Survey Reveals Significant Clinician Demand For Online CME And Virtual Courses

Recent data collected by Elsevier, AcademicCME, and ArcheMedX shows nearly all clinicians will either increase or maintain participation in online CE programs in the next year

Philadelphia, PA, September 12, 2013 (PRWeb) ‐ Clinicians continue to embrace new forms of online learning according to a survey of 801 clinicians conducted by Elsevier’s Office of Continuing Medical Education (EOCME), AcademicCME and ArcheMedX in the first half of 2013.

Survey data shared this week at CBI’s 11^th Annual Independent Medical Education and Grants Conference demonstrates increased demand for traditional forms of online CME (webcasts, video and cases) and virtual courses (prolonged cohort-based learning) as clinicians reduce their dependence on traditional live medical meetings.

The 2013 Joint Survey of Healthcare Professionals Continuing Education Preferences revealed that 97 percent of surveyed clinicians will increase or maintain their use of traditional online CME, this coincides with a significant overall trend to reduce participation in live meetings. Another key finding was that nearly 4 in 10 of surveyed clinicians plan to increase their participation in Virtual Courses in the coming year.

“Clinician confidence in the effectiveness of online education is now almost identical to that of live meetings,” said Dr. Brian S. McGowan, Co-Founder & Chief Learning Officer of ArcheMedX. “Our data clearly shows that healthcare professionals recognize the benefits of participating in online educational activities and as a result up to 40 percent of respondents expect a significant decrease in their live meeting attendance in the coming year.”

The ease of access to and convenience of online education are not the only reasons physicians want digital learning tools and online programs, the survey also revealed that physicians see online CME activities to be more effective than broad guideline dissemination efforts, patient education tools, and existing practice support tools.

As demand for online CME and new digital learning tools continues to grow, EOCME and AcademicCME will launch a series of innovative online education programs powered by the ArcheMedX Connected Learning Platform.

“The future of lifelong learning is at our doorstep,” said Dr. Timothy Hayes, President of AcademicCME. “With the pending launch of our first ArcheMedX-powered program, ‘Improving Patient Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis: Clinical Trial Data and Management Strategies,’ we have begun to make learning far simpler for clinicians by seamlessly connecting practical educational content with the broad library of resources published and owned by Elsevier.”

When the program launches, learners will experience an enhanced form of online learning as they take notes, search related resources and synchronize their learning actions to the most relevant moments within the educational content, making it easier to apply critical lessons to clinical practice. Access to the new programs will be made available to registered learners through the AcademicCME and EOCME websites.

“Physicians are clamoring for better models of online learning, and thanks to widespread commercial support additional innovative programs in Oncology and Urology will subsequently launch later in the fall,” said Sandy Breslow, Director of the EOCME.

To learn more about the new CME programs and how the ArcheMedX platform and connected learning tools are being leveraged, please contact Sandy Breslow or Dr. Timothy Hayes. For additional information on ArcheMedX, please contact Joel Selzer, Co-Founder & CEO.

Survey Methodology – The EOCME conducted a mixed-methods survey deployed in July 2013 to over 10,000 physicians where 801 responded during a period of two months.

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About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier’s online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby’s Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, helping research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading provider of professional information solutions in the Science, Medical, Legal and Risk and Business sectors, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

About AcademicCME

AcademicCME is a physician-run, healthcare solutions medical education company designed to impact practice behavior and thus patient outcomes. AcademicCME leadership draws on the more than 45 years of clinical experience of its staff physicians in clinical practice and education, which provides a unique understanding of the dynamics between physician behavior, patient care and practice based educational needs. Visit www.academiccme.com for more information.

About ArcheMedX

ArcheMedX is a healthcare informatics and e‐learning technology company with the singular mission to build the structure required to transform medical education through new connected learning and assessment models. By engineering an informatics‐powered architecture that organizes and connects the natural learning actions of clinicians in one system, ArcheMedX simplifies lifelong learning and streamlines the process of educational planning, assessment and support. Visit www.archemedx.com for more information.