ACCREDITED: ADA CERP considers "accredited provider" as equivalent to “ADA CERP recognized provider,” and “accredited continuing education” as equivalent to CE offered by an ADA CERP recognized provider.
ACTIVITY: An individual educational experience such as a lecture, clinic or home-study course. (See BLENDED LEARNING ACTIVITY, COURSE, LIVE COURSES/ACTIVITIES, SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL COURSES/ACTIVITIES)
ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY (previously noted as administrator or program planner): The person responsible for the coordination, organization and dissemination of planned CE offerings. Typically, it is an employee of the provider; the provider is responsible for the overall quality.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE: An objective entity that provides peer review and direction for the program and the provider. The advisory committee should include objective representatives of the intended audience, including the members of the dental team for which the courses are offered.
BEST PRACTICES: Those strategies, methods, activities or approaches which have been shown through research and evaluation to effectively promote continuous quality improvement of continuing dental education in accordance with the ADA CERP Recognition Standards and Procedures.
BLENDED LEARNING ACTIVITY: A blended learning activity is a single course which includes two or more educational formats. This category is used for hybrid, new, or unique approaches that do not fall into one of the established activity types. An example of a blended learning activity would be a CE course which includes a live lecture (either in person or online) plus some required activities which the learner must complete independently (such as reading a specified article or preparing a case presentation).
COMMERCIAL BIAS/COMMERCIAL INFLUENCE: In the context of continuing dental education, when a commercial interest has a role in planning or implementing a CE activity there is the potential to introduce bias that favors the commercial interest. As stewards of the learning environment for healthcare professionals, CE providers are responsible for ensuring that their learners have access to educational and skill development activities that are trustworthy and are based on best practices and high-quality evidence. By following the Standards for Integrity and Independence in CE, providers can help ensure that CE activities serve the needs of patients and not the interests of industry.
COMMERCIAL INTEREST: (1) An individual or entity that produces, markets, resells or distributes health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, or (2) an individual or entity that is owned or controlled by an individual or entity that produces, markets, resells, or distributes health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients. Providing clinical services directly to or for patients (e.g., a dental practice, dental lab, or diagnostic lab) does not, by itself, make an individual or entity a commercial interest. (See INELIGIBLE COMPANY)
COMMERCIAL SUPPORT: Financial or in-kind support, such as products and other resources from or on behalf of a commercial interest, contributed to support or offset expenses for a provider’s continuing dental education activity.
COMMERCIAL SUPPORTER: Commercial interests which contribute unrestricted financial support, products, and other resources to support or offset expenses for a provider’s continuing dental education activity.
CONTINUING DENTAL EDUCATION: Continuing education consists of educational activities which serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a dentist uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. The objective is to enhance and update the knowledge base of dentists, strengthen critical thinking skills and support an evidence-based, ethical practice of dentistry. The content of continuing dental education is that body of knowledge and skills generally recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical and dental sciences, the discipline of clinical dentistry, and the provision of oral healthcare to the public.
Examples:
Examples of non-clinical topics that are included in the ADA CERP definition of continuing dental education content include but are not limited to:
- Practice management, for managing offices related to the dental profession.
- Educational methodology, for dentists teaching in academic dental programs.
- Coding and reimbursement in a dental office.
- Research advances in basic and clinical sciences.
Continuing education activities that are not directly related to a dentist’s professional work do not fall within the ADA CERP definition of continuing dental education. Although these activities may be worthwhile, continuing dental education activities related to a dentist's nonprofessional educational needs or interests—such as personal financial planning or physical fitness—are not considered continuing dental education by ADA CERP.
COURSE: A type of continuing education activity; usually implies a planned and formally conducted learning experience. (See ACTIVITY, BLENDED LEARNING ACTIVITY, LIVE COURSE/ACTIVITY, SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL COURSE/ACTIVITY)
COURSE COMPLETION CODE: An optional, random code, a portion of which is announced by program provider toward the end of each course to help verify that each participant has taken part in the entire course. Also referred to as a verification code. Providers may use other methods to verify participation. Course completion codes are not required by ADA CERP.
