This program will profoundly improve my practice of medicine. It was exactly what I was looking for,” a primarycare physi cian recently stated as he was leaving a continuing medical education (CME) pro gram on hypertension. This is a high compliment indeed and a goal that all CME providers strive to attain. So how does a company achieve this end result every time? On the outside, it seems an easy equation. Physicians want to learn how to better care for their patients in a convenient setting conducive to their hectic schedules. CME providers want to pro vide these learnings in settings conducive to physician preferences and longterm remem brances. One key to success in facilitating physician learning is to remember that the intended audi ences are people first and physicians second. Physicians are incredibly busy, pressured by vast outside sources (patients, staff, managed care organizations, regulations). They are selec tively choosing CME hours from an immense pool of possibilities. Catching the Physician’s Eye To catch a physician’s eye, then, a program must stand out from the beginning, starting with the invitation. Like the content and the speakers’ styles, the invitations should be fresh and imagi native and highlight what is most important to the potential participant. In fact, bold designs and non traditional program formats enhance the likelihood that a physician will review a request for his or her attendance. Once the invitation is opened, the doctor will consider content, speakers, and convenience of the activity. With regard to content and speakers, both categories must be scientific, innovative, dynamic, and applicable to the audience. Providers should keep four caveats in mind: . Physicians learn best from other physicians and clinicalpractice experiences . Interactive learning is an effective teaching method in any setting . Human beings generally need to hear informa tion at least six times before they actually inter nalize it and change their behavior . Speaker and content credibility is imperative Winning the Battle Getting physicians to the event is half the bat tle. Attaining and keeping their attention for the entire program is the other half. One tactic is to engage highlevel physician experts as speakers. Not only do these opinion leaders know their content, they are excellent lec turers. They understand the importance of gaining and holding the attention of their audience through a wide variety of lecture methods, includ ing creative displays, visual aids, and highly inter active processes. Speakers frequently connect to the other physicians through the use of an audience response system (ARS) and group discussion. They also ask atypical questions throughout the presentation and use humor to sustain the audi ence’s interest. Rule No. 1 to keeping physicians learning is to keep them listening. One way INNOVIA achieved this goal was to employ the scientific prowess and creativity of its staff to develop a lively debate style satellite symposium. Using an exciting debatestyle format along with an audience response system can pull a prac tical clinical message through. Audience members become immediately focused on the speakers and the content and remain attentive for the full hour and a half. This format creates an exciting and engaging program that will be longremembered. Other factors that can assist physician learning include: . Provision of appealing background and reference materials . Creation of practical learning experiences and tools Physician Learning: Improving the Process Truly successful educational programs incorporate practical components that enhance attention and enable attendees to recall what they have learned well after the event. FACILITATING PHYSICIAN LEARNING INNOVIA EDUCATION INSTITUTE, Columbia, Md., is a wholly owned ACCME accredited subsidiary of Columbia MedCom Group. For more information, contact Donna Fucello at 4435461233, ext. 124, or email [email protected]. Donna Fucello Executive Director

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