Medical Education For General Practitioners Research Articles

Developing a Community of Practice through Social Media to Facilitate Continuing Education of Medical Practitioners in Medical Research

The emergence of COVID-19 has highlighted the significance of research in medical practice, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Indonesia, where healthcare challenges are prominent. Therefore, this study introduces Arcandcoresearch, a non-institutional-based virtual Community of Practice (vCoP), aiming to address the research capacity gaps among medical practitioners. This study aimed to understand the possibility of using several social media platforms (Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp) in the vCoP for continuing medical education of general practitioners regarding medical research. Through Instagram, the project has gained substantial follower growth (1003 followers within 19 months); most were 25-34 years old (69%). Within six months, 124 medical practitioners participated in five sharing sessions via Zoom meetings. All participants who completed the feedback form were satisfied with the content delivery of the sessions. The recorded sharing sessions were then uploaded to the YouTube channel. It already had 150 subscribers until September 2023, with 397 viewers for the videos uploaded in 2022. We facilitated participants to discuss any concerns related to medical research in the WhatsApp group, which already had 24 participants. These preliminary results highlight the potential of Arcandcoresearch to impact medical research culture positively in LMICs. The next steps should be conducting thorough program evaluations and developing strategies for sustaining virtual engagement.

Developing a Community of Practice through Social Media to Facilitate Continuing Education of Medical Practitioners in Medical Research

The emergence of COVID-19 has highlighted the significance of research in medical practice, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Indonesia, where healthcare challenges are prominent. Therefore, this study introduces Arcandcoresearch, a non-institutional-based virtual Community of Practice (vCoP), aiming to address the research capacity gaps among medical practitioners. This study aimed to understand the possibility of using several social media platforms (Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp) in the vCoP for continuing medical education of general practitioners regarding medical research. Through Instagram, the project has gained substantial follower growth (1003 followers within 19 months); most were 25-34 years old (69%). Within six months, 124 medical practitioners participated in five sharing sessions via Zoom meetings. All participants who completed the feedback form were satisfied with the content delivery of the sessions. The recorded sharing sessions were then uploaded to the YouTube channel. It already had 150 subscribers until September 2023, with 397 viewers for the videos uploaded in 2022. We facilitated participants to discuss any concerns related to medical research in the WhatsApp group, which already had 24 participants. These preliminary results highlight the potential of Arcandcoresearch to impact medical research culture positively in LMICs. The next steps should be conducting thorough program evaluations and developing strategies for sustaining virtual engagement.

Conceptual approaches to the development of continuing medical education for general practitioners in Moscow

The article is devoted to the current state of continuing medical education for general practitioners in the city of Moscow and is based on a survey of general practitioners working in Moscow. Results demonstrate a lack of satisfaction with the organisation and content of training in its previous format, the absence of significant changes in the learning objectives following education reform and an ambiguous attitude towards this reform. The minimum continuing education requirements for general practitioners working in the city of Moscow were shown to consist of day release, short-term training, theoretical and practical orientation and the application of contemporary educational technologies. Conceptual approaches to the development of continuing medical education in the field of general medical practice in Moscow were formulated. These comprised organisation of training, setting of learning objectives, selection of forms and methods of training, determination of interactive training content, application of a competency-based approach and individualisation of the educational path.

Continuing medical education for general practitioners in Indonesia: Moving toward accountability

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to determine the effect of an online continuing medical education model on the learning outcomes of general practitioners (GPs) in Indonesia. MethodsThe method used in this research is a pre-experimental pre-test, post-test group design. 1449 GPs originating from the major islands of Indonesia participated in this study. One hundred fifty questions from 10 disease systems were prepared for the pre-test and post-test with a total score of 100. The results of the pre-test and post-test were tested with paired sample t-test and Independent t-test. ResultsThe paired sample t-test revealed significant differences in the learning outcomes of GPs before and following the online module's continuing medical education approach. What is remarkable is the disparity in average post-test results between GPs in West and East Indonesia. The independent t-test revealed that the average post-test score of general practitioners in western Indonesia was higher than that of general practitioners in eastern Indonesia. ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that continuing medical education in the form of online learning can help general practitioners enhance their knowledge and abilities in disease management. This paradigm of online continuing medical education could be adapted for other professions.

