title: [Supply of and participation in CME activities in the area served the north rhine chamber of physicians in Germany].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  the study analyses the supply and the demand for Continuing Medical Education (CME) in the area served by the "Ärztekammer Nordrhein (ÄkNo)", which is one of the biggest regional Chambers of Physicians in Germany. Both the supply of all CME events certified by the ÄkNo in 2007 (n=18,932) and the participation of physicians in CME activities - using the example of family doctors (n=850), ophthalmologists (n=122) and orthopaedists (n=38) in the university towns of Cologne, Bonn and Aachen - was analysed for the period of 2002 to 2007 (n=44,760 events).
  
  
  METHODS
  differences between groups were tested by the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis method; adjustment for other factors was performed using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests. The significance level was chosen to be 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  half of the accredited CME activities had been provided in the form of lectures accompanied by discussion. This didactic focus is reflected by the CME choices of the analysed physicians, although interactive, multimedia materials and case based formats have been demonstrated to be advantageous. Family physicians and ophthalmologists participated twice as often in CME events as orthopaedists (p<0.001). Across all the disciplines investigated, female physicians participated significantly more often in CME events than their male colleagues (p<0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  our results show individual, group and gender specific differences in Continuing Medical Education which so far have not been adequately recognised and which warrants more research on CME.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Endokrinologie, Diabetologie und Rheumatologie, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rotthoff
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baehring
authors.forename: Dagmar M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: Cora
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bartnick
authors.forename: Reinhart
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Willers
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Linde
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: Werner A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Scherbaum
mesh_terms: D001519:Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000193:education; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000193:education; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric