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Rhode State Nurses AssociationRhode State Nurses Association Approver Unit Approver Unit

Cabinet on Nursing Education

Peer Review Approval Group (PRAG)

Overview

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Responsibilities• Review applications within 48 hours

of request or decline if needed• Decline review of applications from

within own organization• Recommend and document changes

to application when needed on review checklist

• Provide guidance to colleagues as to how to submit for contact hours

• Review Approver Unit policies and procedures

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Current Practices

• Current process for PRAG review

Reviewed and approved

or changes required and

application resubmitted

Referred toPRAG member or Education

Consultant for review

RISNA officereceives application

and staffperform initial

review

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Criterion 1:Goals and Organization

• The documented beliefs and goals of the approver unit reflect the importance of continuing education for nurses and the characteristics of the approver unit’s potential learners. The approver unit is clearly defined and, in multi-focused organizations, supported by the administrative structure.

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Criterion 2: Overview

The approver unit relies on qualified and impartial peer reviewers, provider consumers sufficient information for preparing their applications, conducts the peer review process in a credible and reliable manner, and maintains records in a secure and confidential manner. The approver unit employs a process for conducting the sequential phases of peer review approval that provides for application intake, action decisions following the review, and procedures for handling withdrawals, resubmissions, appeals, and revocations.

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Application Review

Applicants are instructed to meet the following requirements in their applications:(1) a nurse planner who is a registered nurse, who holds at least a baccalaureate degree in nursing, who has been oriented to the ANCC accreditation criterion for educational design, and who has been directly involved in planning and evaluating the educational activity, and (2) the planning and the intended implementation and evaluation of the activity conform to the requirements specified by ANCC

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Criterion 3: Evaluation

• The approver unit engages in an ongoing evaluation process to analyze its overall effectiveness in fulfilling its beliefs, goals, and functions and in providing a quality peer review approval process for continuing nursing education. Plans and goals for the approver unit’s future development in continuing nursing education are identified and re-evaluated on a regular basis (annual).

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Conflict of Interest

• “…when an individual has an opportunity to affect CNE content with products or services from a commercial interest with which s/he has a financial relationship

• “Opportunity to affect” includes content about specific agents/devices (NOT the class of agents/devices, NOT the whole disease class in which agents/devices used)

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Management of Commercial Promotion

• Commercial exhibits and advertisements are promotional activities, NOT CNE

• Arrangements for commercial exhibits or advertisements cannot influence planning

• Arrangements for commercial exhibits or advertisements cannot be a condition of the provision of commercial support for CNE activities

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Management of Commercial Promotion

CNE must be kept separate from staffed exhibits, promotional presentations, printed or electronic advertisements

• Ads & promotional materials MAY ONLY face first or last pages of printed CNE content AS LONG AS they are not related to the CNE content they face AND are not paid for by the entities with commercial interest in the CNE activity. The ads or promotional materials may NOT be interleafed.

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Management of Commercial Promotion

• Audio and video recording, advertisements and promotional materials shall not be included with the CNE.

• There shall not be ‘commercial breaks’.

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Questions

Education Consultant Denise Henry RN BSN MS RLNC CPHQContact: Day 401-274-1122 Ext.2053 Evening: 508-672-5964 Fax: 401-453-7670 E-mail: dhenry@wihri.org