CME
We have decided to create a separate topic in the table of content for CME to illustrate its growing importance. Though it is still not mandatory for doctors to fulfil the requirements as indicated in the MMC-CME Grading System Scoring Schedule it is expected of them to voluntarily meet this requirement.
The importance of CME and possibly its mandatory requirement in the near future is also illustrated by having CME as one of the Telemedicine flagship application.The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) in the US has a web site that outlined its rules and regulations for credits and offers voluntary accreditation services to providers of CME.
CME resources deemed useful are put together here, targeting mainly the needs of general practitioners and family doctors. We welcome feedback, resource materials and links to relevant CME sites. Please e-mail the links to the Webmaster.
Clinical guidelinesare defined as "systematically developed statements which assist clinicians and patients in making decisions about appropriate treatment for specific conditions." Many guidelines, which rely on concensus statements of expert opinions are being replaced by evidence-based practices derived from randomised clinical trials and possibly endorsed by a multi-disciplinary clinical outcomes group. It is well known that the mere spread of clinical guidelines has limited impact on practice. This is an article on the evidence of appraisals that supported this belief. Review of impact of clinical guidelines on clinical outcomes in primary care shows little evidence of effectiveness. What is it that motivates clinicians to improve their practice and engage in educational activities? It was suggested that combining guidelines with other measures may increase the effect of professional conduct. Such measures may be local adaptation of guidelines, courses and other educational programs. Peer support is important for quality development among general practitioners.
We are in the process of documenting CPGs developed for the local context. If there are such resources that you think primary care doctors would benefit from, please let us have the resource or the link to the site by e-mailing to the Webmaster.
