Since 2020 the covid pandemic disrupted not only societies but also medical education.
What at first has been a survival strategy to many providers in 2020 has to a large part become the new normal:
“live” events (webinars), delivered online, often were followed by open access to the content for varying timespans (on demand), or hybrid activities. The latter comprising

• activities with in person audience, simultaneously broadcasted online
• asynchronous learning followed by a webinar (based on the content studied during asynchronous learning)
• in person meeting followed by an opportunity to further discuss and study related material online,
  this list will probably not be exhaustive.

Recent reports in the Journal of European CME (JECME) have suggested that these new formats of learning – by far the quantitatively dominating educational format in the past – are at least as effective as in person meetings.

According to JECME accrediting bodies and regulators have reacted to this change and adapted, at least temporarily, accreditation rules of e-learning and accepted electronic learning formats as equivalent proof of CME.

It is not yet clear however whether this will be considered a temporary adaption or a lasting change in accreditation policy.

EBAC has already enabled accreditation of micro-e-learning for several years, and thus, could quickly adapt to the new challenges and assimilate the new formats under this framework. EBAC accepts tracking as proof of participation for all online learning formats (for further details please refer to the relevant documents on the EBAC website, or contact the EBAC office).

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Since 20 years at the heart of education in medicine: 

From EBAC® to….. EBAC®!

 About 20 years ago the “European Board for Accreditation in Cardiology” has started to accredit continuing medical education in cardiovascular medicine.

Since nearly 10 years EBAC has supported the Cologne Consensus Conference, which since its inception in 2012 has dealt with various topics in continuing education, going well beyond the specialty of cardiology and covering also interprofessional continuing education (IPCE).

About 2 years ago EBAC owner ECSF, a non-profit, charitable foundation under German law, has decided that EBAC should accredit continuing education for health professionals, incl. interprofessional education, and also start to offer provider accreditation as an alternative to event accreditation.

This has resulted in accreditation of e.g. the EU funded interprofessional education project “Covid-19 Skills PrepAration CoursE” (C19_SPACE), run by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), and aiming to recruit workforce for intensive care units during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Consequently, ECSF has now decided that EBAC will maintain its acronym, but the full name will change to

European Board for Accreditation of Continuing Education for Health Professionals

All accreditation procedures will follow the “Standards for Substantive Equivalency between CME/CPD Accreditation Systems” as issued recently by the International Academy for CPD Accreditation (IACPDA).

EBAC is proud to have access to a network of experts highly experienced in accreditation of continuing education in the medical professions, who are now going to apply the “Standards” in all EBAC accreditation activities. 

As education evolves, so has accreditation, and this process has substantially been accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, EBAC is looking forward to being able now to even better serve the needs of people who are unified in their goal to improve patient as well as community health.

This is to extend warm thanks to all of you for your continuing cooperation and support in 2020!

Starting into 2020 nobody had anticipated as what devastating disruption the Covid-19 pandemic would cause for our professional as well as private activities. The medical profession has not only fulfilled its duties in caring for our patients, but also risen to the enormous challenge in our fight against the unprecedented virus pandemic hitting our societies globally. We all have also managed as a group to continue with our educational activities, although out of necessity with a different approach.

The Covid-19 pandemic has demanded from all of us maximum flexibility and creativity to prevent a complete lockdown of all medical education. All crisis presents an opportunity for a new (and hopefully better) approach. This is particularly true in the field of medical education. The pandemic has initiated not only an intense discussion on values and limitations of online education, but also is helping to identify and define a new balance between online education and face to face meetings. What at first appeared as an emergency solution to many of us to just avoid total breakdown, has subsequently turned out to offer new perspectives regarding outreach and involvement of international audiences. It will be interesting to see how this will further develop in 2021 and beyond, when Covid-19 hopefully will have been controlled by vaccination.

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic EBAC has been committed to offer the most flexible support that it possibly can and this support will continue to assist you all in the planning and delivery of CME for all medical specialties as well as health teams (interprofessional CE). 

2020 has also been an important year for accrediting bodies who have created a global basis for cooperation for which the term “substantive equivalency” of accreditation systems has been coined. The International Academy for CPD Accreditation has in its yearly public meeting (Cologne Consensus Conference, Sept. 2020) adopted the “Standards for Substantive Equivalency between CME/CPD Accreditation Systems”, which have also been endorsed by EBAC. In our view these standards have the potential to provide a unifying basis for planning, delivery and, last not least, accreditation of CME/CPD worldwide. They will also be of particular importance for the medical profession in EU. In the absence of EU regulation to define standards in CME/CPD on CME, this task will exclusively fall to the member states. National regulations so far show maximal individuality and diversity. According to a recent communication from the EU to EBAC, the EU does not plan to mandate any organization (e. g. medical professional political organizations) to implement CME/CPD standards. Furthermore, the EU does not intend itself to implement such standards. This could only happen if there is a change to the “Treaty on the Functioning of the EU”.

