Welcome to month 18 of 2020! At least it seems that way as summer approaches and thoughts turn to whether there will be a few face-to-face conferences this year. Yes, ASCRS will hold an in-person meeting in July in Las Vegas, but European congress organizers are planning virtual meetings until October at the earliest.

Obviously, attending congresses—whether it is in your home country or at an international location—fulfills a number of requirements. For many, most important are the social aspect of catching up with friends and colleagues and learning about new technology. The accumulation of continuing education (CE/CME) credits, however, is another crucial component of these gatherings.

This article focuses on how your colleagues are coping with meeting these requirements and how European ophthalmic societies are going online to address training and educational needs.

SURVEY SAYS …

Curious how the surgeons I know have managed their need for CE/CME credits, I conducted a completely unscientific survey and found that two-thirds relied on society-sponsored online congresses to meet these requirements, followed by webinars that offer CE/CME credits. As far as staff training, two-thirds of the survey respondents also said that they rely on society-sponsored online meetings. In-clinic training sessions were favored by one-third. Company-sponsored webinars were another venue for staff training.

The surgeons who responded to this survey all indicated that they plan to attend a meeting in person this year (as do I). It’s clear, however, that restrictions on attendance, social distancing, and uncertainty about how SARS-CoV-2 will mutate will continue impact attendance rates.

ONLINE LEARNING WILL BECOME MORE ESSENTIAL

A consensus statement published in March by medical teaching institutions in Europe, Asia, and Australia provides a framework for CE/CME under COVID-19. The authors of this statement advocate increasing the use of online learning and note that “there is potential for international collaboration to expand the cultural knowledge and diversity and development of global resources for medical education.”¹

It is clear that European ophthalmology societies are stepping up their online educational efforts, both at the European Union and national levels, in order to support educational requirements (see Online Education Efforts).

CONCLUSION

Certainly, many people are anxious to trade spending so much time online watching presentations for sitting in an auditorium surrounded by colleagues and listening to the latest scientific presentations. It is to be hoped that the latter routine resumes later this year or, at the latest, in early 2022. In the meantime, European societies are stepping up to help clinicians maintain their educational requirements and stay up-to-date on what is happening in ophthalmology.

1. Nimavat N, Singh S, Fichadiya N, et al. Online medical education in India – different challenges and probable solutions in the age of COVID-19. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2021;12:237-243.