Continuing medical education through the videotex system in Italy

Continuing education for medical doctors is not compulsory in Italy. The link with the university is lost shortly after the final medical examination, and there is no other teaching institution for structured continuing medical education (CME). Distance learning gives physicians the opportunity to use updating programs at home at their convenience. Videotel, the Italian videotex system, is the first telematic tool that, at low cost, can reach every home nationwide. Through this system information can be exchanged 24 hours a day, using the Videotel database as central memory, the telephone network as connecting system, and low-cost devices as peripherals. The authors evaluated the technical capacity and didactic efficacy of the Videotel system as a vehicle for CME (in both oncology and general medicine). In an exploratory phase they surveyed physicians of the Italian Province designated for the study, with the objective of promoting the initiative and enrolling physicians interested in this innovative approach to CME. Teachers at Italian universities provided the educational material: interactive lessons, clinical case discussions and problem solving, and multiple-choice questions. Twenty-nine physicians agreed to participate. Despite the interest shown by these physicians, they made very little use of the didactic database. The main reasons for failure to connect with the educational database were the lack of time and unfamiliarity with the instrument. Although the results of the study were discouraging, the authors believe that the resolution of technical problems linked with the system and an increasing familiarity of physicians with telematic and informatic tools in general, together with appropriate incentives, will make the videotex system a feasible, low-cost, efficient vehicle for CME.