Objective difficulties in differential diagnosis of pneumocystis pneumonia on the background of human immunodeficiency virus infection

Аbstract. The results of two clinical observations with a description of the examination and treatment of patients with infection caused by human immunodeficiency virus, with pneumocystic lung lesions at various stages of the provision of comprehensive care are presented. Since not a single combination of symptoms, clinical signs, and radiological findings is a diagnostic criterion for pneumocystis pneumonia, its diagnosis is currently mainly based on microscopic visualization of characteristic forms on stained airway preparations. The problem of treating pneumocystis pneumonia is determined by a very narrow range of active drugs available on the market, despite the fact that there is practically no data on the growth of resistance of clinically significant pneumocysts. Defects in the provision of medical care in both cases were a violation of the order and timing of the dispensary, in particular, and the lack of medical monitoring of the structures that monitor the health of patients, in general. Therefore, in the context of an increase in the total number of patients with infection caused by human immunodeficiency virus, and the manifestation of secondary diseases in them, the leading of which is tuberculosis, it is necessary to develop and implement additional professional programs for the early detection, in particular, lung lesions, as part of a continuing medical education for general practitioners, general practitioners and doctors of other specialties providing assistance in organizations of primary health care.

Development and Evaluation of a New Serious Game for Continuing Medical Education of General Practitioners (Hygie): Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundContinuing medical education is important but time-consuming for general practitioners (GPs). Current learning approaches are limited and lack the ability to engage some practitioners. Serious games are new learning approaches that use video games as engaging teaching material. They have significant advantages in terms of efficiency and dissemination.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to create a serious game and to evaluate it in terms of effectiveness and satisfaction, comparing it with a traditional method of continuing education—article reading.MethodsWe produced a prototype video game called Hygie on the 5 most common reasons of consultation in general practice using 9 articles from independent evidence-based medicine journals (reviews from Prescrire and Minerva). We created 51 clinical cases. We then conducted a double-blinded randomized trial comparing the learning provided by a week of access to the game versus source articles. Participants were GPs involved as resident supervisors in 14 French university departments of family practice, recruited by email. Primary outcomes were (1) mean final knowledge score completed 3 to 5 weeks after the end of the intervention and (2) mean difference between knowledge pretest (before intervention) and posttest (3 to 5 weeks after intervention) scores, both scaled on 10 points. Secondary outcomes were transfer of knowledge learned to practice, satisfaction, and time spent playing.ResultsA total of 269 GPs agreed to participate in the study. Characteristics of participants were similar between learning groups. There was no difference between groups on the mean score of the final knowledge test, with scores of 4.9 (95% CI 4.6-5.2) in the Hygie group and 4.6 (95% CI 4.2-4.9) in the reading group (P=.21). There was a mean difference score between knowledge pre- and posttests, with significantly superior performance for Hygie (mean gain of 1.6 in the Hygie group and 0.9 in the reading group; P=.02), demonstrating a more efficient and persistent learning with Hygie. The rate of participants that reported to have used the knowledge they learned through the teaching material was significantly superior in the Hygie group: 77% (47/61) in the Hygie group and 53% (25/47) in the reading group; odds ratio 2.9, 95% CI 1.2-7.4. Moreover, 87% of the opinions were favorable, indicating that Hygie is of interest for updating medical knowledge. Qualitative data showed that learners enjoyed Hygie especially for its playful, interactive, and stimulating aspects.ConclusionsWe conclude that Hygie can diversify the offering for continuing education for GPs in an effective, pleasant, and evidence-based way.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03486275; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03486275

GPs' motivation for teaching medical students in a rural area-development of the Motivation for Medical Education Questionnaire (MoME-Q).

