Abstract 228: Targeted Treatment of SIHD: Effectiveness of Personalized Learning-Based Medical Education

Abstract

Study objectives: Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) to manage angina is widely underused in patients with stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD), and patients are often misdiagnosed and not managed appropriately. This study’s objective was to determine if a personalized learning-based continuing medical education (CME) intervention improved competence/performance of cardiologists and primary care physicians (PCPs) related to management of SIHD. Methods: An online, baseline clinical practice assessment (pre-test) consisting of 13 questions was created to assess participant’s gaps in knowledge, skills, and performance related to SIHD management. Each of the questions was mapped to one of 4 online CME activities. Incorrect responses to specific sets of questions lead to individualized recommendations to the activities which were designed to close the specific clinical gaps. Pre- and post-test responses,linked to individual learners (de-identified), were compared in each activity to identify any change in knowledge, skill, and performance. P values are shown as a measure of significance; P values <.05 are statistically significant. Results: Overall, 367 cardiologists and 826 PCPs participated in the assessment. 88% of cardiologists and 97% of PCPs received recommendations for 2 or more activities based on gaps in knowledge, skills, and performance. Specific improvements were observed in cardiologists’ and PCPs’ performance on management of SIHD (Table). Conclusion: The statistically significant improvements in competence and performance of physicians observed in this study demonstrate the benefits of using personalized educational design to address clinicians’ individual learning needs in management of patients with SIHD. This type of intervention can translate into improvements in patient care. This assessment also suggests that additional education is needed to further narrow clinical gaps regarding risk assessment, optimizing medical therapy, the use of patient-directed tools, and strategies to address adherence in patients with SIHD.