The Medical Profession, Industry, and Continuing Medical Education: Finding the Balance That's Right for Patients

Abstract

Provision and participation in formal external continuing medical education (CME) is costly. Employer or state support of CME is the exception rather than the rule. The medical industry has supported both providers and consumers of educational activities, leading to concerns of commercial bias. Recent medical industry initiatives in Europe to improve the transparency of the relationship between industry and the profession, including the field of medical education, have had the paradoxical effect of the industry playing an increasingly direct role in the provision of physician education. Funding of medical professional society annual congresses has been directly and indirectly jeopardised. Acknowledging that there are areas of co-operation in the field of education between the medical profession and the medical industry from which both can benefit, we argue that medical education requires an objective approach that the primary fiduciary duty of medical industry companies precludes. Medical professional societies, as not-forprofit organisations whose core mission is the development and promotion of best practice, are best placed to guide and deliver medical education to their members.

Continuing Medical Education (CME) in time of crisis: How medical societies face challenges and adapt to provide unbiased CME

“…As highlighted in a previous BioMed Alliance article, medical societies are best positioned to provide best practices. Sharing best practices frequently requires an understanding of areas of practice devoid of commercial interest, not least avoiding unnecessary investigations or treatments; formulating best practices needs an independent and balanced educational perspective [ 4 ].…”

Growth in musculoskeletal pathology worldwide: the role of Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie and publications

“…Governments, employers and individual surgeons have been unwilling to cover the full costs themselves. However, the medical device industry [44] has been willing to step in and subsidise events in exchange for advertising through booths, brochures and workshops and access to delegates for conversations and satellite meetings at which their products are promoted. But, a series of legal rulings, where most of these multinational corporations are based, has resulted in the development by the Industry of a Code of Practice.…”

Participation in Virtual Urology Conferences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Survey Study

“…Additionally, the physicians who attend virtual conferences should be provided with CME credits. In the era of information explosion, to enable physicians to remain current with their medical knowledge, CME has been implemented in many countries worldwide, and a variable number of CME credits is required [17,18]. Normally, CME credits can be earned through attendance at in-person academic conferences, workshops, symposiums, etc.…”