BackgroundThe establishment of a medical education program in the rural area of Siegen is planned to be the first step against a shortage of physicians in this region. General practitioners (GPs) will be extensively involved in this program as Family Medicine (Allgemeinmedizin) will become a core subject in the curriculum nationwide. Based on this situation we aim to figure out GPs motivation to participate in medical education. For this purpose, we had to construct and test a new questionnaire.MethodsA survey was conducted among general practitioners (GPs) in the region of Siegen-Wittgenstein regarding their motivation to participate in medical education. For this purpose, the Motivation for Medical Education Questionnaire (MoME-Q), a 24-item questionnaire, was developed. Structural characteristics of GPs, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Work Satisfaction Questionnaire (WSQ) were used for validation purposes.ResultsA representative number of GPs took part in the study (53.8%). Although the majority had no connection to a university (86%), 83% can imagine participating in the education of medical students. The items of the MoME-Q load on two factors (commitment and personal benefit). The confirmatory factor analysis shows a good model fit. Subscales of the MoME-Q were able to differentiate between physicians with and without authorization to train GP residents, between practices with and without a specialized practice nurse, and between physicians with and without previous experience in medical education. The MoME-Q subscale “commitment” correlated significantly with all three subscales of the MBI. Correlations were in the medium range around |.30|.ConclusionThe MoME-Q seems to be an appropriate tool to assess motivation to participate in medical education of GPs. In our sample, a large number of GPs was motivated to participate in the education of medical students. Future studies with larger number of GPs should be carried out to validate and confirm our findings. Whether the MoME-Q is also appropriate for other specialties should also be shown in further empirical studies.

General Practitioner Specialization: new concept of general practitioner's continuing education in China

In order to follow the policy of medical system reform, promote the supply capabilities of primary health services and realize the connection between general and special medical practice, the re-searcher put forward the concept of General Practitioner Specialization (GPS), which represented focusing on the basics of general practice, the cultivation of specialty and the division of labor, analyzed the back-ground and its connotation, explored the training mode of GPS based on human life cycle and organ system, and demonstrated the prospects and problems for the specialization of general practitioner, thereby providing reference for continuing medical education for general practitioners and enhancing service efficiency in China. Key words: General practitioner; Specialization; Post competency; Continuing education

Continuing medical education for general practitioners: a practice format

IntroductionOur current knowledge-based society and the many actualisations within the medical profession require a great responsibility of physicians to continuously develop and refine their skills. In this article, we reflect...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure: research and clinical practice in primary care

The treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and comorbidities, increasing with age, is the challenge that nowadays health care systems are facing to better care treat these patients. For this reason a clinical trial was conducted in the province of Trento by a group of 30 volunteer general practitioners members of SNAMID (Scientific Society for Continuing Medical Education of General Practitioners). The objectives were to identify: i) prevalence of COPD in patients (65-98 years) in the province of Trento; ii) presence and incidence of heart failure (HF) in COPD patients; iii) early detection of other chronic diseases; and iv) improving electronic medical records (EMR) as an innovation way of professional care management. From May 2011 to October 2013, 17 doctors completed the two-year work using the EMR. The studied patients were men and women (65-98 years), suffering from COPD; the considered data included: anthropometric information, smoking status, International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 diagnosis of COPD, HF and chronic diseases, specific blood and instrumental tests. The extracted results were then linked with data of <em>sentinel</em> therapies, collected by the EMR. The database obtained identified patients with COPD or HF not previously recognized with ICD-9 diagnosis. The study identified the <em>sentinel</em> drugs chosen for COPD and HF, excluding other drugs not selective for the study or confusing for a proper statistical evaluation.

The impact of gender on the long-term morbidity and mortality of patients with type 2 diabetes receiving structured personal care: a 13 year follow-up study.

The aim of this study was to assess gender differences in mortality and morbidity during 13 follow-up years after 6 years of structured personal care in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. In the Diabetes Care in General Practice (DCGP) multicentre, cluster-randomised, controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov registration no. NCT01074762), 1,381 patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were randomised to receive 6 years of either structured personal care or routine care. The intervention included regular follow-up, individualised goal setting and continuing medical education of general practitioners participating in the intervention. Patients were re-examined at the end of intervention. This observational analysis followed 970 patients for 13 years thereafter using national registries. Outcomes were all-cause mortality, incidence of diabetes-related death, any diabetes-related endpoint, myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and microvascular disease. In women, but not men, a lower HR for structured personal care vs routine care emerged for any diabetes-related endpoint (0.65, p = 0.004, adjusted; 73.4 vs 107.7 events per 1,000 patient-years), diabetes-related death (0.70, p = 0.031; 34.6 vs 45.7), all-cause mortality (0.74, p = 0.028; 55.5 vs 68.5) and stroke (0.59, p = 0.038; 15.6 vs 28.9). This effect was different between men and women for diabetes-related death (interaction p = 0.015) and all-cause mortality (interaction p = 0.005). Compared with routine care, structured personal diabetes care reduced all-cause mortality and diabetes-related death in women but not in men. This gender difference was also observed for any diabetes-related outcome and stroke but was not statistically significant after extensive multivariate adjustment. These observational results from a post hoc analysis of a randomised controlled trial cannot be explained by intermediate outcomes like HbA1c alone, but involves complex social and cultural issues of gender. There is a need to rethink treatment schemes for both men and women to gain benefit from intensified treatment efforts.

