Some ethical issues in continuing medical education

In Israel there is increasing pressure for a commitment towards accredited continuing medical education (CME) in the expectation that this will improve the quality of medical care. Some ethical problems in these trends are discussed in relation to adult learning, various educational methods, the assessment of quality of medical care and the problems of cognitive assessments, examinations, peer review and medical audit. It is recommended that high priority be given to educational research on the methodology of CME and its potential impact on professional competence and the quality of medical care. A voluntary commitment to regular CME should be considered as much a part of the responsibility of the practising doctor as his service commitment. In this context, accreditation could serve as a means towards facilitating and verifying the doctor's commitment to CME. The basic problem is however, not only the transference of scientific concepts, but also the change in professional behaviour in response to constantly changing medical needs.