Wired Physicians Cite Internet as Preferred Format for CME According to Medsite Research Survey; 97% Say Online Continuing Medical Education is Profession's Tool of the Future

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

NEW YORK--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 28, 2002

Physicians are increasingly turning to the Internet for Continuing Medical Education (CME), according to a recent online survey conducted by Medsite, an innovative pharmaceutical services and e-marketing company.

According to the survey, 97.5% cited online CME programming as the profession's "learning tool" for the future.

The online survey polled over 500 physicians on their preferred format for CME. More than 38% selected the Internet, citing both its convenience and the quality of its clinical content as factors most important to them. In ranking CME formats, the second choice was professional conferences, which were selected by 28% of the physicians polled. Other format options polled in the low single digits.

Online CME programming has enjoyed remarkable popularity in recent years, with a 110% increase in the number of physicians participating in 1999 over 1998, according to the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), a non profit group working to insure standards of quality for the discipline. The ACCME reports that registration increased 21% between 1998 and 1999. Industry experts estimate that Internet CME programming will become the more dominant CME format within the next several years.

"We are pleased the survey data quantifies the anecdotal experiences of our users," said Sanjay Pingle, Medsite's Executive VP for Business Development. "The convenience of free, on-demand CME programming and the high quality of our clinical content have long been cited by users of Medsite's CME program, Interactive Grand Rounds(TM), as prime factors for their satisfaction. More than 95% of our users say they look forward to participating in future Interactive Grand Rounds programs."

Medsite's Interactive Grand Rounds(TM) (IGR) uses a case study format to challenge participants to make decisions in the management of simulated clinical events. A nationally recognized clinical expert creates each case. Over 20,000 physicians have participated in more than 30 IGR programs that have been offered since 1999. A unique strength of Medsite's IGR is that it is featured in the leading peer-reviewed journals of each discipline covered, increasing exposure for both users and sponsors.

For a copy of the survey results please email Scott Reynolds (sreynolds@medsite.com).

About Medsite

Medsite is an innovative pharmaceutical services and e-marking company with industry-leading solutions to reach physicians. Using the power of the Internet, Medsite provides a full suite of online marketing and educational services to pharmaceutical companies that broaden reach, cement relationships and deliver rewards to physicians. Its unequaled database includes more than 125,000 U.S. physicians and 50,000 medical students. Medsite is headquartered in New York City at 330 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001. The company's telephone number is (212) 417-9500; email can be directed to inquiries@medsite.com. Additional information can be found at www.medsite.com.

Editors Note:

The Medsite Research survey was designed to examine the opinions of U.S. doctors. Conducted online between 10/4/01 - 10/10/01, the survey sample was chosen at random from the Medsite Database of 120,000 physicians. Theoretically, with a sample of this size (N=526), there is a 95% percent certainty that the survey results referred to herein have a minimal statistical precision of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. However, there are other possible sources of error including the bias in the wording of questions, sampling error attributable to the availability of Internet connectivity, and refusal to participate. It is extremely difficult or impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors, so the words "margin of error" should be avoided when reporting all survey data.