Highlights

Compliance Check is a series of quick tips to help accredited providers meet accreditation requirements.

Tip: Do not confuse enduring materials with self-directed education.

Enduring materials do not fit within the third exception to Standard 3 for self-directed learning even though the learner may choose whether and when to complete an enduring material activity and may make choices within the education. Choosing to complete an activity or which modules to complete in and of itself is not considered "self-directed."

Self-directed learning is when a learner controls their education goals and reports on changes that resulted, like learning from teaching, remediation, or a personal development plan. Enduring materials are on-demand activities that are completed when a learner determines whether and when to complete the activity, such as with online educational modules, recorded presentations, printed materials, and podcasts.

Remember: Whenever another individual besides the learner is involved in the planning or creation of clinical content, their financial relationships with ineligible companies should be identified, mitigated, and disclosed since these individuals may have the opportunity to consciously or unconsciously insert commercial bias into the activity. Visit ACCME’s Standard 3 to learn more.

Apply Standard 3 to the planners, reviewers, speakers, editors, moderators, facilitators, and others controlling the content of your enduring materials!