P-1882. Curriculum-Based Online Medical Education Effectively Improves Clinician Knowledge, Competence, Confidence, and Performance with Integrating Antimicrobial Stewardship When Diagnosing and Managing Suspected Pneumonia with Available Molecular Rapid Diagnostic Tests

TL;DR

An online medical education program significantly improved clinicians' knowledge and confidence in using rapid diagnostic tests for pneumonia and antimicrobial stewardship.

Contribution

Demonstrates that a curriculum-based online CME program effectively enhances clinician competence and real-world practice in using molecular diagnostic tests for pneumonia.

Findings

65% of infectious disease specialists improved knowledge, competence, and confidence in using mRDTs for pneumonia diagnosis.

96% of surveyed learners made or reinforced practice changes after the education.

Top practice changes included interpreting mRDT results and using them to confirm pneumonia diagnoses.

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of online CME on knowledge, competence, confidence, and performance related to molecular rapid diagnostic tests (mRDTs) & antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in diagnosing and managing suspected pneumonias.

The CME curriculum included two online activities. The 1st activity featured 5 video-based micro-CME chapters by multidisciplinary experts, with learners selecting chapters. Education effects were measured using a repeated pairs pre-/post-assessment design, with participants as their own controls. McNemar’s tests (P < .05) assessed mastery (correct decisions or improved confidence), and a confidence-based assessment (CBA) evaluated learning changes. The 2nd activity was a 30-minute video discussion with slides. Real-world performance was assessed via a survey 30–60 days post-education, capturing practice changes & barriers. Data across activities were collected from 8/2024 - 3/2025.

As of March 2025, the curriculum reached ∼50,000 learners, primarily targeting Infectious Disease (ID) Specialists, Pulmonologists, Critical Care (CC) Specialists. Data from those who completed pre-/post-assessments for the first activity showed significant learning improvements (P < .001). Overall, 65% of ID Specialists (n=402), 61% of Pulmonologists (n=445), and 63% of CC Specialists (n=230) improved knowledge, competence, and/or confidence related to incorporating and interpreting mRDTs when diagnosing & managing suspected pneumonia.

For the 2nd activity, 35 learners completed the survey showed 96% made or reinforced practice changes due to education. Top changes included:

• Interpreting mRDT results for pneumonia (69%)

• Using mRDTs to confirm diagnosis (54%)

• Using semiquantitative results from mRDTs & collaborating across specialties to optimize AMS (51%)

Barriers to practice included:

• Lacking familiarity with mRDTs

• Difficult to obtain bronchoalveolar lavage specimens

• Insufficient training for colleagues in other professions

• Lack of consensus guidelines for mRDT use

These findings demonstrate that online CME/CE promotes adoption of AMS-related practices for diagnosing & managing suspected pneumonia with mRDTs. Future education should address identified barriers to further enhance practice changes.

All Authors: No reported disclosures