The role of scientific journals in continuing medical education

Abstract

HE knowledge base acquired during medical school and specialty training needs to be refreshed and updated to meet the rapidly changing needs of an evolving practice. For several years now, continuing medical education (CME) has been a more visible component of the professional life of anesthesiologists, because the activity has become mandatory. Although there are many ways to earn CME credits, most medical practitioners comply with CME requirements primarily through attendance at scientific meetings or refresher courses. At such venues, the material presented must be based on the best available evidence, and this evidence is normally found in the medical literature. Journals are readily available, and reading them has always been a way to keep abreast of new discoveries. Since the basic information is in journals to start with, why not use them as a primary source of CME? A comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of scientific meetings and medical journals as source of CME material is helpful in defining the usefulness of both, and the