In this editorial in AM News on how to deal with the scarcity of docs volunteering their time in free clinics, there was this thought:

Encouragingly, volunteerism has become a significant part of the curriculum of many medical schools and residency programs, providing more direct clinical experience earlier than in the past. It has also created a more ecumenical atmosphere, with graduates who are in tune with broader issues in social policy as it relates to health care. Hence, volunteerism can serve as a form of continuing medical education for experienced physicians, exposing them to situations they might not see in their daily practices.

Today’s horrifying story on physician incompetence, brought to you by CBC News: Nurses at Australian hospital hid patients from ‘Dr. E. coli’

From a press release: Repositioning CME Summit:  Commitment, Communication and Collaboration

The Conjoint Committee on CME is pleased to announce that a CME

Summit is scheduled for Thursday, November 17, 2005, at the Westin

O’Hare, Rosemont, Illinois (Chicago-O’Hare area).  In contrast to the

Summit held last November, the emphasis of this meeting will be directed

toward implementation of fundamental change in CME and is open to all

CME professionals and organizational CEOs. 

The

full-day meeting will feature two major components, Self-Assessment, of

both physicians and CME professionals, and Linking CME With Practice Performance and Quality Improvement.   If you would like further information, please contact the Office of

the Council of Medical Specialty Societies at 847/295-3456, or

correspond with Sandi Trusky at strusky@cmss.org.

From today’s New York Times (free registration req’d): Despite Vow, Drug Makers Still Withhold Data. A snip:

When the drug industry came under fire last summer for failing to disclose

poor results from studies of antidepressants, major drug makers promised to

provide more information about their research on new medicines. But nearly a

year later, crucial facts about many clinical trials remain hidden, scientists

independent of the companies say.

*sigh*