A Five-phased Development Process

  • I. Building Pilot Relationships
  • II. Identifying Priority Diseases and Disease Categories in Pilot Countries
  • III. Proving the Concept
  • IV. Spreading the Word and Expanding the Service
  • V. Institutionalization and Ongoing Refinement

    • While each of these phases is a discrete, sequential activity, in practice the implementation of the plan will require the stages to overlap one another somewhat.

    The following graphic illustrates the sequenced and overlapping nature of the implementation design.

    I. Building Pilot Relationships.

    The first task for the Consortium is to develop partnership relationships with medical educators, academics and institutions in three to five pilot countries where these individuals share Project Globe’s philosophy about the potential CME/CPD to assist General and Family physicians to hone their skills. The formation of solid partnership relationships will not only require exploratory visits to a number of countries but also follow-up dialogue and visits to work out the details of the relationship formalized by a Memorandum of Understanding between the Consortium and the participating county.

    II. Capacity and Needs Assessment.

    Project Globe is committed to assisting member countries to use CME and CPD as a vehicle to improve health outcomes in conditions of particular importance to individual countries. Consequently, the Consortium will assist member countries in identifying the specific and unique educational needs of family and general practitioners in those countries.

    During this stage of the launch of Project Globe, the Consortium will work closely with member countries to develop an accurate picture of the professional development needs of country physicians. Country members will take the lead in conducting this needs analysis. Project Globe will provide technical, systems and other support as necessary.

    Project Globe will work with country personnel to identify appropriate existing courseware or assist in the process of developing courseware where none exists. Project Globe would use its technical infrastructure and LMS to house and deliver courseware as well provide record keeping and data management service to member countries.

    III. Proving the Concept.

    While blended online CME has the potential of becoming a vital continuing medical education and professional development tool, to date there have only been a few studies that demonstrate its effectiveness in changing physician behavior and consequent health care outcomes., Much evidence-based CME/CPD has the potential of being shared with the emerging world via a blend of new technology and traditional means. The WHO as recently as May of 2006passed a resolution encouraging increased investment in information communication technology in part to support such sharing. Nonetheless, solid empirical data about the effectiveness of CME/CPD in changing physician behavior and patient outcomes in emerging countries remains lacking.

    Consequently, Project Globe offers each pilot country the opportunity to participate in a study to test the efficacy of blended CME/CPD learning solutions in changing physician behavior and patient outcomes. While CVD health may not be the most significant concern of all participating countries, Project Globe has taken this approach because recent WHO data indicates that 80% of the disease burden of CVD comes from developing, low and middle-income countries and because CVD has widely agreed upon surrogate makers in blood pressure and lipid level that are easily measure and amenable to treatment in the short term. Good data on the impact of blended CME/CPD initiatives on CVD in three-to-five emerging countries could be collected relatively inexpensively and provide strong support for allocating resources to expand CME/CPD initiatives for other and more pressing conditions in these same countries.

    Project Globe will work with country personnel to identify appropriate existing courseware or assist in the process of developing courseware where none exists. Project Globe would use its technical infrastructure and LMS to house and deliver courseware as well as provide record keeping and data management service to member countries as well as assist with any courseware licensing or copyright issues that may arise.

    IV. Spreading the Word and Expanding the Service.

    The results of the pilot studies and country needs assessment would be published with country contributors included as authors. Presentations will also be made at international meetings and symposia. Whenever possible, country members would co-present with Consortium staff.

    Working with member countries, the Consortium would develop a controlled growth plan designed to extend Project Globe’s impact to other countries while maintaining a high program quality and a focus on continually improving the courseware provided.

    v. Institutionalization and Ongoing Refinement.

    As more countries become members and use the Consortium’s resources relevant curricula will be developed and models for professional development applicable to emerging countries will be created and incorporated into the accepted CME/CPD systems for family and general practitioners. Particular focus will be paid to studying the effectiveness of various types of CME in the emerging world, publishing the results of that research and developing country-based centers of excellence among member countries. Project Globe would function as a global clearing house and provider of the highest quality, lowest cost CME/CPD available to the emerging world as well as working with individual countries and medical associations to provide CME credits and other accreditation as appropriate.