State of play of CME in Europe in 2014: proceedings from the Seventh Annual Meeting of the European CME Forum

European CME Forum is a not-for-profit organisation that was established in 2007 in order to bring together all stakeholder groups with an interest in European CME and promote multi-channel discussion in an independent and neutral environment. This report summarises the presentations and discussions that took place at the 7th Annual Meeting of the European CME Forum in London on 13–14 November 2014. The meeting was held at a time of great uncertainty in European CME and gave attendees opportunity to consider many unanswered questions regarding how CME in Europe will be funded, accredited and regulated in the future. The programme for the forum was developed based on a needs assessment conducted among a variety of CME stakeholders in Europe and beyond. This exercise identified a number of issues that are rarely covered at similar gatherings and which were therefore given prominence during the meeting. Chief among these “hot topics” were how to ensure effective measurement of outcomes in CME programmes and how to encourage and manage the transparency of relationships between industry and healthcare professionals. Other subjects covered in depth during the forum included the future funding of CME, e-learning innovations and potential, and the value, or otherwise, of CME accreditation. The forum made use of a number of interactive meeting formats which ensured the days’ proceedings were characterised by a series of lively discussions and stimulating debates