Journal Club: Prevalence of flawed multiple-choice questions in continuing medical education activities of major radiology journals.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess whether the continuing medical education (CME) multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in three major radiology journals adhere to standard question-writing principles. MATERIALS AND METHODS All CME MCQs (total of 181) in the January 2013 editions of the AJR, RadioGraphics, and Radiology composed the test sample. Each question was evaluated by three reviewers for compliance with seven MCQ-writing guidelines that have been documented in the medical education literature as associated with frequent flaws in medical CME. RESULTS Seventy-eight of the 181 (43%) questions contained one to four flaws. CONCLUSION A large fraction of radiology CME questions violate standard question-writing principles.