A system for Continuing Medical Education (CME) is aimed to assure a high level of theoretic and clinical competence throughout the working life of medical specialists. Doctors are faced with an exploding amount of literature and new technologies as well as a concern about escalating medical costs with a great emphasis on efficacy.

CME provides educational activities, which allow one to maintain, develop and increase medical knowledge and skill and to improve the professional performance to ensure better and safer treatment for the patient. At present there is no standardised system in

Europe for accrediting CME activities and providing credits. Some European countries have established CME systems with a legal obligation to collect a certain number of credits in order to practice medicine, while in other countries no such system exists and CME is considered as a an ethical and moral responsibility laid on each individual practitioner.

In the United States the CME system was established over 40 years ago by the American Medical Association (AMA) and this concept is highly integrated in the American medical society.

In Europe, the Union of European Medical Specialists (UEMS) is now setting up a committee, the European Accreditation Council for CME (EACCME), aiming at facilitating the development of a common European CME system. This committee will act as an umbrella structure for the national CME authorities and will guarantee the reciprocity of awarded CME credits in different European countries. The UEMS has also signed a joint agreement with the AMA for a reciprocal system for credits awarded by the American and European CME.

The EACCME does not replace the accreditation of CME by national authorities but may, in countries where no CME system exists, review and endorse CME applications. However, the aim of EACCME is not to become an accreditation council but a structure to facilitate the CME network. Furthermore, the EACCME cannot itself review and guarantee the quality of the CME accredited activities.

In 1997 the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) published a position paper on EAACI Guidelines for CME (Allergy 1997: 52: 490-503) and in the autumn of 1999 an EAACI CME Accreditation Council was created with the aim to provide valid and reciprocal CME credits in all EAACI educational activities. The EAACI CME Accreditation Council is also aiming to function as a European accrediting body for CME providers, supplementing the EACCME, by reviewing and evaluating CME activities and establishing the amount of credits to be given. This will be particularly useful in countries where no CME system is available.
The EAACI CME Accreditation Council will guarantee the quality CME programs of high scientific and educational value, which are free from influence from industries and in reciprocity with the American system.

The structure of the EAACI CME accreditation will include an application to the EAACI CME Accreditation Council by the CME provider. The Council will review the application and may also perform an on-site survey visit before deciding on the accreditation.
After consulting with the EACCME the Council will recommend the amount of credits to be awarded for the individual activities. The unit of a credit should be the hour of education, but does not have to be identical with a clock-hour depending on the type of education. This will be determined in the process of accrediting a particular CME activity. The acquirement of these credits should function as recertification of the individual practitioner and patients should be informed and encouraged to seek CME certified doctors.
It may also be necessary to have the CME certification in order to apply for certain positions, which is already the case in some countries.

 

The interest for CME is now rapidly growing throughout Europe and the amount of accredited events by UEMS through EACCME has steadily increased over the last three years in terms of number of activities as well as countries involved.

The accreditation activity of the EAACI started in 2000 with the Annual Congress held in Lisbon, Portugal and has continued until 2008 with over 150 events accredited, among which our European Congresses and EAACI summer schools.

 

How to get your CME credits?

The attendance at individual sessions is verified with a magnetic badge, typically combined with the Congress badge. When attending an EAACI-CME accredited event each participant will get a CME certificate indicating the amount of credits obtained at that event.
EAACI-members will furthermore get a CME letter once a year stating your total amount of CME credits. Each member can also at any time enter the Membership Arena and check the up-dated CME situation.

Questions regarding individual members CME status should be sent to the EAACI Headquarters (info@eaaci.net).

Regarding the organisation of CME accredited events questions can be sent to:

Secretary General
Ignacio Ansotegui
ignacio.ansotegui@belfasttrust.hscni.net