Short report: satisfaction with on-line CME. Evaluation of the ruralMDcme website.

n recent years, use of the World Wide Web as a means of providing lifelong learning opportunities has increased. The main benefits of on-line continuing medical education (CME) include easy access, convenience, cost-eff ectiveness, reduced travel, self-paced and self-directed learning, and an interactive multimedia format.1-3 Several on-line CME studies4-6 have reported satisfaction with Internet learning and substantial acquisition of knowledge. An interesting aspect of the on-line CME literature is the diverse nature of the delivery formats that have been described. On-line CME has been delivered by real-time Internet teleconferencing, live and delayed audio and video CME Web broadcasts, and problem-based learning discussion system designs. In spring 2002, Memorial University of Newfoundland in St John’s led a consortium of Canadian university-based CME departments in the development of RuralMDcme, a CME website that provides accredited on-line CME courses by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The purpose of this study was to evaluate physicians’ satisfaction with an on-line CME format that used the WebCT learning management system and facilitated interaction using computer-mediated discussion. METHODS