In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.—Eric Hoffer
Medical education has traditionally focused on providing a strong knowledge base, starting with basic and clinical science. The implicit high value placed on this type of knowledge is reinforced by examinations that, at all levels of training, test the learner's competence in retaining and using a body of information deemed to be valid and (sometimes) important.
However, the only constant is change, and this may be truer in the science and practice of medicine than in most endeavors. The relatively short half-life of medical knowledge has led to recognition of the importance of instilling the value and the skills of life-long learning as a core piece of medical education. Learning does not conclude at the end of formal training—it merely shifts its focus from an activity with bounds that are established by others to something that must be internalized and individually prioritized.
This presents a challenge to all clinicians in terms of how to set priorities, how to find information to address new questions, how to evaluate the quality of that information, and how to do all of this in a system that increasingly constrains the irreplaceable resource of time. It also presents a challenge to educators, who have to teach to the present and to the unknowable future.
Medical education research investigates ways to more effectively address both time frames. It considers approaches to knowledge and skill acquisition, examining the effects of differing techniques on the learner and, ultimately, on the quality of patient care. It also studies methods to improve the ability of physicians to reeducate and retool themselves throughout their careers. All of these efforts are best served by education research that incorporates the highest standards of study design and execution, just as patient care is best served by the strongest clinical studies.
JAMA continues its annual focus on this important topic with the next theme issue on medical education, which will be published in September 2008. We invite authors to submit manuscripts related to all aspects of the educational process. We are particularly seeking studies that either incorporate the most relevant educational outcomes (effects on clinical practice and patient care) or address better techniques for their measure.
Recent topics have included the effect of changes in resident work hours on patient mortality, patient safety, and physician health; education in evidence-based medicine; methods, quality, and funding of medical education research; effects of communication skills; teaching quality improvement; diversity in medical education; cross-cultural care; inaccuracy of physician self-assessment; and Internet-based education. While these remain of interest for this issue, other potential topics include (but are not limited to) the appropriate use of medical literature, successful models for providing incentives to faculty for teaching, professionalism and ethics, and the use of interdisciplinary approaches to learning. Given the role of educator that all physicians play, we are also interested in studies of the effectiveness of training physicians to be teachers, if these studies are conducted with methodological rigor and include important objective outcome measures.
We will consider all original research papers, systematic reviews, and scholarly commentaries addressing medical education, including randomized trials, high-quality observational studies, evidence-based reviews, and presentation of novel methodologies. The effects of medical education at the student, physician, patient, and societal level are all appropriate for consideration. As with all research published in JAMA, we are seeking studies that meet the highest standards for validity and generalizability; preference will be given to studies that include large sample sizes and multiple study sites.
Manuscripts received by March 1, 2008, will have the best chance for consideration for publication in the Medical Education theme issue. All submitted manuscripts will undergo JAMA's usual rigorous editorial evaluation and review. Authors should consult the JAMA Instructions for Authors1 for guidelines on manuscript submission and preparation.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Financial Disclosures: None reported.
Editorials represent the opinions of the authors and JAMA and not those of the American Medical Association.
