1. In 2018, the life expectancy of a newborn in the European Union was already at 81 years; ¹
2. There are 101.1 million people aged 65+ which accounts for 20% of the total population; ²
3. The world’s population aged 60 years and older is expected to reach 2 billion in 2050 (up from 900 million in 2015), representing an additional prevalence of chronic diseases and comorbidities. ³

3 Reasons why you should invest in continuing medical education:

• Your physicians won’t make it by themselves
  
  Research shows that it is difficult for physicians to keep up to date on best medical practices and recent changes to clinical practice guidelines. Thus, investing in continuing medical education represents an effective way to enhance evidence-based medicine and standardization of your unit clinical procedures.
• Overcoming barriers and fostering improvement
  
  Continuing medical education not only addresses important information gaps related to each professional current level of disease knowledge, but it is also an effective way to change clinical decision making and practice behavior.
• Talent retention
  
  Continuing medical education leads to less turnover and, consequently, reduces the effort required for successful recruitment. Global data shows that companies that promote error discussion and professional updating are three times more profitable and have retention rates up to four times better than those that do not have training programs. ⁶

Delving deeper into CME impact

1. A report on atrial fibrillation (AFib) training activities, promoted by the American College of Physicians, indicated that participants were roughly 50% more likely to deliver evidence-based care for AFib after the activity (consisting of three live activities and a web course), potentially improving care during more than 12,000 AFib patient visits each month. ⁹
2. A study published in The Journal of Continuing Education in Health Professionals evaluated the economic impact when cardiac and thoracic surgeons applied learning from a CME activity about the prevention of bleeding-related complications. The model base case predicted what would happen if 30% of learners prevented bleeding complications in 2% of their annual surgeries. The savings estimates ranged from $1.5 to $2.7 million, depending on the type of complication, and findings were similar to clinical trials evaluating cost savings from interventions. ¹⁰
3. An analysis conducted within the Surviving Sepsis Campaign demonstrates that increased compliance with sepsis performance bundles was associated with a 25% relative risk reduction in mortality rate. Every 10% increase in compliance and additional quarter of participation in the SSC initiative was associated with a significant decrease in the odds ratio for hospital mortality. ¹¹
4. Affecting 25 million people globally, Heart Failure poses an increasing problem for global healthcare systems and brings dramatic changes in people’s lives. UpHill developed a tailor-made course using clinical simulations to identify the gaps in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to the disease, tracking the compliance with the European Cardiology guidelines. The training program resulted in a 25% increase in compliance with best practices and 4,5/5 average satisfaction for healthcare professionals.