BOSTON--Dec. 5, 2003--More than 70% of primary care physicians participating in a national survey by The Pri-Med Institute feel that pharmaceutical industry support has a positive impact on continuing medical education opportunities, and only 8% say they are less likely to attend a CME program if it is funded by industry grants. While one in ten respondents viewed industry involvement as a 'negative', 86% said that it is not a factor in their decisions to participate in a CME program.

"The findings confirm that a large majority of doctors are satisfied that educational providers are adhering rigorously to standards mandating that product promotion be separate from education," Pri-Med Institute Research Director Anne Goodrich said. "Industry support through educational grants is further viewed as enriching the spectrum of continuing medical education programs available to clinicians."

A random sample of some 800 physicians in primary care, including family practice, internal medicine, OB-GYN and pediatrics, participated in a blind study by the Pri-Med Institute completed in August, 2003.

Live, Regional Forums Preferred

One in two survey respondents prefer continuing medical education through live conferences, and more than one-third of all CME credits were earned by attending these forums. While web-based CME opportunities continue to expand, they are the first choice of only one physicians in ten.

Accessibility is a key factor in choosing CME activities. Two out of three physicians surveyed prefer local and regional conferences - within 200 miles of their practice - to national meetings. Minimizing time away from practice through weekend and evening programs is also a key concern.

Participants rated relevance of clinical topics, schedule and dates and caliber of speakers as the three most important factors in choosing a CME activity. Cost, travel time, and time away from practice also weighed as significant determinants of attendance.

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