Type 2 diabetes continuing medical education for general practitioners: what works? A systematic review.

To perform a systematic review of studies that have assessed the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve healthcare professionals' care of patients with diabetes and to assess the effects of educational interventions targeted at general practitioners' diabetes management. A computer search was conducted using the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Informit, Google scholar and ERIC from the earliest date of each database up until 2013. A supplementary review of reference lists from each article obtained was also carried out. Measured changes in general practitioners' satisfaction, knowledge, practice behaviours and patient outcomes were recorded. Thirteen out of 1255 studies met the eligibility criteria, but none was specifically conducted in rural or remote areas. Ten studies were randomized trials. Fewer than half of the studies (5/13, 38.5%) reported a significant improvement in at least one of the following outcome categories: satisfaction with the programme, knowledge and practice behaviour. There was little evidence of the impact of general practitioner educational interventions on patient outcomes. Of the five studies that examined patient outcomes, only one reported a positive impact: a reduction in patient HbA1c levels. Few studies examined the effectiveness of general practitioner Type 2 diabetes education in improving general practitioner satisfaction, knowledge, practices and/or patient outcomes. Evidence to support the effectiveness of education is partial and weak. To determine effective strategies for general practitioner education related to Type 2 diabetes, further well designed studies, accompanied by valid and reliable evaluation methods, are needed.

Herausforderungen und Potenziale hausärztlicher Versorgung in einer multikulturellen Gesellschaft

The greatest proportion of basic health care for patients with a migrational background living in Germany is provided by general practitioners. There is evidence that patients with a migrational background see a general practitioner as a gate keeper in case of physical or mental complaints even more frequently than the native German population. In contrast, the impact of migration-specific tasks in general practice appears to be relatively low in the medical and public discourse. This article analyzes the current situation of medical care for migrant patients in general practice and shows its potential to offer low-threshold high quality health care services to migrant patients and the whole population. In addition, an overview on migration-specific issues in research, teaching, and continuous medical education of general practitioners is provided. Finally, the implications of these findings for future research questions on migration-sensitive interventions are discussed.

Pattern of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media at the National Ear Care Centre Kaduna, Nigeria

Background: Chronic suppurative otitis media constitutes a major cause of otorhinolaryngological clinic visits in Nigeria, therefore it is pertinent to determine the local pattern of presentation in order to achieve adequate treatment, avoid complications and provide records for future references.Methodology: A retrospective review of patients presenting with chronic suppurative otitis media to the out-patient clinic of the National Ear Care Center, Kaduna within a period of 1 year.Results: One hundred and forty six patients presented, accounting for 3.8% of the total number of patients and 6.6% of all otological cases. One hundred and twenty eight (87.7%) case notes were retrievable and studied. Patients were aged 1 year to 82 years (mean=19.2 years) with 67 males and 61 females giving a gender ratio of 1.1:1. Children under 10 years constituted the majority (n=64). Tympanic membrane perforation was central in 117 (67.6%), marginal in 38 (22%) and attic in 18(10.4%) patients. Positive culture occurred in 75 (58.6%), no growth in 22 (17.2%) patients and there was no record of ear swab or culture in 31 (24.2%) patients. Bacterial isolates were Klebsiella specie (n=31, 41.3%), Escherichia coli (n=22, 29.3%), Streptococcus specie (n= 8, 10.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (n=7, 9.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=6, 8%) and Proteus specie (n=1, 1.3%). Antimicrobial sensitivity was highest to the quinolones (57.9%). Ninety-four (73.4%) patients achieved dry ears in the first month. The complication rate was 6.3%.Conclusion: We recommend the quinolone antibiotics as first line drugs in treatment of chronic suppurative otitis media and continuing medical education of general practitioners and pediatricians especially those practicing in the rural areas on the management of CSOM is important to improve the outcome.

