In the years after traditional schooling, many medical professionals develop “knowledge gaps.” These gaps can influence a physician’s patient care, making it crucial to address them.

Knowledge gaps can happen to any doctor, advanced practice provider, or other medical professional. Understanding how lapses form, how to identify knowledge gaps, and the steps you can take to resolve them can help you stay at the top of your profession.

Why Knowledge Gaps Exist

Knowledge or information gaps refer to when a provider doesn’t know something—like the best treatment options—when they should. For example, a knowledge gap may lead to a misdiagnosis because the physician lacks information about the actual condition.

But why do these deficiencies occur?

The most common reason for information gaps is that providers aren’t updated on the latest advances or trends in the field. They may also have:

• Received inadequate or currently out-of-date education and training
• Limited understanding or knowledge of less understood conditions
• Reduced ability to tell when to refer a patient to a specialist for further care

Although physicians attend school for a long time, the medical field constantly changes. The information you learned 10, 20, or 30 years ago may not be best practice anymore. Or, there could be new research influencing treatment options. As a result, doctors can experience times when their care doesn’t meet present-day expectations.

How to Find Knowledge Gaps

Now that you know what knowledge gaps entail, you can consider how to uncover them in your own practice. You should find a suitable way to highlight your information deficit through self-observation, feedback, and tests.

Self-Observation

Physicians and other medical professionals often find information gaps through self-observation. Here are some ideas to consider when reflecting on your practice:

• What do you or your team find challenging? Examples could be complex diagnoses or public health concerns.
• What do you think are the factors contributing to this knowledge gap? Common factors are a lack of updated training or implicit and institutional bias.
• What can you or your team do to close the divide? Brainstorm ideas for improving your care, such as continuing education or training sessions.
• What do you or your team feel confident treating? You may see certain conditions often enough to feel comfortable treating them, while others are infrequent enough that you feel unsure, displaying a potential information deficiency.

When considering these questions, compare your practice with other sources to see what you might be missing. Search for expert feedback, consult new research, and stay updated on regulatory requirements.

Patient or Peer Opinions

Gathering opinions is an easy way to discover more about your team’s knowledge gaps. You can start by asking patients about their satisfaction with the quality of their care through a survey or discussion.

Aside from talking with patients, you can consult fellow medical professionals you trust. Ask for their advice or see if they know more about the latest research or treatments. You could also describe a scenario to them and explain how you’d approach the situation (or ask them how they’d approach it) to see if you have any knowledge gaps.

Continuing Medical Education (CME) Pre-Tests

Part of what helps reduce physician knowledge gaps is CME—and it can also help you identify gaps as well. Some courses require a pre-test to help bring your learning shortcomings to light.

How to Address Knowledge Gaps

CME is a common way to address information gaps in the medical field. There are many methods for earning CME, some of which include:

• Conferences
• Panels
• Simulations
• Self-directed learning
• Case presentations and discussions
• Lectures
• Problem analysis

How do you know which of these will help you bridge the knowledge gap? By becoming a “master adaptive learner.” Essentially, you should be a lifelong learner who seeks feedback often and wants to stay updated on the latest changes. That way, it’s easier to identify potential information breaks and decide the best course of action to remedy them.

Whether you prefer in-person lectures, webinars, or self-directed courses, CME can help you bridge the divide to better care.