Introduction

The explosion of scientific knowledge, technological developments and the necessity for physicians to maintain good relational skills drive a need to organize numerous continuing medical education activities (CME) for both individuals and groups. CME is an essential professional component that helps physicians (1) keep up-to-date and dispense the best possible care.

For many years, business corporations, particularly the member firms of Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D), have contributed to CME by helping in a variety of ways to organize activities and encourage the dissemination of information regarding scientific advances in medicine. Educational activities offered in this context, notably to physicians, must help participants acquire, maintain or update their knowledge, skills or attitudes.

Pharmaceutical companies also invest in activities to promote their products as well as consultations with physicians. However, these activities must not be confused with the educational activities in which physicians are invited to participate.

The Conseil de l’éducation médicale continue du Québec (CEMCQ) also has certain responsibilities regarding CME. Rx&D and CEMCQ both agree that all the parties involved in CME must ensure that the educational activities they organize or at which they participate are designed first and foremost to help physicians acquire, master, or update their knowledge, skills and attitudes for the purpose of improving the quality of the health care they dispense. They agree that CME activities must be planned, implemented, and administered for the purpose of education, not promotion, and must never be used to promote a particular product or service.

By consolidating the rules that define collaboration between medical agencies and business corporations in the field of CME, Rx&D and CEMCQ wish to ensure the delivery of high-quality, ethical CME activities for the greater good of all concerned.

(1) In this code, considerations concerning physicians apply to any other participant in a CME activity.

Go to the Code of Ethics >>>

Conseil québécois de développement professionnel continu des médecins (CQDPCM)