A health website recommendation from Gold Coast general practitioners to their patients

Introduction: To identify health website recommendation trends by Gold Coast (Australia) general practitioners (GPs) to their patients. Method: A mixed method approach to data collection and analysis was employed. Quantitative data were collected using a prepaid postal survey, consisting of 17 questions, mailed to 250 (61 per cent) of 410 GPs on the Gold Coast (Australia). The resulting empirical data and resulting themes were further used to design semi-structured interview questions. A total of 15 (8 male, 7 female) GPs volunteered to be interviewed. Results: Fifty-nine per cent of participating GPs recommend health websites to their patients during consultations. Male GPs (63 per cent), those aged 41–50 years (55 per cent), and those practising for < 10 years (60 per cent) were more inclined to recommend a health website to a patient. From the survey data, eight principle categories presented themselves as to GPs’ recommendation trends, these including; ‘Do not recommend websites’ – (1) Limited time, (2) Prefer to personally discuss, (3) Reliability issues, (4) Biased information – and ‘Do recommend health websites’ – (5) Helps to educate patient, (6) Enhances the doctor–patient relationship, (7) Age-appropriate technology, (8) Treatment orientated. The semi-structured interviews presented a further eight sub-categories and have been identified as: (1) Fewer female GPs than male GPs recommend health websites, (2) Age and years of experience of GPs affect internet prescription trends, (3) Patients more knowledgeable, (4) ‘Sweeteners’ offered by pharmaceutical companies, (5) A high influence by pharmaceutical companies on the WWW/internet, (6) A lack of knowledge pertaining to reliability issues – issues of trust, (7) Limited knowledge pertaining to interactivity and usability components, and (8) A need for further medical education for GPs. Conclusion: More than half of the surveyed GPs actively recommend websites to their patients, with a GP’s sex, age and years of experience influencing his or her recommendation decisions. There are numerous and varied reasons as to why GPs ‘do’ or ‘do not’ recommend health websites to their patients. Web-based continuing medical education courses or programmes in medical schools may help GPs develop the skills necessary for the delivery of effective e-health care.

Educational vaccine tools: the French initiative

Prevention is an important but neglected issue in geriatric medicine. Vaccination plays a major role in prevention of infectious diseases, but its implementation in clinical practice is far from perfect. To improve practice, a group of French experts composed of geriatricians and infectious disease specialists prepared a set of educational material about vaccination for older subjects. The tool has been designed to be used by medical teachers to help them teach this topic to other physicians, nursing staff and students. The group first defined teaching objectives and reviewed the scientific literature on the efficacy and use of various vaccines in the elderly. Results were recorded in 217 slides. These slides were grouped to allow their use for short presentations: the immune system in the elderly and general information about vaccination; universal vaccines, influenza vaccines, pneumococcal vaccines, Herpes zoster vaccine, pertussis vaccine, vaccines for old travellers. Written comments were added to most slides to help presenters teach the topics. The content and design of the slides were analyzed and discussed by the whole group. The set was collected in a CD with ready-to-use files for oral presentations. This educational tool was presented and given to French teachers in geriatrics. It has been used for educational sessions in geriatric hospital wards, for continuous medical education for general practitioners and for courses for physicians learning geriatrics. It has also been proposed to physicians in charge of medical coordination of nursing homes and is available on a web site.

A comparison of three methods of using television for the continuing medical education of general practitioners.

A comparison of three methods of using television for the continuing medical education of general practitioners.

