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2nd Annual Meeting of the European CME Forum
An in-depth report from the Second Annual Meeting of the European CME Forum organized by NetworkPharma and Siyemi Learning, held in London 18-19 November 2009. Written by Eugene Pozniak and David Williams.
The 2nd Annual Meeting of the European CME Forum was held in London in November 2009, following a successful inaugural meeting in 2008. The Forum aims to bring together the stakeholders of European continuing medical education (CME).
The two-day meeting maintained much of the 2008 structure, addressing a wide range of topics with a practical application or relevance to CME in Europe. Minor format revisions in 2009 allowed speakers more time to address their topics of interest and made greater provision for discussion following each presentation. In addition, there was extensive use of interactive technology, with continuous access to an audience response system. The premeeting use of Twitter also played a part during the Forum.
The added flexibility to the structure of the meeting gave speakers and delegates the opportunity to pose additional questions for more in-depth discussion, such as the role of the patient, the suitability of social media and the involvement of industry, and allowed free discussion of accreditation review practices and requirements. With the additional interest in the Good CME Practice Group, there were many indicators that there is much to discuss in the European CME sphere which will help to drive the formulation of future meetings.
CONTENTS
2nd Annual Meeting of the European CME Forum: programme
Introduction
About the authors
Assessing our own educational needs
Assessing educational needs and setting learning objectives
CME plugged in
CME unplugged
Quality standards and controls in CME
Measuring outcomes in CME
Learner and industry relationships with UK and European CME/CPD
The CME unsession
Meeting close
Conclusion
Further reading/online resources
Good CME Practice Group Inaugural Meeting
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Eugene Pozniak is Programme Director of the European CME Forum and also Managing Director of Siyemi Learning, an independent European CME provider. He has worked in the medical sector for over 20 years. Following a degree in chemistry he initially worked across various functions in marketing and medical communications. Since 2000 he has been working exclusively in CME. As well as giving advice on CME matters and managing CME-accredited meetings, Eugene developed the first pan-European CME-accredited e-learning (launched in 2002) and continues to work on national and internationally accredited e-learning. In 2006, Eugene founded Siyemi Learning, which also supports the European CMECPD Academy, an independent platform for accredited e-learning in Europe. In 2008, he partnered with Peter Llewellyn of NetworkPharma to create the European CME Forum.
David Williams pursued a career in the pharmaceutical industry for 12 years before joining the medical communications sector in 1989 to deliver educational and training multimedia programmes to clinicians, nurses and other health professionals on behalf of the UK Department of Health and Central Office of Information. Subsequently, and working as part of the Healthworld global business group, David developed a number of early intervention strategic solutions to support the commercialisation process within the international pharmaceutical sector. David then progressed to collaborate with medical and clinical associations, societies, colleges and accreditation authorities internationally to develop and deliver fair, balanced, unbiased and independent accredited events and on-line programmes in support of medical continuing professional development. David is now owner and managing director of 3C Strategy Limited, an independent communications and CME consultancy. Since becoming a consultant to the industry, David has been engaged in reviewing the medical communications sector across the whole of Europe and is currently occupied developing models for the assessment of effectiveness of medical education (CME) and its impact on day-to-day medical practice.
Shaping the future for continuing medical education (CME) in Europe is bedevilled by many challenges. Mindful of the mantra that ‘when America sneezes, Europe catches a cold’, European healthcare stakeholders can, and must, learn from mistakes made in the USA when developing a robust framework for CME in the region. The 2nd Annual Meeting of the European CME Forum drew together many of the influential players from Europe and beyond who hold the key to the development of CME in Europe. Interactive discussion focused on the major issues determining progress: education-needs analysis, CME accreditation, evaluating and improving outcomes, the role of both the pharmaceutical industry and the patient, and setting and maintaining standards. Sessions also examined the evolution of learning and the impact of technology.
The role of the pharmaceutical industry appears central to the conundrum. CME without industry support is impossible - but pharma needs to increase its engagement with CME and to understand how it can be used to help provide greater value to its customers. Industry involvement in CME must go beyond that of a commercial organisation. To progress, pharma’s role must not be reduced solely to sponsorship to drive sales. Companies should instead take on greater responsibilities as educators.
CME is about ensuring that physicians are fit for purpose and to reassure patients that those physicians are able to manage the lifetime of their disease. Critics claim that the current structure of CME in Europe does not provide that reassurance and lacks the intellectual rigour, organisation and funding to succeed. The 2nd Annual Meeting of the European CME Forum explored strategies to improve CME across Europe: from needs analysis and programme accreditation, through funding, methodology and transparency, to implementation and evaluation. This Conference Insights report provides a concise summary of the salient issues.
PROGRAMME
Session 1: Assessing educational needs and setting learning objectives
Chair: Thomas Kellner (Global Leader Medical Education, MSD)
Good CME/CPD: why needs assessment becomes an essential element Thomas Kellner (MSD)
Meeting educational needs through CME - the learner’s perspective Sue Guthrie (Scientific Director, The Oxford Academy for Professional Health Education)
The challenges of meeting the educational needs of physicians through CME Hervé Maisonneuve (Associate Professor of Public Health, Université Paris-Sud 11, France)
The assessment of general practitioners’ needs: an underestimated area in the current CPD-programmes? Peter Posel (CEO, QUAIME, Switzerland)
Evaluation of an online Diabetes Needs Assessment Tool (DNAT) for health professionals: a randomised controlled trial Sara Schroter (Senior Researcher, BMJ)
Achieving the LEARNING in e-learning Cally Fawcett (Head, Delta Kn, UK)
Impact of eCME on clinical practice Jörg Ansorg (CEO, Professional Board of Surgeons, Germany)
Accreditation can improve the quality of e-learning Edwin Borman (UEMS-EACCME Taskforce)
Session 3: CME unplugged
Panellists: Vladimir Finsterle (CEO, Pears Health Cyber, Czech Republic), Saurabh Jain (Director CME Solutions, Indegene, India), Alfonso Negri (Technical-Scientifc Secretary, Italian Federation of Scientifc Medical Societies), Lawrence Sherman (SVP Educational Strategy, Prova Education), Lisa Sullivan (Managing Director, In Vivo Communications, Singapore)
Session 4: Quality standards and controls
Chair: Robin Stevenson (President, EBAP)
Panellists: Maureen Doyle-Scharff (Senior Director, Medical Education Group, Pfizer), Thomas Kleinoeder (Chief Medical Officer, KWHC, Germany), Bernard Maillet (Secretary General, UEMSEACCME), Archie Prentice (Chairman, CME Committee, European Hematology Association)
Session 5: Measuring outcomes in CME
Chair: Wolfgang Grisold (Chairman, UEMS Neurology Board and Section)
CME/CPD introduction Wolfgang Grisold (UEMS Neurology Board and Section)
Outcome-based evaluation Abi Sriharan (Director, International Continuing Health Education Collaborative, University of Toronto)
Is there a place for patient associations to influence doctors’ education? Alexandre Bisdorff (President Elect, UEMS European Board of Neurology)
Session 6: Learner and industry relationships with UK and European CME/CPD
Chair: Ian Starke (Director of CPD, Royal Colleges of Physicians)
Panellists: Thomas Kellner (Global Leader Medical Education, MSD), Bernard Maillet (Secretary General, UEMS-EACCME), Andrew Powrie-Smith (Director, ABPI Scotland)
Session 7: The CME unsession
Lawrence Sherman (SVP Educational Strategy, Prova Education)
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