two recent surveys show.
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Lead author Laurel K. Leslie, MD, of Tufts University, Boston, and colleagues analyzed the perceptions of 4,238 pediatricians who participated in a pilot MOC program in 2017 and completed a fourth-quarter survey, a voluntary end-of-year survey, or both surveys. The new MOC option was developed by the American Board of Pediatrics between 2015 and 2016 as an alternative to the current proctored, closed-book general pediatrics (GP) MOC examination. The Maintenance of Certification Assessment for Pediatrics (MOCA-Peds) includes timed, multiple-choice questions delivered quarterly through a Web-based interface, provides resources to help answer questions, and yields immediate feedback, rationale, and references pertaining to answers.
Of the pediatricians surveyed, 93% considered the MOCA-Peds to be a feasible and acceptable alternative to the traditional MOC GP examination, and 89% of pediatricians indicated they would chose the MOCA-Peds model over the proctored examination, according to the study, published in Pediatrics. Of doctors who completed the quarter 4 survey, 88% agreed or strongly agreed that assessment questions aligned with the stated learning objectives, 82% agreed the questions assessed clinical judgment, 82% agreed the questions were relevant to the practice of GP, and 59% agreed the questions were relevant to their specific practice setting, according to the study. For most pediatricians surveyed, the time to answer questions was sufficient (78%).
Regarding potential anxiety associated with MOC, 89% of doctors surveyed agreed that they felt less anxiety participating in the MOCA-Peds compared with the proctored examination, and that any anxiety they felt about the MOCA-Peds lessened during the pilot as their comfort with the assessment grew (81%). When asked whether they would partake in MOCA-Peds in the future, 97% of general pediatricians and 95% of subspecialists planned to participate in MOCA-Peds to maintain their GP certification; 95% of subspecialists said they would participate in MOCA-Peds to maintain their subspecialty certification.
In a second analysis of the same study population led by Adam L. Turner, MPH, of the American Board of Pediatrics, participants were asked whether the MOCA-Peds led to any practice or knowledge changes. Nearly all (98%) respondents reported they had “learned, refreshed, or enhanced their medical knowledge” because of the assessment and 62% of pediatricians reported a practice change associated with pilot participation, according to the study, published in Pediatrics. Of those who made a practice change, 70% were general pediatricians and 41% were subspecialists.
Of the 1,727 pediatricians who positively indicated a practice change, 84% reported details about the specific change made. The most common content domains associated with a practice change included ear, nose, and throat; preventive and well-child care; and mental and behavioral health.
Within the content domains, the three most frequently cited instances in which knowledge or a practice change took place included planning the management of a child with otitis media, managing a child with an acute asthma exacerbation, and planning the management of a child with influenza. Of 400 additional responses related to practice changes beyond answers associated with a specific content domain, the three most common subthemes were using evidence-based medicine, expanding review of materials or resource use, and improving differential diagnosis. Pediatricians reported that participation in MOCA-Peds exposed them to new material and encouraged them to review guidelines or standard care protocols and their application. Respondents also reported increased review of materials or resources in practice, updating the types of resources used, and/or an increased effort to stay more updated.
Dr. Turner and associates concluded that the results “support the notion that assessment and learning can be integrated into a single platform and need not be considered mutually exclusive activities, in turn adding value for practicing physicians.”
The studies were funded by the American Board of Pediatrics Foundation. Dr. Leslie, Dr. Linda Althouse, Mr. Andrew Bradford, and Mr. Adam L. Turner are employees of The American Board of Pediatrics. Dr. Victoria Dounoucos, Dr. Murrey G. Olmsted, and Ms. Amanda C. Smith are employees of RTI International, an international nonprofit research firm with whom the board contracted to conduct this evaluation.
SOURCE: Leslie LK et al. Pediatrics. Nov. 2019 Nov. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-2303; Turner AL et al. Pediatrics. 2019 Nov. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-2305.