Assessing the influence of live and online enduring CME activities presented at the 66th ASH annual meeting on hematology/oncology specialists using pre-/post-education evaluations

Abstract

Abstract Background: With the rapid advancements in translational and clinical research spanning classical and malignant hematology, many hematologist/oncologists (hem/oncs) face challenges in keeping pace with emerging discoveries and shifting treatment guidelines. The American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting provides a unique and premier platform to deliver live continuing medical education (CME/CE) activities to a diverse group of hem/onc specialists. The reach of these in-person or real-time (synchronous) programs is multiplied by converting recordings into accredited (asynchronous), online CME activities available to interprofessional clinician audiences for on-demand learning. The objective of this study was to assess educational impact of 8 live ASH 2024 plus enduring symposia on hem/oncs' clinical knowledge, competencies, and confidence. Methods: The Medscape Education/Medscape Oncology educational portfolio at the 66th ASH Annual Meeting consisted of eight, 90- to 120-minute, CME-accredited Friday Satellite Symposia presented live on December 6, 2024 and posted online within 5 weeks as CME-accredited enduring activities consisting of multimedia recordings with synchronized slides. Six of the enduring activities also offered nursing and pharmacy CE credit. Symposia topics included 4 programs on classical and 4 programs on malignant hematologic disorders. Three of the symposia were developed in separate collaborations with the Cancer Support Community, CLL Society, and National Bleeding Disorders Foundation. Educational impact was measured with pre-/post-education assessments including multiple-choice knowledge/competency questions and 5-point Likert scale confidence questions. Data from all hem/onc learners who completed pre- and/or post-education assessments were aggregated across activities and stratified by learning themes. Relative changes in the percentage of correct responses and clinicians who were confident (value of 4 or 5) were used to measure impact on knowledge, competency, and confidence. A McNemar test assessed significant levels of changes reported, with P values < .05 considered statistically significant. Data were collected through July 10, 2025. Results: The educational portfolio demonstrated a profound reach to 153,811 learners at the close of data collection (10,070 live learners plus 143,741 enduring learners). Enduring participants included 10,447 hem/onc physicians. Each enduring learning theme for the hem/onc physician audience resulted in statistically significant improvements in knowledge, competency, and confidence after consumption of education (N = 100 to 319).Understanding of evolving safety and efficacy evidence increased from 44% to 59% (15% absolute change; 35% relative change; P < .001)Alignment of practice with current clinical guideline standards improved from 53% to 61% (8% absolute change; 15% relative change; P < .05)Weighing clinical variables to inform the development of care plans rose from 46% to 57% (11% absolute change 26%; relative change; P < .001)Translating new data into clinical practice changes grew from 15% to 29% (14% absolute change; 93% relative change; P < .001)Centering care around patient needs and communication increased from 19% to 31% (12% absolute change; 63% relative change; P < .01) Conclusions: Engagement in live or online CME-/CE-accredited activities presented at the 66th ASH Annual Meeting led to meaningful and statistically significant gains in hem/onc learners' knowledge, competency, and confidence in caring for patients with diverse malignant and classical hematologic disorders. While these educational activities have demonstrated effectiveness in closing learning gaps, their direct impact on changes in clinical practice remains to be fully evaluated.