HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Leichter, S. B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Leichter, S. B. Social Bookmarking                What's this?

Continuing Medical Education in Diabetes: The Impending Crisis

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.

	Introduction

 
A major health professional association sent an invitation to an upcoming continuing medical education (CME) program on a topic in metabolic disease. The invitation stated that the program was about the use of a specific drug for this disease state. The program not only was going to feature a speaker who was a paid advocate for that drug, but it also was scheduled to occur at the offices of the manufacturer of that product!

A recent editorial by Dr. Arnold Relman, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, bemoaned the corruption of the process of postgraduate CME by the influence of major pharmaceutical companies.¹ One of the published letters to the editor responding to this editorial criticized Dr. Relman's stance by noting that, while he was editor of the New England Journal, pharmaceutical company advertising and donations constituted a large percentage of the revenue of that publication.²

These examples serve to illustrate the growing quandary regarding the structure and function of CME in the United States today. Although there is a stated desire on the part of most health organizations and professional groups to distance program content and function from the influence of pharmaceutical companies,^3,4 this goal has proven exceptionally difficult. Medical professional organizations are highly dependent on the financial support drug companies and other vendors provide to educational functions. Pharmaceutical companies want those educational experiences to be supportive of their specific market position. And, given the potential for corruption in that dynamic, outside agencies are becoming increasingly involved in the regulation of this process.

These issues are very important in diabetes care. As a disease state, diabetes and related metabolic disorders are the subject of increasing focus for pharmaceutical companies. More and more drugs are being introduced or investigated for the treatment of these conditions. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

	Pharmaceutical Company Influence on CME

 

	The "Medical-Industrial Complex"

 

	Relevance to Diabetes Care

 

	Regulation and the CME Provider Companies

 

	CME Provider Companies

 

	The Coming Crisis in Diabetes Care CME

 

CiteULike    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. B. Leichter The Coming Crisis in Continuing Education in Diabetes: Resolvable Issues and Novel Solutions Clin. Diabetes, January 1, 2005; 23(1): 6 - 8. [Full Text] [PDF]