Survey: 84% of Doctors Prefer Online CME Events Over In-Person Meeting

When it comes to attending continuing medical education events, 84% of doctors say they would rather participate online than in-person, according to the Joint Survey of Physician Digital Behavior released by ON24 and MedData Group, Information Week reports 4/20

ON24 provides services for webcasts and virtual events, and MedData Group provides interactive content and marketing services to the health care industry.

The survey asked 971 physicians about their online habits and use of technology.

Views on Attending Virtual Educational Events

Of the physicians surveyed:

• 91% said they see benefits in attending virtual educational events;
• 75.5% said they believe that such virtual events are increasing in number; and
• 35% said they believe that virtual events contribute to better patient care.

When asked about the benefits of virtually attending a conference or meeting, 80% of surveyed doctors cited the convenience of viewing on-demand content, and 53% cited avoiding the hassles of travel.

Use of Digital Devices

When asked about the type of digital devices they own or plan to purchase in the next six months:

• 74.2% of surveyed doctors said they own an iPad or plan to buy one in the next six months;
• 69.4% said they own an iPhone or plan to buy one in the next six months;
• 30.9% said they own a non-iPhone smartphone or will buy one in the next six months; and
• 14.1% said they own a non-iPad tablet or will get a tablet in the next six months (InformationWeek, 4/20).

Source: iHealthBeat