This article reviews the articles in this supplement that describe a smoking cessation project, Cease Smoking Today (CS2day) that demonstrated successful outcomes: physician adoption of a smoking cessation guideline and an increase in smoking quit rates. The authors examine how the activities of the CS2day project compared to the principles and characteristics of the vision for a future system of continuing professional development that was described in the 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Redesigning Continuing Education in the Health Professions. While it did not meet all the characteristics of the IOM's vision, the CS2day Initiative met enough of them for the authors to suggest that the momentum that the IOM report generated has been sustained. The authors point out two strengths and two weaknesses that further strategic and organizational efforts should consider. The two strengths were the collaborative nature of the project and an approach to continuous outcomes assessment that was based on competencies derived from a practice guideline. The authors also suggested that future similar efforts should place more emphasis on instructional design and developing a program theory to guide program operations and educational development. The authors encouraged members of the CME profession to consider the accomplishments of the CS2day project as they are planning to move their CME programs toward the vision described in the IOM Report.
Copyright © 2011 The Alliance for Continuing Medical Education, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on CME, Association for Hospital Medical Education.