DENTAL/MEDICAL EDUCATION OR COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY: Company whose sole purpose is to produce educational programs or communications for healthcare professionals.
EDUCATIONAL METHODS, FORMATS: The structured design of an educational activity. Activity formats (such as didactic, case presentations and discussion, hands-on skills training, and online self-study) should be chosen based on what the provider hopes to change as a result of the educational activity.
EVIDENCE-BASED DENTISTRY: Evidence-based dentistry (EBD) is an approach to oral health care that requires the judicious integration of systematic assessments of clinically relevant scientific evidence, relating to the patient's oral and medical condition and history, with the dentist's clinical expertise and the patient's treatment needs and preferences.1 (See Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry at http://ebd.ada.org)
1 Definition of Evidence-Based Dentistry (Trans.2001:462), in ADA Policy Statement on Evidence-Based Dentistry
FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS: Any relationship in which an individual benefits by receiving a salary, royalty, intellectual property rights, consulting fee, honoraria, ownership interest, contracted research or other financial benefit. Relevant financial relationships must be disclosed to participants in CE activities. (See RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS.)
GOVERNMENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY: A government or its designated entity responsible for health matters.
INELIGIBLE COMPANY: The term used by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to define those companies that are not eligible for accreditation within the ACCME system and whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. ADA CERP considers the term ‘commercial interest’ to be the equivalent of ‘ineligible company’ in the ADA CERP recognition system. (See also COMMERCIAL INTEREST)
INSTRUCTOR/AUTHOR (also lecturer, faculty, faculty member): The person or persons responsible for the development and presentation of specific CE course material for the intended audience.
INTENT STATEMENT/GUIDANCE: Statements of intent within ADA CERP Recognition Standards criteria that explain the rationale, meaning, and significance of the criterion, or offer examples to help clarify the meaning and application of the requirement stated in the criterion. Intent statements are intended as guidance but are not themselves requirements.
INTERNATIONAL PROVIDER: A continuing dental education provider whose primary location is outside the United States and Canada. International providers interested in participating in ADA CERP must meet the Eligibility Criteria and complete the process outlined in the Pre-application Process for International Providers (PPIP) before submitting an application for CERP recognition. (See Policy on Pre-Application Process for International Providers.)
JOINT PROVIDER: A continuing education provider that shares responsibility with an ADA CERP recognized provider for planning, implementing, evaluating, and keeping records for a continuing dental education activity. Responsibility for continuing education activities must rest with the ADA CERP recognized provider whenever the provider acts in cooperation with providers that are not recognized. A commercial interest may not be a joint provider. (See Joint Providership Policy).
JOINT PROVIDERSHIP: Any continuing education activity in which an ADA CERP recognized provider agrees to provide a program jointly with another CE provider. When an ADA CERP recognized provider enters into joint providership with a non-CERP recognized provider, the CERP recognized provider must assume responsibility for the activity. When two or more ADA CERP recognized providers act in cooperation to plan and implement an activity, one must take responsibility for ensuring compliance with CERP Standards. Letters of agreement between the joint providers must be developed to outline each party’s responsibilities for the CE activity. Letters of agreement must be signed by all parties. A commercial interest may not be a joint provider. (See Joint Providership Policy).
LIVE COURSE/ACTIVITY: Continuing education courses that participants must attend (whether in person or virtually) in order to claim credit. Live courses can be offered in a variety of formats including national and local conferences, workshops, seminars, and live Internet-based conferences and teleconferences.
