Journal of CME (11/12/24) Kassis, H; Harting, D

A small niche of the medical writing field focuses on the creation of instructional content and other materials used for continuing medical education/continuing professional development (CME/CPD). Despite the importance of their role and the challenges that come with it — such as citing the most current research and avoiding bias, plagiarism, and fabrication — there is a lack of formal training to prepare the next generation of writers in the specialty. To address this gap, 22 stakeholders used a modified Delphi method to pinpoint knowledge areas, skills, attitudes, and deliverables (KSADs) for inclusion in a competency model. The process began with 83 proposed KSADs on which to build a framework describing the primary competencies CME-CPD writing professionals need to be successful. Consensus was reached on 38 of the items over the course of three rounds of discussion. The agreed-upon set of KSADs — thought essential for CME writers to excel at their work — covers a diverse set of themes from different fields, ranging from accredited continuing education to medical writing and communications. A competency model based on these KSADs promises to "help build capacity in the CME workforce overall by providing a roadmap for designing effective training programmes and assessment tools for CME writers," the developers write.

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