Very recently, I was lucky enough, along with my colleague James Hutton (Global Operations Lead, IME) to attend the 16th European CME Forum in the Hague, Netherlands. This meeting brought together over 100 stakeholders passionate about global IME/CME, including CME providers, industry supporters, society groups and representatives of accreditation bodies. The theme of this year’s meetings was “Voices in CME-CPD” and the approach was very collaborative, featuring many workshops and breakouts where we got to explore this theme more closely. ...more
Format and content of medical education programmes has been evolving in recent years. One of the most impactful changes has been in the inclusion of patients as expert faculty. ...more
“Coffee and cake. Where is my coffee and cake” – words spoken by my father-in-law Ray in a repetitive cycle during the final months of his life. He died a week ago in a care home, after a few years of declining health with co-existing illnesses; bowel cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. ...more
Including patient perspectives in CME brings several benefits. For learners, patient insights offer important feedback to healthcare providers (HCPs), making them more aware of patient needs and adding real-life context to educational materials. For patients, this involvement empowers them as experts in their own conditions. Moreover, it improves patient outcomes by tailoring education to their actual needs. These advantages are increasingly acknowledged in CME, and ACCME now has a criterion that recognizes providers who involve patient/public representatives in planning and delivering CME in their menu of criteria for accreditation with commendation. ...more
Who here has been affected by cancer? Perhaps you have friends that have had it, perhaps relatives, or perhaps this is something that has deeply affected you. According to Macmillan Cancer Support estimates, “there are currently 3 million people living with cancer in the UK” [1], with this projected to rise to 5.3 million by 2040. ...more
It’s widely known that women are massively underrepresented in STEM education, making up only 28% of the science, engineering, technology and maths (STEM) workforce. Only 35% of women choose to study STEM subjects after GCSE, with this decreasing to 25% choosing to study them at university (The Gender Gap in STEM Education). ...more
“In April to June 2021, three in four mothers (75.6%) were in work in the UK, reaching its highest level in the equivalent quarter over the last 20 years from 66.5% in 2002. In the same period, 92.1% of fathers were employed. This has also increased from 89.6% in 2002 but has plateaued in recent years” published by The Office of National Statistics census 2021. ...more
Last month, together with Caroline Halford (Development Director – Medical Education, Springer Healthcare) and Rebecca Cox (Principal Medical Writer, Springer Healthcare IME), I took part in a live webinar titled “Does Format Matter? How HCPs are engaging with educational content”. ...more
“So remind me again, Alice is now Alex, Katie is Kit and Ellie is what?” When my 11-year-old daughter started at an all-girls secondary school, I was keen to show an interest and tried hard to remember the names of her classmates. I never imagined that three years on I would have to start re-learning their names, as a number took on gender neutral identities and some began struggles with their gender identity. ...more
What does health equity actually mean in the era of modern healthcare? Put simply, health equity is the absence of disparities in healthcare. Health disparities are systemic and avoidable health differences between groups, due to factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic status, religion, and other characteristics associated with discrimination and marginalization. These disparities have existed for centuries, however the COVID-19 pandemic has played a vital role in highlighting and amplifying them. The importance of addressing health inequities and social determinants of health has become clear across many therapy areas, especially as medicine shifts away from a “one-size-fits-all approach” towards patient-centric and personalized care. ...more