Requiring doctors to take part in continuing medical education doesn't improve heart attack care
BMJ 2004; 328 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7441.664 (Published 18 March 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;328:664
- Janice Hopkins Tanne
- New York
Although 34 of the 50 states in the United States require doctors to complete some continuing medical education each year, this requirement does little to improve the outcomes of patients with myocardial infarctions or to increase the use of proved treatments.
The main effect is to increase the use of thrombolytic agents manufactured by drug companies that often sponsor educational events, says a study from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dr Manesh Patel, a cardiology fellow at Duke Clinical Research Institute, told the BMJ …
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