The American Academy of CME to jointly sponsor the Arab Health Congress for continuing medical education credit

The collaboration is part of IIR's efforts to provide a quality platform for health education in the Middle East and the Academy will introduce strict accreditation standards for all physicians attending Arab Health 2009, to be held in Dubai at the International Convention & Exhibition Centre from 26-29 January 2009.

"We're delighted to be joining forces with the Academy because we want to offer our delegates and participants the best services possible. This includes the capacity to provide physicians across the region with the opportunity to learn about the latest techniques and innovations from the leading experts in the world," said Simon Page, Director of the Life Science Division at IIR. "On going training in the medical field is crucial and a necessary part of this is to follow a strong accreditation system."

Sondra L. Moylan, MS, RN, President of the Academy provided details of the role her organisation plays.

"Formalized CME is part of a physician's responsibility for life-long learning. Certified CME consists of the educational information which serves to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a physician uses to provide service for patients, the public, or the profession,"

she said.

"Our priorities reflect the expectations placed on the Academy and CME providers by physicians and other healthcare professionals, licensing and certifying boards, and healthcare stakeholders such as the public."

Following the news of the introduction of the Academy as the joint sponsor for Arab Health 2009, leading health policy makers in the UAE emphasised the importance of on-going training for the profession.

Dr. Amer Ahmad Sharif, the Director of the Continuing Education Department at Dubai Health Authority said: "On going training is essential for all healthcare professionals. It is a way to stay updated, improve knowledge and skills, and maintain the license to practice.

"The accreditation of such events is also important as it serves as evidence of continuing education for purposes of re-licensing. It is important, however, that the accreditation is recognized both locally and internationally, depending on the targeted audience."

Dr. Y Hayat Qureshi also mentioned the role planned for accreditation for training in the country.

"It is important to gain knowledge and keep abreast of recent advancements," he said.
Accreditation is going to be a pre-requisite for promotion and hence every practitioner will benefit from events like Arab Health," he added.

Ultimately, CME is for the benefit of the patient and this is an essential criterion for any medical professional looking to attend Arab Health.

"Self learning should be a continuous process especially for doctors who need to keep in touch with the latest modalities of treatments and new medical equipments in the market," said Dr Mohamed Almarzoqi, Deputy Director of Health Advertisements Department at the UAE Ministry of Health.

"It is important that health professionals should only attend conferences which are accredited by their health authorities. There are many criteria's that CME should satisfy to get accredited but at the end of the day these CME programs should positively change and improve the clinical practice and consequently improve patient care," he concluded.