[Quality control in medical education and continuing medical education in allergology in Germany]

Quality control in education and training in allergology comprises activities at the different levels of the curriculum of medical schools, residency programs and postgraduate education. Unfortunately, until now allergology in Germany has not yet been regularly embedded in the medical curriculum of all medical schools. Therefore, the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (DGAI) has demanded for years that chairs and departments of allergology be introduced at every Medical Faculty in Germany. The new Medical Licensure Rules (Approbationsordnung) offer the possibility to select allergology, amongst others, as an obligatory subject in the medical state examination. Furthermore, allergological topics can now be introduced into the newly established interdisciplinary fields (Querschnittsbereiche). At the level of residency training, doctors who want to become allergists have to undergo a special curriculum in the field of allergology, formerly called additional specialisation in allergology (Zusatzbezeichnung) after having finished their board examination in an organ-related specialty subject. Following a decision of the German "Arztetag" in May 2003, this 24-months curriculum has unfortunately been reduced to 18 months. 12 months of this 18 months requirement may be fulfilled during a residency programme in either dermatovenerology, otolaryngology, internal medicine, pulmology and/or paediatrics. Compared to previous years, this results in a drastic deterioration of allergy training in Germany. The DGAI has decided to take up the fight for its improvement in both a quantitative and qualitative respect. The crucial issue is to develop quality criteria for persons as well as institutions eligible as training centres in allergology. As regards post-graduate education, the German Academy of Allergology and Environmental Medicine (Deutsche Akademie für Allergie und Umweltmedizin, DAAU) has introduced a system of certified continuing medical education (CME), which has been widely accepted in Germany. CME credit points are awarded in co-operation with the regional physicians' chambers ("Landesärztekammer"). Quality control in allergology has to be re-enforced and improved at all levels of medical curricula, training programmes and post-graduate education in order to achieve sustainable improvements in patient care for the large number of people in Germany suffering from allergies.