The effect of a teaching award on the quality of continuing medical education participant evaluations

Objective: To improve compliance with the completion of speakers' evaluatio n forms in a pediatric hospital continuing medical education program. Design: Preintervention and postintervention analysis. Setting: Pediatric hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Participants: Attendees at pediatric grand rounds programs. Main Outcome Measure: Analysis of speaker evaluation forms for each of 20 p ediatric grand rounds programs were used as the basis for speakers' awards. Results: Spontaneous written comments were found on a mean of 7.3 evaluatio ns per preintervention program and 13.5 evaluations per postintervention pr ogram (P<.01). The distribution of objective scores in 3 items examined was wider postintervention than preintervention (P<.01). Conclusion: When participants in continuing medical education programs know that their evaluations of an activity are used as the basis for an educati onal award, they may be more reflective in completing such evaluations.