The role of scientific journals in continuing medical education.

cal 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 challenges organizers and participants face. Professional associations such as the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society have played a scientific and education role for many years. The Society has fulfilled these duties through the organization of annual meetings and ownership of the Journal. Both activities provide a forum where individuals are invited to present newly acquired knowledge relevant to the practice of our specialty, and where experts give their opinions on topics of interest. Typically, new information is presented in the form of abstracts at annual meetings and original articles in journals, while expert opinion is conveyed as refresher courses and review articles, respectively. However, the boundary between scientific and educational material cannot be defined so easily. Furthermore, both meetings and journals have established other formats for the purpose of disseminating information. While meetings feature panels, discussion forums and case presentations on their programs, journals include editorials, case reports, letters to the editor and various reports within their pages. Physicians need to have access to the professional and scientific information required to keep abreast of the continuously evolving requirements of a modern practice. For this, annual society meetings and journals have played a complementary role, because access to the knowledge base is different. Meetings require a pause of a few days, to allow for intensive acquisition of new information. On the other hand, journals are accessible continuously, in either print or online versions, and the reader can choose the most appropriate reading time and setting. Since 2000, physicians have been required to document their CME profiles, and provide evidence of meeting minimum requirements of accredited learning activities. In Canada, most physicians follow the program established by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (RCPSC), and enter the number of credits earned on the RCSPC website. Attendance to accredited meetings is just one of six possible categories for earning CME credits, but it is still perceived by most as the main CME opportunity. Although journals contain material that is similar in scope to that delivered at society meetings, with the added benefit of rigorous peer review, the role of scientific journals in the delivery of CME has received only modest attention so far. But things may be changing. Before the turn of the century, when physicians were not required to document their CME activities in a formal manner, individuals acquired new knowledge in whichever manner they felt appropriate to meet their educational needs. While journals played an essential role in the matter, their contribution to this process was difficult to measure. With the introduction of a credit system, a more formal process had to be EDITORIAL 1175