In a not-too-shocking response to the study I posted about earlier that found that older docs aren't giving the same quality of care that younger docs do, some physicians in New Zealand reject the findings.
- "The way in which you treat people is different," Christchurch GP and Otago University School of Medicine researcher Professor Les Toop said. "They (older GPs) are wiser and quicker at what they do. They get more cynical about guidelines, they don't always like following cookbooks."
I know less than nothing about that country's CME system, but according to the article, the "Health Practitioners Competence Act ensured New Zealand practitioners kept up to date through continuous medical education, whereas in the United States, where the study was carried out, there was not a uniform national system requiring doctors to continue learning." It also said that 93 percent of its GPs review cases regularly with peer groups.
- Most doctors took part in Continuous Medical Education, and college programmes such as the Maintenance of Professional Standards and Corner-stone, the practice accreditation programme.
I get a feeling that we in the U.S. might have something to learn from studying how CME is handled in other countries. It couldn't possibly hurt.
To comment on this post, click on "comments" below. To receive a weekly update, e-mail Sue.
