An Overview of Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Professional Development Systems in the Middle East and North Africa: A Mixed Methods Assessment.

The aims of this assessment were to describe the requirements for physicians to engage in CME/CPD; explore perceptions of in-country SMEs of their CME/CPD systems; describe perceptions of in-country physicians about interprofessional continuing education (IPCE) and independent CME/CPD; and provide recommendations that may be adopted to improve quality and effectiveness. An assessment of CME/CPD systems in the Middle East and North Africa was conducted using a mixed-methods approach that included 1:1 interviews with in-country SMEs and an electronic survey capturing qualitative and quantitative data from practicing in-country physicians. The results of this assessment were strongly influenced by Egypt and Israel in the Middle East, and Algeria and Morocco in North Africa.

International collaboration in health professions education.

This article explores the essential elements for achieving excellence in international collaborations within health professions education (HPE), drawing on the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) ASPIRE Award criteria for International Collaboration. The International Collaboration award transcends recognition of excellence through the award; it aims to foster excellence in international HPE collaborations more broadly, by establishing a framework for evaluation and development that functions cross-culturally. This framework is based on five key elements that contribute to successful collaborations: mutually agreed goals; shared responsibilities and leadership structures; processes that support collaboration; demonstrated long-term impact and sustainability, and evaluation and practice sharing.

An overview of global CME/CPD systems.

Purpose: Engagement in CME/CPD has a positive impact on healthcare professionals' (HCPs) knowledge, skills, and performance, and on patient outcomes, therefore it is critical to better understand the components of CME/CPD systems that foster engagement, high-quality education, and impact.

Methods: An assessment of CME/CPD systems was conducted using a mixed-methods approach that included interviews with in-country subject matter experts and qualitative and quantitative data from practicing in-country physicians.

Results: Results demonstrate areas of consistency in CME/CPD systems across world regions that included: types of educational providers; types of credit; educational formats; self-tracking of participation; high-degree of compliance when education is mandatory; overall satisfaction with available education; strong support for interprofessional education; and lack of alignment or evaluation of engagement in education with population health outcomes.

Self-reported preferences and barriers to continued professional development in primary care physicians: a cross-sectional web-based survey in Qatar.

Introduction: High quality and effective primary healthcare is a national priority in Qatar. Continuing professional development (CPD) for physicians is a cornerstone of this objective, yet little is known about physicians' preferences or barriers to CPD participation.

Method: A needs assessment was conducted using a cross-sectional web-based survey of primary care physicians registered with the Department of Healthcare Practitioners (DHP) between March and June 2017.

Plasma Adiponectin and Its Correlation with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Obesity and in Type 2 Diabetes and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Methods And Results: The study included 200 Egyptian subjects. They were divided into four equal groups: group 1: obese patients with NAFLD and T2DM (O+/NAFLD+/DM+), group 2: nonobese patients with NAFLD and T2DM (O-/NAFLD+/DM+), group 3: obese nondiabetic patients with NAFLD (O+/NAFLD+/DM-), and group 4: nonobese healthy control subjects. Plasma adiponectin was measured using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) technique.