attended a session. Slightly lower attendance was reported by persons in fellowship training and by those whose primary area of professional practice was internal medicine. This finding was anticipated because the program is directed chiefly toward those who practice in a cardiovascular specialty area. The respondents were about equally divided between those who did and those who did not attend the 1981 Annual Scientific Session. Among those who did not attend this session, the two most frequently cited reasons were practice demands and the high cost of attending.
Respondents were asked to indicate their degree of interest in each of several types of activities occurring as part of the annual session. These activities, in descending order of interest, were (1) controversies in cardiology (64 percent), (2) core curriculum (60 percent), (3) minicourses (58 percent), (4) major lectureships (50 percent), (5) scientific exhibits (50 percent), (6) symposia (48 percent), (7) commercial exhibits (44 percent), (8) abstract sessions (38 percent), (9) meet the experts (35 percent), (10) luncheon panels (33 percent), (11) fireside panels (27 percent), (12) self-assessment program (23 percent), and (13) social functions not sponsored by the ACC (16 percent). These patterns of interest held for all subgroups with two exceptions: (1) a distinctly lower level of interest in controversies in cardiology was expressed by pediatric cardiologists (34 percent in contrast to 64 percent for the total group), and (2) a markedly higher level of interest in abstract sessions was expressed by medical school faculty members and full-time physicians on a hospital staff (68 percent in contrast to 38 percent for the total group). Given a list of IO possible sites for future annual scientific sessions, respondents selected San Francisco and New Orleans as the most attractive, followed by Washington, D.C. The remaining seven sites (New York City, Anaheim, Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami Beach, Dallas) were only moderately attractive. The American Journal of Cardiology: Most respondents (80 percent) said that they carefully read some articles in each issue of the American Journal of Cardiology(AJC), and skimmed the remainder. An additional 16 percent usually skimmed each issue. Of the 15 types of articles in the AJC, respondents were most likely to read “Clinical Studies” (92 percent) and “Reports on Therapy” (8 1 percent), and least likely to read “Historical Milestones” (19 percent) and “Pediatric Cardiology” (15 percent). Not surprisingly, however, nearly all (99 percent) of the pediatric cardiologists read the “Pediatric Cardiology” articles. Although about half (44 percent) of all respondents usually read articles in the “Diagnostic Shelf” section of the AJC, almost none (4 percent) of the cardiovascular surgeons reported that they usually read this section. It should be noted that this group is more often involved with therapy rather than with diagnosis of cardiovascular conditions.
March 1982
COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
NEWS
When asked to select one type of article from the group that was of most interest, a striking majority (53 percent) of the respondents picked “Clinical Studies.” No other type of article was chosen by more than 13 percent of the respondents as being of most interest. Learning Center (Heart House) programs: A minority of respondents (28 percent) had attended a Learning Center program at Heart House in Bethesda, Maryland. This relatively low percentage is not surprising, since Heart House activities were only initiated in the fall of 1977. Among those respondents who had attended Learning Center programs, nearly all (99 percent) said that pre-program publicity usually or always adequately described program content, and that the pacing of the content was appropriate. Likewise, nearly all (99 percent) of the attending respondents indicated that program faculty were usually or always well prepared. While most respondents (91 percent) who had attended Learning Center programs reported that they always or usually found written course material helpful, a few (9 percent) seldom or never found this to be the case. Most attending respondents (86 percent) stated that they usually or always had an opportunity to evaluate their own understanding of content during the program. However, a few (13 percent) did not believe this to be true, despite the availability of Learning Center equipment designed to provide immediate feedback to participants. Most respondents (82 percent) who had attended Learning Center programs believed the cost was reasonable; a few (18 percent) did not believe this to be so. Mean responses on these dimensions suggest that participants in Learning Center programs were reasonably well satisfied on each. The highest levels of satisfaction were with program faculty and preprogram publicity. Slightly lower levels were reported for self-evaluation of understanding and program cost. Extramural programs: The ACC has sponsored extramural activities for more than 20 years. More than half the respondents (61 percent) had attended at least one extramural program. Nearly all of this group believed that pre-program publicity usually or always adequately described program content in extramural programs, that the pacing of content was appropriate, and that program faculty were well prepared. Although most respondents (85 percent) who had attended
The American Journalof CARDIOLOGY Volume 49
891
AMERICAN
COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
NEWS
