Physician Specialty Re-Certification: Improvement in Patient Outcomes?

Zzzzzzzz.....sleeping at the ID Board Review Course

I am currently in Tyson's Corner, Virginia, at the 2012 Infectious Diseases Board Review course. I am due to re-certify in infectious diseases this October. The Board Review Course days are long with nearly 9 hours of lecture, a veritable test of attention span and mental fortitude.

The rational is that re-certification ensures an up-to-date physician. This is logical, but what is the evidence that re-certification results in better patient outcomes?

Here is a review exploring the association between specialty board certification and published in Academic Medicine. 

The bottom line: although it may be reasonable to require re-certification in specialty boards, there is no robust measure or association between (re)certification and improved patient outcomes.

Back to the books.