Learning and change among emergency physicians

The relationship between change and the learning necessary to achieve a change in medical practice was examined in this study. Thirty emergency department physicians were interviewed to identify changes that they had made in their medical practice behavior during the last 2 years and the learning strategies and resources used to achieve these changes. The research indicated that learning and change among these physicians were similar to those described in the literature for other physicians, for health professionals, and for adults in general. The findings show continuing medical education (CME) providers that medical personnel are at different stages of the learning-to-change process and will use and respond to CME programs differently. From this study, we conclude that CME providers, when identifying needs or interests of emergency department physicians, should focus on dissonance, dissatisfaction, or discrepancies in daily practice rather than on general needs or interest statements. Dissemination of information in itself is not sufficient to result in change; motivation for change must also be present. Learning and change are interactive and include both reflective and active learning, which involve several or more of these resources: the literature, colleagues, CME programs, and practice.