extramural programs found written course materials usually or always helpful, a few (15 percent) seldom found this to be true. A majority of the respondents (70 percent) believed that they usually or always had an opportunity to evaluate their own understanding of content during extramural programs, but a substantial minority (30 percent) seldom or never felt that such an opportunity existed. This self-evaluation was much more likely to occur during Learning Center programs than during the extramural programs. The cost of extramural programs was rated as always or usually reasonable by 79 percent of the respondents, and seldom or never reasonable by 21 percent. According to mean responses, participants in extramural programs were reasonably well satisfied on the above dimensions, although they expressed slightly less satisfaction than did those who attended Learning Center programs. As with the Learning Center programs, satisfaction was greatest with the faculty and pre-program publicity for extramural programs, and slightly less satisfaction was expressed with the cost and opportunity to evaluate one’s own understanding of the content. When asked to rate the utility of various types of course materials used during ACC-sponsored programs, attending respondents reported lecture outlines and copies of charts, graphs, and statistics as being most useful. Somewhat less useful, but still seen as valuable, were reprints of journal articles, lists of references and bibliographies. Case histories were seen as the least useful type of course materials, with opinions about their usefulness varying widely. Future topics for ACC-sponsored activities: All respondents were asked to indicate their degree of interest in several listed topics for future ACC-sponsored programs and materials. In descending order of interest, the mean ratings among all respondents are given in parentheses after the topic (1 = very interested, 2 = somewhat interested, 3 = not at all interested). These were (1) cardiac arrhythmias (1.4); (2) critical care cardiology (1.4); (3) clinical pharmacology of cardiovascular drugs (1.5); (4) coronary, valvular, hypertensive and myocardial heart diseases (1 S); (5) echocardiography (1.6); (6) cardiac pacing (1.7); (8) electrocardiography (1.8); (9) exercise stress testing (1.8); (10) cardiac rehabilitation (2.0); (11) clinical auscultation of the heart
892
March 1982
(2.0); and, (12) pathology of the heart (2.0). The ratings on these topics were generally similar across all membership subgroups, except that cardiovascular surgeons reported less interest in cardiac arrhythmias, clinical auscultation, echocardiography, electrocardiography and exercise stress testing. Pediatric cardiologists reported less interest in cardiac rehabilitation and coronary, valvular, hypertensive and myocardial heart diseases. General
CME Activities
Both forms of the survey questionnaire contained several items regarding factors thought to influence CME participation. Respondents indicated that they would be most likely to attend CME programs between February and April, with a second preferred period during October and November. Respondents said they would be least likely to attend CME programs scheduled during June to August. Preferred program length is 2 to 3 days, but respondents said most CME programs should not be appreciably shorter or longer. When asked to rate the degree of attractiveness of several types of program sites (big city, resort atmosphere, university medical center, Heart House Learning Center, community hospital), respondents indicated that they found a resort atmosphere particularly attractive; a community hospital was rated as an unattractive program site. There was no clear preference for program sites in any geographic area in the United States. The type of program site appears to be more influential in affecting participation than does the geographic region in which the program is held. Respondents were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of several types of learning formats in meeting their needs during CME programs. The least effective format was reported to be “live patient presentation.” Formal lecture presentations were generally seen as an effective format, perhaps because of respondent familiarity. Aside from formal lectures, however, formats that involve the learner actively in performing new procedures and in discussions were reported to be more effective than those formats in which the learner assumes a more passive role. The single most influential factor affecting respondents’ decisions to attend CME programs were the program topics. The application of content to practice, the
The American Journal of CARDIOLOGY
Volume 49
speakers and faculty, and desirable location were aiso cited as influencing CME participation. Sponsorship and number of credits offered had little reported influence on CME participation. The two most important reasons for attending CME programs were (1) to maintain and improve professional competence and service to patients, and (2) to experience the pleasure of learning new information and procedures. Mandatory CME requirements had little reported influence on CME participation. When asked to choose the mOSt important reason for attending CME programs, respondents’ clear choice was to maintain and improve professional competence and service to patients. Summary and Conclusions It is a primary mission of the American College of Cardiology to provide educational programs for its members. The very positive evaluations of ACC-sponsored programs elicited by the survey suggest that this mission is being well met. Suggestions regarding locale, timing and procedures for future ACC-sponsored programs were also elicited by the survey. All data, including recommendations for changes and future topics, have been shared with ACC committees to guide future planning. Pertinent data have also been forwarded to the editors of the American Journal of Cardiology and the ACCEL programs. In addition to the generally favorable evaluations of ACC programs, a second trend emerged regarding general CME participation. Extrinsic motivators, such as continuing education credits and mandatory CME requirements, have little reported influence on CME participation. Rather, intrinsic motivations, such as improved competence and service to patients and pleasure of learning, are reported as being more likely to account for CME participation. The benefit of periodic surveys of members’ opinions and suggestions is apparent. To be of most value, surveys should be conducted more frequently, using smaller, representative samples of the total membership of the American College of Cardiology. Marcia A. Whitney, PhD Consultant to the American College of Cardiology Reference
. Brandenburg RO. President’s page: long range planning: missions, goals, objectives. Am J Cardiol 1980;46:179-80.