MITIGATE: When CE planners, instructors, authors, reviewers, or anyone in a position to influence or control CE disclose that they have had relevant financial relationships within the last 24 months, the provider must take steps to prevent all those with relevant financial relationships from inserting commercial bias into CE content. Steps to mitigate relevant financial relationships must be taken before the CE activity and must be appropriate to the role of the individual. For example, steps for planners will likely be different than for faculty and would occur before planning begins.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT: The process(es) a provider uses to identify the professional practice gaps (gaps in knowledge, skills, or performance) of its learners, and the need for education in a specific area. Information on learners’ educational needs can be gathered from a variety of sources, including educational mandates (for example, state boards’ requirements), the professional literature (articles about the need for ongoing training in light of specific incidents or disciplinary actions by regulatory agencies), requests for information from members or the profession in general (through surveys, past course evaluations, on-line forums, etc.) The specific needs identified provide the rationale and focus for individual educational activities.
OBJECTIVE: Anticipated learner outcomes of a specific continuing dental education learning experience or instructional unit, stated in behavioral or action-oriented terms for the participant.
ONLINE ACTIVITIES: Continuing education activities that are offered via the internet. Online activities may be live (i.e., webinars) or self-study (i.e., recorded webinars meant to be viewed asynchronously, journal articles, videos, etc.)
PLANNED PROGRAM/OVERALL PROGRAM: The total efforts of a CE provider as they relate to continuing dental educational activities offered to professional audiences. A sequence or series of continuing education activities, courses or events that in total constitutes the provider’s activities as they relate to continuing dental educational activities offered to professional audiences.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATION: An organization of dental or other healthcare professionals formed for the purpose of advancing the health of the public through education and training, development and support of standards, and advocacy for the profession and the public interest.
PROGRAM PLANNING: The total process of designing and developing continuing education activities. This process includes assessing learning needs, selecting topics, defining educational objectives, selecting instructors/authors, facilities and other educational resources, and developing evaluation mechanisms. All steps in the program planning process should be aimed at promotion of a favorable climate for adult learning.
PROVIDER: An agency (institution, organization, or individual) responsible for organizing, administering, publicizing, presenting, and keeping records for the continuing dental education program. The CE provider assumes both the professional and fiscal liability for the conduct and quality of the program. If the CE provider contracts or agrees with another organization or institution to provide facilities, instructor/author or other support for the continuing education activity, the recognized provider must ensure that the facilities, instructor/author or support provided meet the standards and criteria for recognition. The CE provider remains responsible for the overall educational quality of the continuing education activity.
RECOGNITION: Recognition is conferred upon CE providers which are judged to be conducting a continuing dental education program in compliance with the standards and criteria for recognition.
RECOGNITION STANDARDS: The criteria which applicant continuing dental education providers will be expected to meet in order to attain and then retain recognition status. The verbs used in the ADA CERP Standards, Procedures, and Policies (i.e., must, should, could, may) were selected carefully and indicate the relative weight attached to each statement. Definitions of the words which were utilized in preparing the standards are:
- Must expresses an imperative need, duty or requirement; an essential or indispensable item; mandatory.
- Should expresses the recommended manner to meet the standard; highly recommended, but not mandatory.
- May or could expresses freedom or liberty to follow an idea or suggestion.
RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS: For a person involved in the planning, presentation, or implementation of a continuing education activity, relevant financial relationships are financial relationships in any amount, occurring in the last 24 months. Relevant financial relationships must be mitigated and disclosed to learners prior to CE activities. (See FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, MITIGATE.)
SELF-STUDY COURSE/ACTIVITY: Structured, on-demand continuing education courses in printed or recorded format—including audio, video, or online recordings—that do not have a specific time or location designated for participation; rather, the participant determines whether and when to complete the activity (also known as an asynchronous activity).
SOUND SCIENTIFIC BASIS: CE material should have peer-reviewed content supported by generally accepted scientific principles or methods that can be substantiated or supported with peer-reviewed scientific literature that is relevant and current; or the CE subject material is currently part of the curriculum of an accredited U.S. or Canadian dental education program and, whenever possible, employ components of evidence-based dentistry.
VERIFICATION CODE: (See COURSE COMPLETION CODE)