1. CME planning should be based on evidence-based needs assessment, including outcomes data.
2. CME goals should include the development of skills necessary for lifelong learning, the exercising of clinical reasoning, and understanding the   decision-making process and specific content/skills acquisition.
3. Multiple CME goals should be reinforced by the appropriate choice of learning methods.
4. Incorporation of new instructional technologies for CME should be based on their intrinsic strengths as learning told after thorough evaluation.
5. Faculty development is important within CME and should include exposure to new learning methods (theory and application) enabling faculty to translate their content expertise into formats more appropriate to learner’s needs.
6. Educational activities should be supportive of and coordinated with the transition to evidence-based medicine.
7. Professional and, whenever possible, interdisciplinary interaction should be given priority in CME programming.
8. Outcomes-based measures of CME effectiveness and research should be introduced into the determinants of physician’s practice behaviors.

Source: Abrahanson, S. Baron, J. Elstein, AS, Hammon, WP, Holtzman, GB, Marlow, B, Snyder Tagga, M, Schulkin, J. CME for life:Eight principles. Academic Medicine, 74:12. December 1999. 1288-94.