Can Maintenance of Certification Work? Association of MOC and Improvements in Physicians’ Knowledge and Practice, published in Academic Medicine, indicates that Maintenance of Certification (MOC) can be associated with positive impacts on physician knowledge, patient care processes and/or patient outcomes.
A narrative review of 39 studies by the authors found that in 37 studies, at least one positive outcome was noted as a result of a physician’s participation in MOC, with only two studies reporting predominately negative outcomes.
Examples of the positive outcomes reported include physicians’ intent to change their practice, documented changes in physicians’ knowledge, and positive changes in clinical processes or outcomes of patient care.
This study supports previous findings (ie. Nichols’ study1) and offers further evidence indicating a positive association between MOC and physician knowledge and changes in practice and patient outcomes.
While this study is encouraging with regard to MOC and patient care, its authors also call for additional, collaborative research on continuing certification to further evaluate and improve its relevance, value, and impact on the care delivered by physicians across specialties and practice settings.
1Nichols, DG. Maintenance of Certification and the Challenge of Professionalism. Pediatrics 2017; 139 (5) 1-12.