About Annals CME
The Annals of Internal Medicine CME site provides a convenient way to fulfill your
CME requirements. Articles are designated for credit and companion CME quizzes are
provided online. Participants may earn credits by reading the relevant article and
successfully completing the quiz.
You may access CME quizzes by subject or by date via the Annals CME page.
Links are also provided on the Annals journal home page, tables of contents,
and on the CME-designated articles themselves.
Program Objectives
These activities have been developed for internists to facilitate the highest quality
professional work in clinical applications, teaching, consultation, or research.
Upon completion of a CME activity, participants should be able to demonstrate an
increase in the skills and knowledge required to maintain competence, strengthen
their habits of critical inquiry and balanced judgment, and contribute to better
patient care.
Intended Audience
The intended audience consists of internal medicine physicians.
Accreditation Statement
The American College of Physicians is accredited by the Accreditation Council for
Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing education for physicians.
The American College of Physicians designates each journal article educational activity
for a maximum of one AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and each In the Clinic
educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation
in the activity.
Editors' Disclosures
Editors' Disclosures can be found on the Disclosures page.
What is Continuing Medical Education (CME)?
The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
www.accme.org has published the following:
Definition of CME
1982-B-03 The Definition of Continuing Medical Education
Continuing Medical Education (CME) consists of educational activities which serve
to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance
and relationships that a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public,
or the profession. The content of CME is that body of knowledge and skills generally
recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences,
the discipline of clinical medicine, and the provision of health care to the public.
The broad definition of CME, such as the one found above, recognizes that all continuing
educational activities, which assist physicians in carrying out their professional
responsibilities more effectively and efficiently, are CME. A course in management
would be appropriate CME for physicians responsible for managing a health care facility;
a course in educational methodology would be appropriate CME for physicians teaching
in a medical school; a course in practice management would be appropriate for practitioners
interested in providing better service to patients.
Not all continuing educational activities in which physicians may engage, however,
are CME. Physicians may participate in worthwhile continuing educational activities,
which are not related directly to their professional work, but these activities
are not CME. Continuing educational activities, which respond to a physician's non-professional
need or interest, such as personal financial planning, and appreciation of literature
or music, are not CME. (amended 11/99)
How are CME hours calculated?
CME is designated on an hour-for-hour basis, i.e., for every hour you spend in a
CME activity, you receive one (1) hour of CME credit.
Since people complete self-study activities (e.g., journal-based CME, self-tests,
computer-based activities, video or audio tapes, etc.) at their own pace, calculating
CME hours can create a dilemma for the activity's sponsor. The sponsor of an enduring
material usually estimates the time the average physician would take to complete
the activity. This estimate becomes the designated maximum amount of CME credit
for the activity. The individual physician is required to keep track of the time
spent on the activity, and claim only the number of hours he or she actually spent
on the activity.
What if I need more help?
If you don't find the answer you need, please contact
us.