The American Medical Association (AMA) has posted the long-awaited Fact Sheets on continuing medical education (CME) on its Website. They were developed last year by the The National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration.
According to the Fact Sheet, there are many opportunities for conflict, bias, misrepresentation of facts, and misinformed perceptions when people form a position around a specific issue or policy. This has been the case with respect to recent publications concerning conflict of interest and bias in CME. The Task Force has recognized the confusion regarding the intent and purpose of CME for years and has established a Public Affairs Committee to identify critical issues to address by means of Fact Sheets which will be distributed to a wide range of stakeholders, advocates, and critics of CME.
The media, state and federal law and policy makers, as well as regulators and other "collective/consensus opinion makers" frequently use and disseminate information that can lead to incorrect assumptions and false perceptions about CME. This has led to increased regulatory scrutiny and critical public opinion regarding CME practices. Get involved! Help Get the Facts straight!
Distribute these Fact Sheets to your colleagues, association members, friends, and family. The CME community has a responsibility to make certain the facts cited by all stakeholders in the healthcare arena are accurate and appropriately reflect current process, standards, regulation, and the difference with the provisions of quality CME can make upon the healthcare system.
I encourage you to download the Fact Sheets and learn the points included in them; there is a lot to be said about presenting the facts around an issue.
Fact sheets
Continuing Medical Education: Providing Valid and Independent Evidence for Clinical Decisions
Continuing Medical Education: Addressing Conflict of Interest (COI)
Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and Medical Device Company Support of Continuing Medical Education