title: Medical specialization in Europe: the way forward. Promotion of educational quality.
abstract: The medical specialties are being intensively reconsidered in the countries of Europe. The important need is for promoting improvement of educational training programmes. Evaluation and improvement of specialist training programmes is the priority and not the setting up of qualifying examinations. The first necessity is to safeguard 20 years of evolution in postgraduate training. Support for the educational process is essential, to a much greater extent than occurs at present, if standards are to be improved and the confidence of the public is to be retained. The EC medical education system is the only existing international structure in medical education which is controlled by law, and is on that basis alone of the greatest interest.
authors.affiliation: Nordic Federation for Medical Education, Department of Internal Medicine and Haematology, Copenhagen County Hospital, Herlev, Denmark.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karle
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nystrup
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Walton
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D005060:Europe; D008511:Medicine / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D013038:Specialization