CME DIGEST INTRODUCTION

Abstract

For the third year, we are pleased to provide this annual CME Digest of articles from the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. This year, JAMDA joined the ranks of journals indexed by Index Medicus, proclaiming that long-term care is finally coming into the broad consciousness of scientists, physicians, and other clinicians across the scope of medicine. This year, as we have worked collaboratively with other medical associations, we have found a growing recognition that thousands of primary care physicians are seeing patients in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. The challenge for the American Medical Directors Association, an organization whose members recognize it for its unique and practical education and information, is to reach out and touch all those clinicians. This publication is one such effort. We know that we cannot expect every long-term care physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant to make their way to an AMDA meeting, but surely the Digest and other distance learning on our web site allows these clinicians the opportunity to read the best articles from the year and to gain some CME credits in the bargain.