Physicians using Essential Evidence Plus to inform and support their clinical decisions may now earn Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for this activity. As stated in the American Medical Association (AMA) Physician’s Recognition Award and credit system, "Internet point of care (PoC) CME describes structured, self-directed, online learning by physicians on topics relevant to their clinical practice. … Learning for this activity is driven by a reflective process in which physicians must document their clinical question, the sources consulted and the application to practice. … Physicians conducting structured online searches on clinical topics may claim a half (0.5) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for documented completion (either at the point of care or later) of the three-step learning cycle." For physicians claiming Internet point of care CME, there is a limit of twenty (20) AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ per year.

Selected Essential Evidence Plus search functions qualify for CME credit.

Search Activities on the PDA Qualifying for CME credit:

• From Search screen, select "Search by Any Word" or "Search by Keyword" or "Search Diagnosis Only." Enter or select your term, symptom, or disease. From the resources located, open and read any of the following: EBMG; Clinical Rule/Calculator; Cochrane Systematic Review; Diagnostic Test; Drug of Choice Practice Guideline; History and Physical Calculator; Daily POEM Summary; or Practice Guideline.
• From Search screen, select "Search EBMG" Enter or select your system, disease, or symptom. From the resources located, open and read an EBMG article.

Search Activities on the Web Qualifying for CME credit:

• From Search screen, enter your specific search term, symptom, disease, or drug name. From the resources located, open and read any of the following: EBMG; Clinical Rule/Calculator; Cochrane Systematic Review; Diagnostic Test; Drug of Choice; Practice Guideline; History and Physical Calculator; Daily POEM Summary; or Practice Guideline.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM), Tufts Health Care Institute (THCI), and InfoPOEMS. TUSM is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

TUSM designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

In order to successfully complete this activity, physicians must complete a three-step learning cycle, as follows: 1) review original clinical question(s); 2) identify the relevant sources from among those consulted; and 3) describe the application of their findings to practice.

Physicians may claim a half (0.5) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for conducting a single structured online search on a clinical topic. Physicians may claim up to a limit of twenty (20) AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ per year (or 40 searches at 0.5 credit per search).

American Academy of Family Physicians Credit

This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 20 Prescribed credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP accreditation begins 1-25-07. Term of approval is for two years from this date with option for yearly renewal.

Estimated Time to Complete This Activity: a half (0.5) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for documented completion (either at the point of care or later) of the three step learning cycle for a structured online search.

Release Date: January 25, 2007

Expiration Date: January 25, 2009

Hardware/Software Requirements: View Essential Evidence Plus system requirements.

Goals and Objectives

Goal: Improve clinical decision-making and associated patient care outcomes by providing physicians with evidence-based information relevant to their clinical questions.

Objectives: As a result of this educational activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Access and apply validated information that can enhance their decision-making in specific instances of diagnosis and treatment.
2. Engage in structured, self-directed reflection on the question, the evidence, and the application of information to a particular clinical case.

There is no commercial support for this activity.

Disclosure Information

All faculty, course directors, planning committee members and others in a position to control the content of an educational activity are required to disclose to the audience any relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. Conflicts of interest resulting from a relevant financial relationship must be resolved prior to the activity.

The following individuals have a relevant financial relationship with a commercial interest(s):

Name	Proprietary Entity	Nature of Financial Relationship
Henry C. Barry. MD, MS	Wiley Interscience	Consultant
Mark H. Ebell. MD, MS	John Wiley & Sons, Inc.	Consultant
	American Family Physicians	Deputy Editor
Allan Shaughnessy. PharmD	Family Medicine Education Consortium, Inc	Advisory Committee
	Hallmark Healthcare	Consultant
	Tufts University	Consultant
	Tufts Health Care Institute	Consultant
	John Wiley & Sons, Inc.	Consultant
	American Family Physician	Consultant
	University of Vermont, Assoc. Chapter	Consultant
	American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology	Consultant
	Prescriber's Letter	Consultant
	Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine	Consultant
David C. Slawson. MD	John Wiley & Sons, Inc.	Consultant
		Speaker Bureau

There are no individuals that have no relevant financial relationship to report in the last 12 months with a commercial interest.

After finishing a qualified search, the user may complete the additional required steps to earn CME for that activity (0.5 credits per search). These steps are answering questions in order to document 1) the condition and clinical issue (e.g., best way to diagnose, best treatment, etiology, etc.) and 2) the result or application of the search (e.g., change in diagnosis or treatment, no change). Follow the prompts to view and answer the questions. A third step, asking the user to evaluate the effectiveness of the activity, is required when claiming credits (see below).

Users may complete these steps to earn CME immediately following the search activity, or anytime within the following seven (7) days. When the user opens Essential Evidence Plus on his or her PDA or logs on to the website, a series of prompts will indicate any saved searches within the past seven days that qualify for CME.

Earned credits will remain active for 180 days. If the user has not claimed the credits within that period, the credits will be removed from the user’s account.

You may claim your earned credits within 180 days from when the credits were earned. View credit details by opening your CME Account. You must sync your PDA with your desktop or laptop computer and then claim the credits on the Essential Evidence Plus website. Follow the prompts to complete this process. You may be required to complete or confirm their personal registration information so that credits can be properly attributed to you.

You can batch credits in multiples of five earned credits (or 10 searches at 0.5 credits per search). In a single CME transaction, you may claim up to 20 credits. The total credits claimed in this transaction are recorded and stated on the CME certificate. If you want to claim additional credits at a later date, you will need to complete another transaction. Physicians may claim up to a limit of twenty (20) AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ per year (or 40 searches at 0.5 credit per search).

Fees: For each certificate of up to five credits, there is a $25 processing fee. The fee for additional credits is $25 for each additional batch of 1-5 credits (i.e., $25 for credits 6-10, $25 for credits 11-15, and $25 for credits 16-20). You may pay this processing fee online with a credit card.

You will be required to complete a brief evaluation of the Internet point of care CME learning format prior to receiving your first certificate for CME credits. The certificate will appear as a printable web-based document.

A record of CME activity will be maintained in your CME Account so that you can monitor your activity and total credits claimed. You can also reprint certificates or review your credits claimed for this activity for a six-year period by accessing the Tufts University School of Medicine/Tufts Health Care Institute Online Credit Tracker. (To log in enter the same email address used for Essential Evidence Plus CME; the Tufts Credit Tracker assigns users a different password, which you can request if necessary by selecting "Forgot password?".)

For the Tufts University School of Medicine Policy on Confidentiality and Privacy, please see: http://www.tufts.edu/med/about/offices/oce/privacy.html

For additional information or technical questions regarding the CME functions, please contact us.

For questions about this CME activity, contact Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) Office of Continuing Education, (617) 636-6579, med-oce@tufts.edu.

For technical questions regarding your CME certificate, please contact Tufts Health Care Institute at support@thci.org or 617-636-1000 and ask for Technical Support.