Faculty Presentation Guidance
Clinical Content Validity & Preventing Bias in Accredited Education
Implicit bias and cultural and linguistic competency
GENERAL GUIDELINES
*It is very important that all speakers keep their presentations on time out of respect to fellow speakers and to allow opportunities for audience questions and discussion. Moderators and session chairs will be responsible for keeping their sessions within their allotted time frame.
*Please upload your slides ahead of time via the Dropbox link that was emailed to you, or bring them to the AV team onsite with ample time before your lecture (no less than one hour prior). The registration desk team will direct you to the AV loading area upon your arrival at the meeting. Note – if review of your slides has been requested by the CME committee, you will be required to upload them 72 hours ahead of time via the meeting Dropbox link.
CLINICAL CONTENT VALIDITY
As an important contributor to our accredited education, we would like to enlist your help to ensure that educational content is fair and balanced, and that any clinical content presented supports safe, effective patient care. This includes the expectations that:
*All recommendations for patient care in accredited continuing education must be based on current science, evidence, and clinical reasoning, while giving a fair and balanced view of diagnostic and therapeutic options.
*All scientific research referred to, reported, or used in accredited education in support or justification of a patient care recommendation must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
*Although accredited continuing education is an appropriate place to discuss, debate, and explore new and evolving topics, these areas need to be clearly identified as such within the program and individual presentations. It is the responsibility of accredited providers to facilitate engagement with these topics without advocating for, or promoting, practices that are not, or not yet, adequately based on current science, evidence, and clinical reasoning.
*Content cannot be included in accredited education if it advocates for unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or if the education promotes recommendations, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients.
*Speakers must not discuss any unlabeled uses of products.
These expectations are drawn from Standard 1 of the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. For more information, see accme.org/standards. If we can help you to understand and/or apply these strategies to your education, please contact us at [email protected].
Please consider using these strategies to help us support the development of valid, high quality education.
*Clearly describe the level of evidence on which the presentation is based and provide enough information about data (study dates, design, etc.) to enable learners to assess research validity.
*Ensure that, if there is a range of evidence, that the credible sources cited present a balanced view of the evidence.
*If clinical recommendations will be made, include balanced information on all available therapeutic options.
*Address any potential risks or adverse effects that could be caused with any clinical recommendations.
Although accredited CE is an appropriate place to discuss, debate, and explore new and evolving topics, presenting topics or treatments with a lower (or absent) evidence base should include the following strategies:
*Facilitate engagement with these topics without advocating for, or promoting, practices that are not, or not yet, adequately based on current science, evidence, and clinical reasoning
*Construct the activity as a debate or dialogue. Identify other faculty who represent a range of opinions and perspectives; presentations should include a balanced, objective view of research and treatment options.
*Teach about the merits and limitations of a therapeutic or diagnostic approach rather than how to use it.
*Identify content that has not been accepted as scientifically meritorious by regulatory and other authorities, or when the material has not been included in scientifically accepted guidelines or published in journals with national or international stature.
*Clearly communicate the learning goals for the activity to learners (e.g., “This activity will teach you about how your patients may be using XX therapy and how to answer their questions. It will not teach you how to administer XX therapy”).
GUIDELINES TO PREVENT INDUSTRY BIAS IN ACCREDITED EDUCATION
Please note: An ineligible company is defined as an entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
*Presentations must be free of marketing and sales of products or services from ineligible companies.
*Slides cannot contain logos, industry backgrounds, advertisements, product promotion, trade name(s), device name(s) or product-group messages of ineligible companies.
*Generic names should be used instead of trade names whenever possible. If trade names are used, the presentation should include trade names from multiple companies for balance, when appropriate.
*If showing an image of a product or device on your slides, the trade name and logo must be covered.
*If referring to a product or device name do not include ™ or ®.