IMPACT–CDAD

IMPACT–CDAD Report Back to the Audience

Thank you to the presenters and participants of the IMPACT–CDAD Live Meeting and Live Webcast, held on Thursday, March 27, 2008 at the Blackwell in Columbus, Ohio. The CME/CE evaluation forms distributed to all participants have been tallied and analyzed. Those results are provided on this page in an innovative Report Back to the Audience. In addition, the live webcast of the program is now available on-demand for continuing education credit. Please check the Webcast On Demand page for more information. Thank you for your interest in IMPACT–CDAD.

Program Overview

IMPACT–CDAD was developed to meet the educational needs of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other health care professionals who work in the hospital or long-term care setting where there is a growing problem with Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD). Infections caused by C. difficile more than doubled between 2000 and 2005. Recent outbreaks in hospitals in the US and Canada have made the prevention, treatment, and management of this disease issues vital to the public health.

A live meeting and simultaneous live webcast took place on April 27, 2008 and reached a nationwide audience. The entire program was devoted exclusively to CDAD. An expert panel included three on-site faculty and three regional experts. Faculty presenters gave a broad perspective, while the regional experts provided a front-line, "from the trenches" report on new developments that impact those responsible for the care of patients with CDAD or at risk for CDAD.

The live meeting and simultaneous webcast were planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Why Report Back to the Audience?

Continuing education in the healthcare professions is increasingly focused on lifelong learning, continuous improvement in practice, and self-directed learning, which is dependent upon honest self-assessment. Some professional societies provide their members with "CME Action Plans" that encourage and direct self-assessment in a number of areas. Report Back to the Audience is intended to provide transparency in an effort to allow participants to better assess their learning experience, particularly as it relates to their peers.

Faculty

The expert panel was composed of three on-site faculty presenters and three regional experts reporting from the field.

Faculty Presenters
Dale N. Gerding, MD, FACP, FIDSA – Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Carlene A Muto, MD, MS – University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Ron E. Polk, PharmD, FIDSA – Virginia Commonwealth University

Regional Experts
L. Clifford McDonald, MD, FACP – Centers for Disease Control
Alla Paskovaty, PharmD – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Anne Pohlman, RN, MSN – Chicago, Illinois

Topics Discussed

Learning Objectives

Four learning objectives were developed based on identifiable, common educational needs of physicians, pharmacists, and nurses. The intention was to underscore the importance of working together as a team to prevent CDAD outbreaks and control the spread of C. difficile.

• Describe the changing epidemiology of CDAD in the hospital and community settings
• Recognize risk factors associated with the increased incidence of CDAD
• Identify infection control practices and antimicrobial stewardship tactics to prevent and control the spread of C. difficile
• Recommend patient management strategies for severe cases of CDAD

What the Program Evaluations Showed

"Excellent" Faculty, Clinically Relevant Content

At the conclusion of the program, participants were asked to fill out program evaluations. Their responses to questions related to the quality of program content, faculty expertise, and the ability of the faculty to clearly communicate the content to the learners was very favorable. Of those who answered, 91% indicated that the activity met their expectations. Another 70% indicated that the content was relevant to their clinical practice. Further, when asked to rate whether the learning objectives had been achieved, the average response was 4.8 on a scale of 1 – 5 with 5 being the highest mark.

Common Concerns

Both audiences–those attending the live meeting as well as those participating via the Internet–had similar concerns. Questions came from live and on-line participants and from all segments of the audience, including physicians, pharmacists, and nurses. Both the number of questions and their specificity indicated the importance of the subject matter to those working in hospital or long-term care settings.

Generally, the audience showed a high level of interest in how to properly diagnose CDAD and asked for additional information about identifying various risk factors for disease. More information was requested on risk factors for disease, including the use of antibiotics, such as clindamycin, and the use of proton pump inhibitors. Of interest, the most frequent questions asked of the panel of six experts were related to the use of alternative therapies in treating CDAD. Individual questions were posed about the potential benefits of probiotics such as yogurt; supporting data for fecal reconstitution; and the availability of a C. difficile vaccine.

A Strong Commitment to Change

When asked whether they had learned something during the program that they could apply to their practice, 82% answered 'Yes.' Participants were then asked to identify some of the changes in practice that they might make based on what they learned. The three most frequently given responses were:

• Pay more attention to infection control procedures
  • – Wash hands with soap and water
  • – Disinfect equipment with bleach
  • – Discourage dependency on alcohol wipes
• Disseminate information to students, staff, and patients and their families
• Foster antimicrobial stewardship
  • – Question antibiotic use
  • – Restrict antibiotic use

Further, when asked to what extent they were committed to instituting these changes in their daily practice, 50% said that their level of commitment was 100%, while another 38% indicated a 75% likelihood that they would make practice changes based on what they had learned. One pharmacist responded, "I would like to say that I am 100% committed, but C. diff is everywhere!"

Sharing Suggestions for the Future

Participants in the live meeting and live webcast were asked to provide feedback about the program, including suggestions for ways in which their educational needs might be better served. Virtually all of the participants rated the program as "excellent" and reaffirmed the value of a multidisciplinary panel of experts. Many mentioned the handout materials in their evaluations and stressed the importance of accompanying slides for all of the talks, including those presented by the regional experts.

When participants were asked to identify topics that might be of interest for future educational programs, there was no discernable difference between responses submitted by nurses versus those submitted by physicians and pharmacists. This would seem to support key concepts in continuing education for healthcare professionals. First, all healthcare professionals have shared problems and concerns. Second, it is necessary in today's healthcare settings to work together as a team in order to achieve positive patient outcomes. Third, continuing education program can be designed to successfully meet the educational needs of multidisciplinary audiences.

We Would Like to Hear from You

If you attended the IMPACT–CDAD live meeting or live webcast and have any additional feedback or would like to receive future cumulative reports, we would like to hear from you. Also, if you have any suggestions or requests for educational activities in the area of infectious diseases or any other therapeutic area, please let us know. You can e-mail us at info@IMPACTCDAD.com. We are always interested in the following:

• Topics for new educational activities
• New educational approaches
• Preferred methods for receiving education

Thank you for your continued interest in IMPACT–CDAD.