Thus, it is our hope that the “Standards” which we are proposing will be accepted by regulators, national medical associations, and accrediting bodies in Europe. In addition, the International Academy is going to lobby for this goal with the relevant European political and professional organizations.

With best wishes for a peaceful Christmas and New Year and: 

Please stay safe!

EBAC to support EU funded program to recruit ICU workforce, run by European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM).

ESICM is currently recruiting participants for the “Covid-19 Skills PrepAration CoursE” (C19_SPACE), which addresses all doctors and nurses“ working in a hospital with an Intensive Care Unit, in all 27 EU Member States and the United Kingdom. In this way, our ‘healthcare army’ will be prepared for potential surges of COVID-19, and this before the end of the year!

In the 27 EU Member States and the United Kingdom, the healthcare professionals will be foreseen with all necessary skills through:

• Rapid training of a multidisciplinary pool of healthcare professionals
• Refreshment of the previous crash trainings completed
• Self-learning through webcasts & podcasts
• Local face-to-face or live virtual events
• Immersive Learning through Virtual Reality Experience
• A full inclusive training tool kit with an “Intensive Care Unit Passport”

For more information please visit the ESICM website.

By Nov. 16, 2020, EBAC is going to launch its new Management System.

Please note that 

• this system will have a new URL: https://services.ebac-cme.org
• you need to renew your registration as a provider in the new system.

The workflow will be very similar to the old system though more streamlined.

At the same time EBAC will introduce its revised price list.
Please do not hesitate to contact the EBAC office in case of any further questions or problems.

IACPDA is “a network of colleagues, dedicated to promoting and enhancing continuing professional development (CPD) accreditation systems throughout the world. It is also devoted to assisting and supporting the development, implementation and evolution of CPD and continuing medical education (CME) accreditation systems throughout the world.” (for more information please visit www.academy4cpd-accreditation.org).

Two years after the IACPDA had started the discussion on standards for substantive equivalency between accreditation systems IACPDA members have now unanimously adopted the final document in the CCC20 on Sept. 10, 2020.

What are the objectives of the Standards?

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Dear colleagues,
dear Madams,
dear Sirs,

the fully electronic, open access Journal of European CME (JECME, www.jecme.eu) is the only Europe based scholarly journal devoted to publishing research on CME. Since 2012 JECME has made substantial contributions to the theory and practice of CME, not only in Europe but globally. It has thus given Europe a voice in the CME research community by e.g. regularly publishing conference reports as well as follow-up papers of the Cologne Consensus Conference (organized by ECSF, the parent organization of EBAC).

A cornerstone in the theory of CME is that CME should not be considered as an end unto itself, but improve patient as well as community health. One of the prominent proponents of this concept has been Don Moore from Vanderbilt University in the US. JECME is proud to announce that Don has agreed to be a guest editor of a special edition of JECME collecting papers on outcomes of CME, for more information please go to

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Dear colleagues,
dear Madams,
dear Sirs,

this is a message to all those, who, in times of the Corona crisis, have planned to organize a live educational meeting in the near future, and now try to convert the educational content to an e-learning module.
EBAC has a longstanding experience in accreditation of independent e-learning (incl. accreditation of micro-e-learning) and would like to offer you all support needed to successfully achieve conversion of your live meetings to accredited distance learning material.

EBAC offers you the following options for conversion:

1. Webinar: this will be handled analogous to a live meeting. Provider has to identify participants and track participation to award EBAC certificates.
2. Studio recording of the presentations, offered as distance learning material. This will be valid for 1 year, renewal possible. Each module has to go with 6 multiple choice questions (MCQ) – of which at least 4 have to be answered correctly. The provider has to identify participants and track participation to award EBAC certificates.
3. Micro-e-learning: similar to 2., for more detailed information please click here.

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Dear colleagues,
dear Madams,
dear Sirs,

the Covid-19 pandemic is stretching societies and in particular health care workers globally. The unforeseen challenge of this pandemic now makes it an ethical obligation for physicians, nurses and all others working in health care to deliver care to Covid-19 patients, and help to stop further spread of the infection.

In our view, this unescapable obligation implies that for a time period of unknown duration travel, as well as live meetings of whatever size, cannot be justified solely for the purposes of continuing medical education. Thus, EBAC is in full support of all providers who now postpone or even cancel planned live educational meetings. EBAC will do everything to facilitate unbureaucratic re-accreditation once the activity has been rescheduled. Please do not hesitate to contact the EBAC office in case of further questions in this regard.

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