Characteristics of decision-making process during prescribing in general practice

The process of precribing decision-making by general practitioners requires numerous consultations in order to obtain maximal effects, minimal risks, and cost-effectiveness with the full appreciation of a patient's right to choose. The aim of our study was to describe the process of decision-making by general practitioners who decide on the treatment for an individual patient, and to relate the scope and nature of this process to the quality of the outcome of the decision. The study involved 53 general practitioners who worked in the Health Center, Kragujevac at the time of investigation (September-December 2002.). General practitioners made prescribing decisions, thinking aloud, for five patients with urinary tract infections (n = 2), or stomach complaints (n = 3). The resulting 265 transcripts were analyzed to determine the scope and nature of the decision-making processes. Differences in prescribing were related to the case or the practitioners' working experience, and to their educational background. Our results showed that the more years of practice the practitioners had the less treatments they prescribed, and the less additional aspects before prescribing they considered. The doctors with less experience, in most of the cases, considered the core aspects, while those with more experience more often considered the contextual and habitual aspects. Educational background of the general practitioners, and the type of a considered disease, had an influence on the decision-making process. The most optimal method for decision-making (marked as type F) was mostly used by the practitioners with the least experience, while the those with more experience mainly made their decisions in the ways considered the least acceptable. The optimal method for decision-making process does not necessarily provide the optimal therapy, so the least acceptable decision-making might not result in an inappropriate treatment. The observed prescribing decisions were mostly in disagreement with the Good Clinical Practice. Our study pointed out the need for the obligatory continuation of medical education of general practitioners in decision-making process during prescribing.

MED16/383: How to Feed a System for Internet-based Continuing Medical Education for General Practitioners with Relevant Contents?

IntroductionTraditional Continuing Medical Education (CME) often means costly and inefficient learning for General Practitioners (GPs). The PostDoc project funded by the European Union aims at setting up and testing a model for a WWW-based learning environment that efficiently provides GPs with information, knowledge and skills. Results of the German project partners in setting up models and mechanisms to enable GPs to also work as content providers in their own information service are reported.MethodsContent and functionality of the Web-based learning environment is developed by participatory design and prototyping in collaboration of Psychiatrists, computer scientists and a volunteer user group of 10 GPs. Several questionnaires and user meetings have been performed. Standard WWW technology is used. An evaluation with 30-50 GPs will be started in July 1999.ResultsThe German service includes a multimedia training application for diagnosing psychiatric disorders, selected existing WWW information sources, indexes, and communication facilities. A calendar of CME events, medical news, and information on colleagues and healthcare regions is generated from databases that can be edited by WWW-based tools. The 10 GPs, practising 19 years on average, are mostly inexperienced in internet usage. They are willing to work with the service 37 minutes per week (15-60 min/w). 80% prefer a participatory-based design of the service. 50% desire a self-organized service. All GPs highly value the integrated information and learning environment but most tend to reject communication, collaboration or active editorial work. We set up a model that enables a GP to control his own level of participation in the service, avoiding bureaucratic impediments. GPs have one of these three roles: Unregistered visitors merely obtain public information, have restricted access and may send email feedback or requests. Registered users have a password that lets them access the whole functionality of the service. Editors have a password that also permits them to enter data directly in the databases. Each GP of the user group worked with the prototype a few hours in total. None of them participates as an editor in the service. Despite hands-on workshops and positive attitudes, it does not seem trivial to motivate GPs to become active in the WWW-based learning and information service.DiscussionTraditionally oriented GPs in our user group had difficulties in expressing their requirements to a Web-based CME environment. Co-operation was not as easy as expected before. The main reasons for that are massive time constraints, a lack of experience with the internet, GPs' individualism, and the habit to use traditional ways of CME. Active content provision by GPs seems only realistic if it is easy and can be done quickly. GPs should control the quality of the service's contents. During the Congress we will present detailed evaluations from 30-50 GPs working with the user roles.

Does formal approval of educational courses guarantee quality?

To assess whether organizers of continuing medical education for general practitioners used principles of adult learning when designing their meetings. A questionnaire study of organizers of approved educational meetings for general medical practitioners (GPs). South East Scotland. Organizers of educational meetings. Organizers often failed to use principles of adult learning in the construction of their meetings. Organizers with prior training in medical education were, however, significantly more likely to adopt these principles. Given concern about the quality of educational meetings as assessed by their educational impact, formal approval is not an indicator of quality. Postgraduate bodies should use explicit criteria both in the development and approval of continuing educational meetings.