Background/Purpose: : An Annual Rheumatology & Therapeutics Review for Organizations & Societies (ARTHROS) initiative called “City Rounds” was created to meet the educational needs of rheumatologists with regard to advances in therapeutic s in Rheumatoid arthritis. The program was designed to introduce and assess advances in diagnosis, therapeutic s and safety through an interactive roundtable, small-group format wherein rheumatologists would interact and discuss case based issues with local and national RA experts .

Methods: These, roundtable programs were delivered in 16 US cities and attended by 5-15 rheumatologists using a case-based workbook covering three topics: Targeted Therapies in RA, Immunopathogenesis of RA, and Safety Issues in RA Management. ARTHROS partnered with CE Outcomes to qualitatively evaluate the impact of the City Rounds on rheumatologists using structured interviews with 12 randomly chosen participants. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed to identify common themes and compare practices reported by interviewees to evidence-based guideline recommendations and learning objectives of the City Rounds program.

Results: The findings of the qualitative analysis demonstrate the City Rounds program enabled rheumatologists to provide more thorough patient education. Participant interviews showed the following: 94% of participants believed that these educational objectives impacted their knowledge; 98% of the participants indicated that this activity enhanced their effectiveness in treating; 91% of participants indicated that this activity will change in their practice behavior; 24% of participants indicated they will create or revise policies for patient care; 55% of participants indicated they will change their management and treatment of RA; 38% of participants indicated that they have no barriers in implementing changes learned in this education. Several interviewees reported greater confidence in managing hard-to-treat patients after participating in the education. The City Rounds program also reinforced rheumatologist use of evidence-based care in several key areas, including: selection of tests and exams for diagnosis and monitoring; active use of evidence-based guidelines; and selection of treatments for patients with high RA disease activity who have failed methotrexate. The findings of the assessment also suggest that, despite the positive impact of the program, educational gaps in these same areas persist among some rheumatologists.

Conclusion: Small group, workshop or roundtable style educational programs are highly impactful as they: a) well attended by a wide variety of practitioners (from trainees to professors; urban and suburban); b) allow for intense, impactful interactions between colleagues and experts on important teaching points and practice issues; and c) are a conduit for the introduction and integration of guidelines and standards of care into daily practice.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/a-qualitative-assessment-of-a-cme-city-rounds-workshop-educational-program-to-meet-the-educational-needs-of-rheumatologists/