Biomed Roundup

Abstract

J. Michael Shepherd doesn't travel to the Oregon Biomedical Association's (OBA) monthly meetings that much, mainly because it takes him five to seven hours to get there.Members like Shepherd are one of the reasons that some biomedical societies are exploring holding meetings and seminars online.“A virtual meeting can greatly expand access for users, and thus be a more valuable resource,” says Shepherd, a preventive maintenance technician at Grande Ronde Hospital in eastern Oregon.Online meetings also offer a viable alternative for biomeds at cash-strapped healthcare facilities. “It is harder and harder to get directors to approve technicians at the smaller hospitals to be absent for a day to attend the meetings,” says John Reis, with Providence Health System in Portland, OR, and president of the OBA.Travel costs aren't the only problem, says Andrew Salazar, president of the New Mexico Biotechnology and Biomedical Association. “In my opinion, it's not necessarily the cost of travel, but the time involved,” he says. “For example, a three-hour, oneway trip to attend a one-hour meeting face-to-face ends up taking up an entire day.”The California Medical Instrumentation Association (CMIA) holds two board meetings a year online using the video meeting service WebEx. “This is definitely worth the effort,” says Eddie Acosta, the president of CMIA and a clinical systems engineer at Kaiser Permanente in Berkeley, CA. “The CMIA has reduced its state board travel cost by 50%, saving at least $20,000 a year.”The Colorado Association of Biomedical Equipment Technicians (CABMET) started holding its popular certification study group online about four years ago. The association isn't opposed to holding its regular meetings online, but there are some caveats.“There is still cost involved with an online presentation,” says Dave Scott, a CABMET member who runs the study group and a biomedical technician for Children's Hospital in Denver, CO. “It could be fairly costly depending on how you want to broadcast it—via telephone, powerpoint, or live video. What quality of video do you want/need? Does that society have video capability? I am not just talking about a web cam.”Covering those costs is another issue. “We as an organization do not own a projector or a laptop, and I'm not sure if the cost of purchasing the equipment would be justifiable,” says Demetrius D. Dillard, a biomedical engineer with Wishard Health Services in Indianapolis, IN and the president of the Indiana Biomedical Society. “Also, someone would have to be willing to be responsible for maintaining and getting the equipment to the various locations.”The cost has to be paid by someone, Scott adds. “Who is going to pay the cost? Is it included in membership prices? If so, how many online meetings are included per year?”Another issue is reaction from vendors. Many biomedical society meetings get sponsorship from a vendor in exchange for showcasing some new technology and products. “They want to make contacts and meet people, not just talk into a phone or camera and flip through their PowerPoint presentation,” Scott says.Many biomedical society members say they want to maintain some meetings in person. “Online meetings are less personal, and would offer a reduced opportunity for some of the networking and more social aspects of the meetings,” says Shepherd.“I enjoy talking to a real person,” Reis says, explaining that the ability to see people's faces and gauge reactions helps him see “how strongly they feel on a topic.”The in-person meetings can help attendees learn more too, says Scott. “Some things need to happen in person for the best learning experience,” he says. “Look at colleges. They usually don't offer every class online. There is a reason for that.”