Provide high-quality, convenient, and affordable continuing professional education to physicians and other healthcare professionals so they can meet the growing requirements to learn and to improve patient care, thereby promoting/enhancing the health of the general public.

The support of education in the healthcare community through contributions, grants, and scholarships.

• Uncover new educational resources;
• Investigate new communications technology; and
• Develop new educational programming aimed at improving patient care and enhancing the public health.

Of the nearly 6000 lectures recorded each year, fewer than 800 are featured on Audio-Digest. Our goal is not to compete with other CME/CE providers, but to play a supporting role--highlighting the nation's premier CME/CE conferences.

Needs Assessment

		Audio-Digest's CME/CE Committee (comprised of practicing clinicians) contributes overall guidance and direction in the development of CME/CE activities.
		Each audio journal includes a needs-assessment survey, asking participants to list topics they would like included on future programs.
		Audio-Digest editors review current medical journals to monitor advances and developments in clinical practice and healthcare trends.
		Each audio journal includes a 10-question test to be taken before and after listening to the program to demonstrate that a learning process occurred.

Educational Objectives

The objective of Audio-Digest CME/CE activities is to update healthcare professionals on advances in the diagnosis and management of medical disorders. The primary goal of each activity is to provide practical information that will help in caring for patients.

After hearing an Audio-Digest program, the clinician should be able to:

		Recognize the signs and symptoms of the various disorders discussed and obtain a clear understanding of the associated physiologic changes;
		Selectively apply and interpret newer diagnostic tests and procedures for a particular patient population;
		Initiate the appropriate treatment and, when indicated, refer the patient for further in-depth evaluation or intervention; and
		Critically evaluate and utilize recent advances in technology and pharmacology, when appropriate.

Design and Implementation

Here are the steps we take to produce our audio CME/CE product:

		Audio-Digest editors evaluate hundreds of meeting brochures each year
		The meeting sponsor gives permission to audio record the proceedings
		Faculty members give permission to publish their lectures
		Audio-Digest hires a local audio-recording company to record the meeting
		Complimentary copies of recordings are made for the meeting sponsor on request
		Audio-Digest's medical editors audition recorded lectures to select the best candidates for publication
		Lectures selected for Audio-Digest are edited to remove visual references, lengthy pauses, and any extraneous sounds
		An Audio-Digest medical editor writes a summary of the audio program and a 10-question test
		Audio-Digest's sound engineers enhance the audio quality when necessary and combine introductions, transitions and edited lectures onto a master digital tape
		The audio program, written summary and test are mailed to participants by subscription on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis (a response form is mailed with the initial subscription)

Evaluation

To earn CME credit/CE credit or contact hours with Audio-Digest enduring materials, the participant must complete both the pretest, to assess the initial level of knowledge, and the posttest, to demonstrate that learning has occurred. The participant must achieve 80% or greater on the posttest to earn Category 1 CME credits/CE credits or contact hours.

Additionally, an evaluation survey is an integral component of each CME/CE audio journal. Our evaluation form asks participants to respond to the following questions:

		Did the activity meet the stated educational objectives?
		Was the content relevant and useful to your practice?
		What idea or recommendation did you gain from this activity that you will use in caring for a patient?
		On future programs, what topics would be most helpful?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q		What is the key value of Audio-Digest programs to my practice?
A		Audio-Digest programs save you time and money on your continuing education. They enable you to keep up-to-date by listening to the best talks on today's most significant topics in your specialty, without leaving your practice to attend the meetings. At the same time, you receive Category 1 credits and contact hours for each Audio-Digest program.
Q		Can Audio-Digest replace my need to attend meetings?
A		There will always be certain medical meetings and conferences you will want to attend. In fact, our subscribers tell us that their primary means of gaining ongoing education in their specialty is still through attending live meetings, but that it's just not possible to attend as many as they would like. Audio-Digest brings you the key presentations from the meetings you may not attend. We cover over 250 major medical meetings, seminars and postgraduate courses a year, and bring you the most informative presentations on the timeliest topics from those meetings.
Q		Do I receive audio programs devoted solely to my specialty?
A		Each audio program you receive contains only presentations pertaining to your specific specialty. Moreover, each audio program treats a significant topic of current value to your practice. In one cohesive program, you may hear up to three or four different talks edited from several recent meetings (all addressing one specific topic on which you wish to be kept current).
Q		Which medical specialties do you cover?
A		Audio-Digest prepares programs separately for 13 different specialties. The following specialties receive 2 issues per month: Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Family Practice (2 or 4 issues per month), General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry. One issue per month is sent to clinicians in Gastroenterology, Orthopaedics, and Urology. Our editors skillfully edit for you tapes of only those speakers and topics that pertain to your specific practice.
Q		Is the information you provide always current?
A		A recently published study disclosed the fate of hundreds of papers presented at two large medical meetings. Fewer than 60% of the papers were published in regular medical journals within the next two years. Through Audio-Digest, you often hear recorded digests of meetings within days of the meeting. Frequently, too, you learn of such information only through Audio-Digest.
Q		How do you choose the meetings to record?
A		Meetings to be recorded (medical seminars, university short courses, conferences and symposia) are evaluated in terms of calibre of speakers and subjects that are current, significant or controversial. The programs are recorded on the spot, then expertly edited by Audio-Digest's Editorial and Engineering Staff to provide you with a concise, cohesive and uninterrupted audio presentation.
Q		How do you edit the presentations without sacrificing the content?
A		Through ongoing research, we are able to pinpoint the best speakers and most significant topics to be covered at upcoming meetings. We combine the presentations by topic to give you in-depth coverage of that topic on a single audio program. We shorten the presentation only to separate the wheat from the chaff. You would be surprised how much time is saved by editing the "ers," "ahs," pauses, and unrelated trivia. You thus hear the essential information you need to know, in less time than if you had attended the meeting itself.
Q		Who else does what you do?
A		To our knowledge, Audio-Digest is unique. For more than five decades, Audio-Digest has been relied on by physicians and other healthcare professionals throughout the country (and the world) as the authoritative source for timely recordings of the best talks on significant topics in their specialties, as presented at the latest medical meetings and conferences. With each audio program, you also receive valuable program outlines, educational objectives, related references, and program test questions.
Q		Your price seems modest for the service you provide. How can I be assured of quality?
A		Our prices are indeed modest. Audio-Digest Foundation is an affiliate of the California Medical Association. It is our policy to keep costs to a minimum while maintaining the highest standards of excellence. The best testament to the quality of our services would be the countless subscribers who have subscribed without break for 10, 15, 20 years and more. David A. Pierce, M.D., of Rutland, MA offers a typical response: "Your services are unmatched in the entire continuing medical education field."
Q		Is my satisfaction guaranteed?
A		After more than 50 years of service to the healthcare community, we take great pride in the superior quality of our program. You, however, are the ultimate judge. If for any reason you are not fully satisfied with the Audio-Digest program, you may simply cancel at any time and receive a prompt and unquestioned refund on all unmailed audio programs.