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ANCC Adopts New Standards for Commercial Support

By Jillian A. Russell, MSN, RN, NPD-BD

In December 2020, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME, n.d.) replaced the Standards for Commercial Support: Standards to Ensure Independence in CME Activities with the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. These standards “…reflect the values of the continuing education community and have been adopted by six accrediting bodies representing multiple health professions…not only to continue to assure the delivery of high-quality learning experiences, but also to sustain the protection from industry bias…” (p. 2).

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is one of the six accrediting bodies that have adopted these Standards. As nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners, we must adhere to ANCC accreditation standards, providing our learners with current, best-available, evidence-based, balanced content to serve the needs of patients and the public. The newly released standards include the following:

• Standard 1: Ensure Content is Valid
• Standard 2: Prevent Commercial Bias and Marketing in Accredited Continuing Education
• Standard 3: Identify, Mitigate, and Disclose Relevant Financial Relationships
• Standard 4: Manage Commercial Support Appropriately
• Standard 5: Manage Ancillary Activities Offered in Conjunction with Accredited Continuing Education

Explore each standard in detail here.

References

Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. (n.d.). Standards for integrity and independence in accredited continuing education. https://accme.org/sites/default/files/2020-12/884_20201210_New Standards Standalone Package.pdf